Hello again everyone...as some of you may recall, I donate EM pinball machines to various fund raising auctions and this one is set to go to auction tomorrow. This is the first time I've donated to this particular auction and really have no idea how many people will be there and how well this one will do.

Hopefully, it will bring in a decent amount as this one is raising funds for the heart center at Children's hospital of Wisconsin.

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of the game to be donated.

Dave

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It can be a crapshoot for sure but the games I've donated have all done pretty well. When it's a silent auction item they don't always do as well as they do when they're a live auction item but they've always seemed to have done pretty well.

Last year, in a different auction, I donated a Williams Blue Chip. About as pedestrian an EM game as there is and two guys got into a bidding war and it sold for $1800. That was crazy.

I will respond to this thread with the price it sold for if I get that information.

Dave

Thanks too-many-pins. The auction that this is being sold at is a dinner/auction thing and I don't think they allow "walk-ups" to the event. It's also tonight at the Sheraton in Brookfield, WI (same place that MGC is held).

So, unfortunately, it's going to be sold to the highest bidder at the event tonight. Hopefully, we'll be welcoming a new person into the pinball hobby tonight.

Ultimately, whether it sells for $200 or $2000 doesn't really matter.

I usually post when I'm donating a game to encourage others to do the same. While game prices are higher than they have been in the past, you can usually find a decent EM game for a reasonable price. Do a reasonable shop job on it and you have a game that's ready to donate without a huge investment.

My payoff comes when I deliver the game to the new owners (I include delivery and set-up as part of the deal). It's always fun to get new people involved in the hobby.

Dave

Thanks for the kind words. I have to admit the first time I donated a game I was like a nervous mother hovering over the game, waiting and watching people to see if they were bidding. I just didn't want the game to sell for less than what it was worth as I'd have rather sold the game on my own and then donated the money rather than it selling for less than what it was worth.

However, my experience so far has been that it always sells for at least what it's worth (and typically more) and I think this is the 6th or 7th game I've donated.

In the end, even if it sells for less than I think it's worth, it was a donation and any money raised is a good thing.

For me, it's a win-win. It raises money for a good cause and it usually introduces someone new to the pinball hobby. It doesn't get much better than that.

Dave

Ok. I just dropped it off and when I turned it on to make sure it worked all of the kids that were there helping out came over to check it out. I didn't expect that. It got plenty of play testing.

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Ok, just got home from the auction and the final price was $850. Not too bad at all. It played great all night long and the people that bought it are going to be first time pinball owners. Another family joins the ranks!

Had a few people ask about games and where to get them and such.

All in all, it was a great night.

Dave

Yeah, I was pretty happy with the price it sold for. As you said, they got it for a price that's below retail but more than they would have paid if they'd have just bought it outright. If I'd have been selling the game I'd have expected to get $500 or so for it.

I also was able to tell a few people about the MGC coming up in a couple of weeks and had a couple of other people ask me to help them find a pinball machine.

One of the bonuses of bringing a game to play at an auction is listening to the stories people tell you about how they played as a kid or they had a grandpa that had a game or just their memories of pinball in general.

Really had a lot of fun last night.

Dave