for this title most people want the original the repro is close but it comes in second place compared to the orig. which can be VERY difficult to find for purchse

Their have been 3 runs of the Fathom backglasses, first was Phoenix arcade around 2004, then CPR did a run a few years ago, then Shay did the most recent run a year or two ago.

I had a phoenix arcade repro, it was very saturated with the colours like blue, purple. Side by side looked nothing like an original bg. Also resolution was not very good, ie blurry, probably due to a different reproduction process.

I also bought a CPR repro, basically the same as the Phoenix repro. When juxtaposing the two repros, the Phoenix was actually a little better resolution wise. Both repros have been well documented here & on other forums regarding these issues.

Needless to say both have gone. Great to have an option if you didn't have a backglass at all or a terrible one. At the time I simply wanted to upgrade a 7.5 glass to a mint glass, my original was way better, even being a bit rough.

The final repro that is available now was produced Shay Arcade I believe, I don't have one, but from a review here (somewhere) & close up pics it is excellent, with just a few small issues. I sure I would be more than happy with one if I needed it, Shay do fantastic quality faithful to original backglasses.

As far as an original, I think with the high price of Fathoms now, the backglasses do command a lot. I bought a near mint glass from a ebay seller in Europe a couple of years or so ago, it cost US$800.00 (with shipping) to Australia, so about US$600.00 just for the glass.

Their was another near mint Fathom glass for sale here more recently, not sure if it sold, I the asking price was $600 - $800. finding an original in any condition is now very difficult, let alone a mint glass.

Shay Arcade Group announced on their website that they will be making Fathom backglasses again soon

The repros are available from here now.

http://www.planetarypinball.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PPS-G-440-17V2

Yeah last run was about 6 months ago.

The last run was produced by the same manufacturing company that produces Hardtops. Planetary Pinball has been using them in recent years for multiple projects. This latest reproduction is probably the closest there is.

Hey guys, just need some info on a Bally Old Chicago Backglass and if it's worth $150.00 asking price. I've looked it over and it appears to be original and in unbelievable shape; 9.9 atleast. I was going to buy it to make a shadow box out of. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated.

Thx Russ

Here is a pic of the recent PPS run back glass. I think it's awesome. Hard for me to compare to a mint original as mine was pretty toasted. It's actually great quality IMO. As with all other repro glass, the credit wording/label is not there. PM me if you want more pics.

2022-07-2621.54.509192838097945258907.jpg

Always go with Shay when possible IMO.