Very nice.

I got a free Jurassic Park and I have got several EMs for free.

Not pins but a cocktail table arcade machine (an Aussie made Hankin) and a Sega Super Hang On, BOTH in need of some love but almost got both back to full health and looking smart now without too much pain on the wallet

I ve got a free non working Gottlieb Monte Carlo many years ago (my first pinball machine) plus Indiana Jones and Dirty Harry in working state about a month ago.

My first pin, Black Hole, was a gift from pinsider zackcat!

A few years ago I did a basement remodel for Charlie Walters (local sports writer). He had a game in the basement and just wanted it gone. I don't remember the name, but I had no interest in it. Passed the info on to a friend who met me there the day we started demo. My buddy still has the game.

I have played that machine, and you did not overpay! It's sweet!

I gave away a game for free once, but have yet to get one free.

Practically free - $100 Mr. & Mrs. Pac-man was the best deal I've ever gotten, super nice guy, I offered him more and he would not accept. He was so happy to get it out of his basement to make space and hadn't played it in like 10 years.

A few years ago my son's principal at his school heard that I worked on pinball machines. She asked if I was interested in fixing her husband's Bally Speak Easy. I said sure and gave her my cell number for him to set up an appointment for me to to see it. Months went by and I would occasionally mention to her about it, but no call ever came. After my son graduated to another school, I heard that her husband was very sick and sometime later I heard he had passed away. A few months went by and she called me to ask if I would like the game. I assumed it meant to purchase it, but when I got to her house to see it she said it was mine to take. I tried to get her to accept some money for it, but she said it made her sad to see it sitting unplayed and wanted my family to have it. I told her that it would never be sold and I plan on keeping that promise. It need some minor board work and is beautiful condition. We think of her and her husband whenever we play it.

Steve

I am still waiting on this free wish to happen.

Haunted House, Black Hole, Pinball Pool and a Space Mission all free over the years.

I spoke to a guy at an event once who "inherited" an STTNG from a games studio that shut down. So jealous!

You win Steve.

I've never been lucky enough to get one for free, but even if I did I couldn't compete with that story.

I gave away 2 pins to two fellow pinsiders a beautiful cyclone and a project bally black pyramid.

I was at work one day and I go out to CL once in the afternoon just for kicks to see what's new. I hadn't been on CL at all, it was literally a one time look in 2 weeks. First thing I see is "FREE PINBALL MACHINE". I look to see what at it is and when it was posted figuring it was probably bogus or a table top pin. Turns out it was a Gottleib Atlantis that doesn't fully work and it was only posted less than 10 minutes ago and the poster is less than 10 minutes from my work. It had multiple pictures and looked legit. I shoot him an e-mail with my phone number saying I am a couple minutes away and can be right over. Figure it is long gone and don't think anything of it. My phone rings about 15 minutes later and it is the guy. He says I was the first one to contact him and I can have it if I want it. I jump in the car and cruise over there thinking someone would screw me out of it the whole time I was driving. I get there and it is still there and the guy is super cool. He played it as a kid and is cleaning out his moms house and just wants it gone since it doesn't fully work. The guy and me start talking about it and he says he had tons of other e-mails about it after mine, but he didn't respond to them because I showed up like I said I would and I wanted it. Very refreshing to see someone stick to their word and I told him I appreciated it.

So I started breaking the game down, had to drill out the back lock, but the coin door was open. Thing is SUPER nice. Backglass is PERFECT. After opening the head, the original schematics were still masking taped to the head and had never even been opened. Outside of the game was dirty, but the playfield is awesome, everything there and no broken plastics and the cabinet and head aren't damaged. I popped the playfield and saw some broken wires, so it is obvious why the game doesn't work fully, but it is complete and super clean. This guy's mom had had the game for well over a dozen years and it has just sat for some time now. We pulled 8 quarters out of the cabinet and not one of them was newer than 1975. I didn't have a truck, so I called a few people to see if they would help me out and finally got a friend to come over with a pickup. I put the head in my car and my buddy brought the cab to his house.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/my-first-free-pinball-machine-yesterday-was-a-great-day

I've received 3 free games so far this year and have passed on a Night Rider EM, WMS 8ball and Darling. A few years ago i was paid $100 and got to keep a really nice Paragon if i removed it from the owners basement without any damage, because the guy who delivered it in 1989 put a hole in their wall and the wife never forgot about it.

Gay 90's....Guy said; "Get over here today or I am cutting it up with a chainsaw and its going in the trash" Awful name, but it had great game play.

Not quite free, but I paid $100 for my Banzai Run. An operator had it stashed in a metal shed behind one of his rent houses. The cabinet had some planking, but for some reason the playfield was in incredible shape. When I was shopping it out, I found some mysterious codes written under the arch. I asked around and found out that it was the codename for diamondplate before they officially named it. Banzai Run was the first test run for diamondplate -and there are 10 of them out there. I plan to send it off to HEP or Kelly some day to bring it back to perfection - I guess I'm just waiting on superbands to release the remaining rubber sizes in orange.

I got a decent condition non working Paragon for free

Gottlieb Scuba.

How far gone would you still take a free game?

My first game was Free

Bally Kiss

Rock On

Well, my Astro Shooter was my brother's birthday present, but eventually he just let me have it. I also got a Homerun Action Pinball from some friends who didn't want it it anymore because it was broken. I fixed it up some, but I think I also permanently damaged one of the gears inside, and I also accidentally vaccummed up a cardboard "decal" (Not really a decal, but that's the best term for it I can think of) just a few days ago!

So those aren't real pinball machines... but I did get a Funhouse as a birthday gift! It's just 1/10 in size and made out of paper and some cheap wood.

I gave a friend an Evel Knieval home machine for Xmas a few years ago. Bought it fully intending for it to be the little brother of his full size machine. It didn't work so I rebuilt the power supply and shopped it for him.

When I brought it to his house I gave him the backbox and said Merry Christmas. He thought he had a nice wall hanging. Then I told him I had the rest of the machine in my vehicle. We set it up right away and his family started playing.

I've given away 2 machines, never yet received one for free yet. Hoping on Karma!

Rando, if you're ever feeling generous again, I"m like 20 mins from you.

Received 2 here in my lifetime.

Taxi
Checkpoint

LOL!
It helps to be related to me so I have something to play when I visit, but I'll keep you in mind!

My Seawitch was free.

Bally Mystic. Bought for pretty cheap by a friend of mine as a super project machine. He didn't have the time to work on it, so passed it on to me. Several hundred dollars and many hours later, it's running pretty well. Still need a new back glass though...

I picked up an old Gottlieb Target Pool for free this past summer. It was going to be my winter project but re-painting upstairs, the birth of my first grandchild , and the massive amounts of snow we got in the Boston area this year, managed to take precident over the restoration. It just may end up being a freebie for someone else.

Woh hey now a free Jurassic Park! (I would love to own one). Please elaborate on the circumstances of that situation...

We were delivering a popcorn machine to a rec room in the basement of a church.

There was a Gorgar with it's head strapped down.

I asked "What's up with poor Gorgar there...." thinking I'd get a service call out of it.

The church director said "Oh that. You can just take that. Father McDurmit does not approve of those things"

Apparently, the new priest at the church did not want anyone doing battle against a demon.

We put it on the dolly and dragged it up the stairs and into the van. Still had money in it.

109419.jpg

Gorgar in a church.....LOL!

The closest I've gotten to a free game was the T2 I won in a raffle, which as I recall was the Randy Buffalo games rescue on RGP. Cost me $100 in raffle tickets.

The cabinet was very nice so I restored the game with a clearcoated NOS playfield. Sold it a few years back.

My first 3 games were a split with a guy I worked with. $100 bucks total for Galaxy, Harlem Globetrotters, Strikes & Spares. I paid $50 and took the SS. He paid $50 and took the Galaxy and HG. After a week, his wife was mad at him because they took up so much space, so he gave me the other two. I can't remember if I bought him out for the other $50, or if he just gave them to me. Either way, not free, but damn near.

Stern Wild Fyre (my first ever,) Bally Mr Ms Pac Man, Bally Night Rider SS, Wms Dealers Choice, Wms High Speed. I've also traded labor for a couple more, including some vids, as in: If you can fix this one, you can have that one.

What! Blasphemy! I love that game! and the EM is the rare one to find!!!

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/2nd-pin-howd-i-do-1

A good friend of mine gave me a non working Worlds Fair '64 for doing a complete teardown of his Funhouse for him. So I basically had a funhouse for free for 7+ months after I got it cleaned up and working, and then got a free EM.

4155 vs 7000, so more rare, but not exactly rare.

Had to look this up recently when I saw an EM for sale and thought the same thing.

Well I stand corrected that it is rarer, but still, I would love an EM Night Rider.

Never. Guess that makes me either unlucky or a prick.

Most likely the unlucky... there's what? maybe a few hundred pinsiders resulting in thread responses of maybe 50 Pinsiders getting free pins over the course of 20 or 30 years. I could be in a room with 1 other person and not win a raffle, but I'm a prick.

Getting a free pin? Well that would almost be like Christmas!

Most people would agree with that assessment, but yep, I hear you on the raffle thing - I can relate.

I've gotten 1 free Em pinball, 1 free Pitch and Bat and 1 Free Rifle Game. Also quite a few ems for $100 or less.

Pretty sure my kids are going to get really nice HUO pins for Free after I kick the bucket...

I have received two. The first was Gottlieb Niagara from 1951. Physically in clean decent shape however the back glass has just been broken. Playfield looks nice, cabinet is nic as well. It is missing some parts but I believe it is well above a parts machine. I This was given to me in the late '80s while I worked in a bowling alley. Has been in my basement every since.

The second one is a 1978 Gottlieb SS, Charlie's Angels. I got this around 1990, a fellow from the upper peninsula send it to me for the price if shipping which he charged $50. I had to rebuild the cabinet as it was split and not stable. All of the parts are there and really does look very good. My Dad and I worked on the electrical aspect and had it lighting up and doing the attraction mode, but could not get the game to register credits and actually play.

I may get those out this spring and tinker with them again. My Dad, my electronic expert has passed away so I will not have his expertise to guide me through the electrical which will be rough.

But now that I will have some time, I do want to get them out and maybe some new pinheads would like to take a swing at them. I would love to see Niagara in its prime again for sure, or if someone wants to help me I am eager to learn.

I am glad I have held onto them but it is maybe time to share them to further the hobby.

I got a Chicago Coin Mini-Baseball game years ago when I worked in a arcade. It was sitting in the back storage room collecting dust. I asked the owner about he said take it home and get it out of his way.
And a friend called me one day and asked if I was interested in a free pinball machine. A few months went by and I had forgotten all about him calling. One day he shows up with a really nice Firepower machine. I still have both of them.