My collection now consists of pins I've owned in the past and have repurchased because i've missed playing them.

But even those I don't play much anymore.

I often think about selling my last 3 off and getting just one modern Stern.

If it isn't, and unless you overpaid, you can typically get your money back. A few other expensive hobbies are like that, but not many.

Try selling your PC 5 years later and see what you can get for it. A few hundred, if that? Maybe nothing at all?

Pinball machines are pieces of part that you can play

If I had the space, there are a few games that I would only own for the artwork/display value, since the gameplay on them isn't great.

Yes. Games, cars, relationships...
If they aren't worth the cost, time to cut em loose.
Some games (and I guess relationships) will always remain til I'm dead though.

20 years in the hobby and I still play almost daily. I still love bring back a dead neglected game to fully playable and nice condition. I do get what you mean though, because I can have just as much or more fun on a classic Bally as I can a brand new Stern. I'm also fairly active in the competitive scene, too, so that motivates me to play more.

Yep, and I'm getting ready to cut six of mine loose. Since I moved, I don't have room for all of them and it's costing me $2k/yr to store them.

I think you should sell one and see how it feels before making a commitment.

So, how much for the Cyclone?

I keep wanting to buy a new machine but I'm afraid I'll feel the same way. I've never bought new or even expensive games. My most expensive game was 3k. That having been said I bought a lot of games that were "good deals", in my opinion which means I have too many, and too many currently not working. For me it gets overwhelming. For that reason I want to whittle my "collection" down to about 5 machines, not counting the 1930's PM stuff.

I've been playing less and less, most recently due to working 7 days a week up to 16 hours a day. If I'm being honest I didn't miss playing. That in itself tells me it's time to let some go.

That's why I'm sticking to just one machine I really love. I play it everyday, maybe just a game or two, and then sometime friends come to play. I guess if the play count ever gets up to 7000 I'll be in the black. In the meantime it's money in the bank, can always be sold if I'm desperate or bored. But by owning one I spend less time searching out pinball machines around town and looking at ads on-line.

Hahahah I have this conversation with myself everyday. Then I go buy more.

But in all honesty yes and that's why I'm selling 4-6 of my pins.

For me it is less the money than the space I consider and other ways it could be used. Since they’re worth as much or more than I paid I see it as just another asset that I could liquidate if needed. And if they become worthless then that is fine too since I love them and have enjoyed them.

My collection is a fraction of 1% of my net worth, so no I never look at them and think about their cost in terms of their entertainment.

For sure. Went from 8 to 2. Kept looking at the games I had and the amount of money sitting there, and it felt kind of silly. I'll probably get a couple of more over the next few years, but looking to go back to 5 max, and only if I love the theme. The massive increase in prices has made it pretty easy to be happy with a smaller collection.

lol, nice flex.

I like my games and think I could sell them pretty easily if I need or want to. In all my years here I have pretty much broken even and have had lots of fun doing it.

Nice Humble brag

Remember : these games are produced to be commercially operated games. Route your collection in a successful setup and they will bring thousands of dollars of enjoyment.

Sure, who doesn't think of this? I could have a new car or redo the kitchen.....blah, blah. It's very hard at this point to cut any games loose that have been part of the collection, in fact I'm pondering it right now about keeping a game I've owned many times before and weather or not to sell off something else to put this game in the line up....what to do, what to do.....? Point is, if I hadn't spent it on pinball what else would it have been? And what if I cut back on some games......then what? Is selling 1,2,3...10 games really going to make a difference in my case? So then what do I do with the space? Fill it back up with some different games at today's prices? Everything fits so perfectly right now in the entire basement that I find it very difficult to disrupt the layout of the basement, there just is no better way to do it that would even create space for one more game without selling a game.....trust me I've worn out a lot of measuring tapes trying to figure out how to squeeze in one more game. A LOT of games here don't get played by me or anyone else enough to justify them at this point but the thing is there already here and paid for twice over so why not hang onto them? It's my 401K. When the time comes to sell them all I'll know....but for now there not hurting anything.
I guess I'd just rather keep the game count the same and save up to buy that new kitchen,garage, whatever... Problem is finding a contractor that will even return a phone call is like pulling teeth......, but that's another story.

John

Yes, the value of my games is more than they are worth to me which makes selling easier and buying harder. I decided that I just don’t play them enough to justify that so I have been slowly downsizing from a peak of 13 to 9 now and soon to be 8. Going to try and stay at 8 while selling one to buy another. Lots of places to play theses days so I can get a cheap fix on location every now and again.

It's in his name, so I don't think he can help it.

Nope, I play pinball everyday, coming up on 5 years of owning them at home and I’m not even remotely bored. Compared to anything else that cost as much as my collection I get way more use and enjoyment out of them.

Bravo on the manifesto! Holy schinkes !

To ForceFlow's point - there are very few high priced hobbies where you can generally sell the "toy" for what you have in it (or more). In that sense this is a great hobby as long as you don't overpay.

As far as the money goes - I think you have to ask yourself - what would you do with it if you sold? In other words, if you are in debt up to your ears and paying interest through the roof then I would say having a $50k collection you don't play a lot is silly and you should sell it to pay debt off. If, however, you have zero debt and are saving for retirement responsibly then I would ask the counter question "what else would you do with your money?" Those are two very different scenarios...

I would also add if a person keeps buying more and more games and isn't really enjoying them then they may have something else going on in their life to consider...

I wouldn't know what else to do with my basement so screw it.

Plus it's only like 7% of my net worth.
EDIT: Whoops sorry; 70%

Percentages still confuse me.

You have around 122k listed in games so your net worth is about 12mil?

I asked my self this question 3 years ago. I sold all my pins. Huge mistake. Trying to build up again, but these prices are prohibitive.

You're being modest. It's a FRACTION of 7% of your net worth.

I have 33 pins on location now, so yeah, it's bringing me thousands of dollars of enjoyment...all the way to the bank!

Now fractions & Percentages?!?! I QUIT!

You must be talking to my wife. Hell no! I’m not selling. I want 3 more but I have to let the heat die down. I’m thinking of grabbing a EM next year. Been working OT to mod my current ones. The money would just sit in the bank and devalue. I can’t up my 401k anymore. Roth is going to be maxed out. House has 2 years on it. I think it will be ok.

Learn from this guy's mistake!!!!

Not much humble about it...

Pinball is one of the few material possessions that brings me joy. I've never been a big "stuff" guy but love owning games. Don't need a big house or an expensive car but love my games. Have fun working on projects, playing them and chasing my dream collection. It helps having alot of friends in the hobby because its a good excuse to get together and hang out and usually end up bullshitting more than playing.

Yes, if a game is no longer fun it’s gone.
Space is always an issue so that keeps it pretty simple.

He said it's a fraction of 1%. I mean, I guess 1/1 is a fraction, but he could just as easily have meant 1/10. In which case, net worth comes out to $122 million.

Which is plausible. Look at all the money the bottom 80% of Americans don't have. Someone has to have it, might as well be him.

Absolutely, I hate the process and work of selling games (way easier to acquire!)... however, I don't have space or money for all the machines I want.. so with only a few exceptions, usage is definitely what motivates me to move machines along.

Just the opposite for me. I've said this about every other hobby I've ever had, but pinball is the only one I've continued to enjoy after the purchase.

I've collected antiques. There was absolutely no enjoyment for me after the hunt and the purchase.
I've restored old cars. Once the restoration was complete I always lost interest.
I collected firearms. I don't hunt, and you can only shoot so many holes in paper.
I've collected coins. No one else will ever care about your coin collection.
I've collected stamps. Gets old quick.
I Put together a nice stereo system with a turntable to play my old records, yet I find myself listening to everything on my phone.
Bought a nice bike to tear up the trails. The seat hurt my ass.

Since I rekindled my love for old cars. I've been downsizing the past 2 years. Only way I can afford a classic car is to sell a dozen pins. So yes I'm looking at dollar signs and space issues. I know I'm gonna need XX amount of cash and realistically can only fit 26 pins. I'm down to 32 6 more pins to go.

During the pandemic, when I got into pinball, I made a “Family Arcade” meant for me, my wife, and my kids to enjoy. Stuffed it with five pins and realized I was the only one ever in there. So I have since gotten rid of two and ordered a rhythm game from Japan for my daughter and a multicade for my son. There is no pin out there that I can’t get again in the years after they grow up and move out, but in the time I still have them home with me I want to enjoy our time together.

Meaning my kids, that is. I think.

Pinball cost of ownership is so low compared to most things. After the initial buy and a mod or two that's it. You could sell your pins and buy a big boat lol thousand bucks for a full up. Try woodworking, after buying equipment you still need lumber. Price up a Polaris Razor....30k hope there's a place to ride nearby a few times a year or it'll just sit. The pins are looking good.
PS idk how to calc net worth

I don’t play as much as I should but when I have people over it’s great being able to see others enjoy them.

Only have one game in collection?

Subtract your total liabilities from your total assets.

No, pinball machines give me a joy that is not measured in dollars
I have games that are worth $1000, and games that are worth $15000, i have them because they are fun to play

Since everything else I do is measured in pinballs why not net worth?

got my wife a new vehicle, told her "it doesn't look like I can fit # (don't want to be accused of humble bragging or something) of LEs in there" took her a moment to realize what I was talking about... it can only fit a single modern stern.

I'm going to try and get to your level... but holy hell - a fraction of 1% and you own more than 100k in pins. I'm not a math surgeon but that is potentially a lot of zeros.

To the op's question: I only ever made that cost benefit calculation with AIQ. The rest, even though each only get one to three plays per week a piece (if that), I get enjoyment out of just having them to look at. It is even better when others get to play them. So there are some intangible costs at play that are tough to put a dollar figure on.

I truly feel like pinball machines are modern works of functional art.

*Looks in garage at $80,000 worth of vehicles that will be worthless in ten years*

*Looks at pins I get to enjoy with my kids and sell later to probably break even.*

Nope. I don’t have tens of thousands invested in pins yet, but even then this seems to be a relatively wholesome hobby with a decent “return on investment” factor.

The only times I really think about their cumulative value is when every single visitor unfamiliar with the hobby drills me about their value and look at me like I’m nuts, and when we get our monthly “once a decade” torrential downpour and I have nightmares that my insurance company tells me that my agent forgot to renew the rider on my homeowners insurance. But yeah I’ve built a pretty great stereo/vinyl setup over the last 20 years that, while not cheap, gives me waaaay more enjoyment for the buck than pinball. The audio gear being underwater is also part of the nightmare btw.

I think "how did I get so lucky to find a Indy 93 and a Monster Bash that i could afford within driving distance?"