Pasadena, CA
Quoted from Rarehero:Exactly. I guess new buyers don't have the point of reference or experience of the prices of a few years ago....but as someone who bought a F-load of pins from 2007-2013, I can't NOT reflect on my previous buying experiences when considering a new game.
Maybe the newer hobbyists will find this interesting, or maybe irrelevant cuz they don't care and just want what they want...but here's what I paid for a bunch of my games:
Black Knight 2000 $700
Whitewater $750 (plus $300 for a topper hehe)
Dr. Who $1200
BS Dracula $1500 (HUO)
No Good Gofers $2200 (HUO, barely played)
Road Show $1800 (nicely restored)
Shadow $1800
Addams $2400
(Already that's 8 games for the price of 1 new one)
Some of my more expensive ones I couldn't believe I was buying: Cirque Voltaire & Monster Bash, $4k each.
Games I don't have anymore, but it's fun to think about what I paid for them:
Big Guns $235
BTTF $300
Goldeneye $650
Apollo 13 $800 (HUO)
Tommy $1300
GnR DE $1500
Oh, and here's a fun one...Wheel of Fortune NIB!!!! $2400 lol
Oh, pinball...I remember when you were fun to buy. Still fun to play! I'll enjoy my "cheapies".
This is a good perspective and your posts in the thread have been great, but the conceit of comparing historic prices with current prices for collectibles is slightly disingenuous. The price (and value) of consumer products changes, especially for items in limited supply and out of production.
For anyone who has ever bought or sold classic cars, we all have a story about something we let go for a ridiculously low price ten years ago that could put our kids through college today. "That [YEAR/MAKE/MODEL] sold for WHAT?!?!? I bought my MINT [YEAR/MAKE/MODEL] for $$$<<<" is a pretty common refrain in that hobby.
Plus, even for something bought-and-paid for like a pinball machine, there's a carrying cost. For you and me here in SoCal, the main carrying cost might be space. I know I can't keep all the great vehicles I've ever owned, nor can I do this with pinball machines - if I want something new, I need to make space. With every transaction, my cost-basis resets. Hopefully, I cash out with a profit and reinvest that money into something else at a higher price...that (God willing) also appreciates.
I think the more intellectually-honest comparison is to look at the top-tier "classic" game prices today vs. NIB prices today. As long as Stern LEs and JJP LEs are in spitting distance of nice Medieval Madness,
Monster Bash, etc. I think you can justify the costs. $10,500 for
Guns N' Roses (LE), though...??? That does feel like a bit much. For me.
EDIT: Looks like you have 23 games in your collection. Disregard my last point, and...mazel tof to you, my friend!
