(Topic ID: 165539)
Presque Isle, WI
Quoted from Dooskie:LMAO....my 11 year old niece could do better than that.
Good thing your nothing like kaneda, that's not who you are...
1 month later
5 years later
It is so funny to find this thread today. I just purchased this machine. I saw it on Goodwill's auction site and I knew it was in Happy Days, but never thought they were claiming that this was the actual machine. I picked it up as a project piece at a decent price. It seems to be all there and in pretty good condition, but definitely dirty. I am super excited to work on it and get it up and running again, then probably looking to flip it for whatever my next project will be.
Nip-it 01 (resized).jpgNip-it 02 (resized).jpgNip-it 03 (resized).jpgNip-it 04 (resized).jpgNip-it 05 (resized).jpgNip-it 06 (resized).jpgNip-it 07 (resized).jpgCool pick up! Once you get it all restored you should reach out to him and send some pics!
Maybe next time he's in Vegas he can sign it
Mind blown! This sat unbought for 5 years? Price was down to $679? They weren't claiming it was Winkler's any longer, or were they never and someone assumed from the name on the leg wrapping paper? Was it really dead, or did they just never stick in a quarter? Crazy.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/143198353
Hope you don't mind me spilling a couple beans, it was easy to find on their site.
Quoted from Sea_Wolf:Thanks for this. Getting ready to attach a note on the lockdown bar of my Bally Wizard! that reads “Ann Margaret sat here” and see what happens.[quoted image]
Nobody will believe it because it's misspelled, and you forgot the hyphen.
DanQverymuch No problem at all, yeah, with fees and tax and everything it was less than $750 total. When I went to pick it up (about a 4 hour drive each way) the guy at Goodwill said "Do you know the story of this machine?" I responded "I know the title was played on Happy Days by Fonzie." He replied "This was donated by his estate. At the time they said that it was used as a prop during the filming." I was really surprised that they were claiming that this was the actual machine from the show. I'm kind of skeptical that it was actually on the show, but I don't really doubt it was donated by the estate. The Goodwill guy said that they get lots of donations from celebrities and their families due to their location. All in all, I'm super excited for this project and it really looks to be in great shape.
Quoted from nksilva:DanQverymuch No problem at all, yeah, with fees and tax and everything it was less than $750 total. When I went to pick it up (about a 4 hour drive each way) the guy at Goodwill said "Do you know the story of this machine?" I responded "I know the title was played on Happy Days by Fonzie." He replied "This was donated by his estate. At the time they said that it was used as a prop during the filming." I was really surprised that they were claiming that this was the actual machine from the show. I'm kind of skeptical that it was actually on the show, but I don't really doubt it was donated by the estate. The Goodwill guy said that they get lots of donations from celebrities and their families due to their location. All in all, I'm super excited for this project and it really looks to be in great shape.
I'd have something written up to that effect and see if they will sign it. A little "provenance".
Quoted from jrpinball:Nobody will believe it because it's misspelled, and you forgot the hyphen.
Ha, dammit.
Cool! Mind having been blown confirmed!
Maybe you can find Happy Days on Blu-ray and see if you can discern any identifying marks.
Although, seeing as how Mr. Winkler is still very much alive and still acting (new season of Barry just started!), their use of the term "estate" raises even more questions. If it was his, he probably just got tired of it taking up room in his garage, not working with no key. (If it was a jukebox, he could have just given it a whack!)
Still can't believe the thing sits for 5 years, and I happen to look at the Pinside Front Page, which I only do occasionally when I'm bored and caught up with all the threads I follow, less than a half hour after your post about buying it! Not earth-shattering or anything, but very odd!
Oh, and congrats! Of course, to the right person that could be worth a lot more than the going rate, that is if you can confirm it was the very game on the set!
Quoted from DanQverymuch:Although, seeing as how Mr. Winkler is still very much alive and still acting (new season of Barry just started!), their use of the term "estate" raises even more questions. If it was his, he probably just got tired of it taking up room in his garage, not working with no key.
Yeah, I don't think the Goodwill guy meant to imply that he had died, just that it probably wasn't Henry himself who carted the stuff over to the Goodwill Donation Center. 
The serial number is 1826 (on the back box, side of cabinet and playfield label), but not sure if there is a way to find out more of its history with that information. It also has a sticker "Games by Joe Gilgoff" with a phone number and a recommended repair technician on the top. I'll see if a little internet sleuthing is able to bring anything up. At this point I have ordered a rubber ring set, a new set of keyed-alike locks, and a new plug to replace the one that has a broken ground prong. I have also taken off all of the playfield plastics and removable hardware for a good cleaning of the playfield before the replacement ring set gets in.
Quoted from nksilva:Yeah, I don't think the Goodwill guy meant to imply that he had died, just that it probably wasn't Henry himself who carted the stuff over to the Goodwill Donation Center. The serial number is 1826 (on the back box, side of cabinet and playfield label), but not sure if there is a way to find out more of its history with that information. It also has a sticker "Games by Joe Gilgoff" with a phone number and a recommended repair technician on the top. I'll see if a little internet sleuthing is able to bring anything up. At this point I have ordered a rubber ring set, a new set of keyed-alike locks, and a new plug to replace the one that has a broken ground prong. I have also taken off all of the playfield plastics and removable hardware for a good cleaning of the playfield before the replacement ring set gets in.
Great! And turns out the IPSND has your very game, 1826, with further Winkler verbiage. If you can find the guy that submitted the SN, hopefully he can clarify if it was just one Henry had or if it was on the show, and what the original Goodwill ad said. "Henry Winkler Collection"???
https://www.ipsnd.net/details.aspx?id=48002
3 months later
Hi All. I finished the repairs on the machine. Everything is working 100%. I have been documenting the restoration process on my Twitter, @BioEdPinRepair. Now that it is fully repaired, I am interested in trading this machine for a more modern machine, but would also consider selling it. I have posted it in the pinside marketplace. https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/141024
It's a cool story and a nice looking game, but having been owned by a celebrity doesn't make it worth 5X any other nice Nip-It.
Quoted from RC_like_the_cola:It's a cool story and a nice looking game, but having been owned by a celebrity doesn't make it worth 5X any other nice Nip-It.
Agreed. If you can't actually prove it, it's not true. I have a similar issue with my LOTR. It was apparently Ed Roberston's personal game that he supposedly bought NIB - he's a pinhead as we all know. Sold to a guy in Toronto then to me. Can't prove it though so sure as hell can't claim that's it's worth more somehow. And even if it was his game, it doesn't make it better than other LOTRs out there lol.
I wonder if this ever sold? https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-black-spider-man-huo-owned-by-mark-tremonti
Quoted from edednedy:This reminds me of that time when George bought Jon Voight's car.
Beat me to it.
Quoted from Gotemwill:Name another more famous pinball machine from TV?
The pinball machine at "Archie's Place" is a 1976 "Night Rider" machine from Bally.
For people who don't know, Archie is from one of the greatest comedy sitcoms in TV history: All In The Family
Quoted from Ballypin:The auction is a fraud. The machine was actually owned by Henry Winicler. And he is a nerd.
GregCon, you stole my joke from 6 years ago.
Sit on it !
Quoted from gjm:The pinball machine at "Archie's Place" is a 1976 "Night Rider" machine from Bally.
For people who don't know, Archie is from one of the greatest comedy sitcoms in TV history: All In The Family
I don't understand the downvote, but anyway, there were many different pins shown on Archie Bunker's Place.
Quoted from gjm:Kinda funny how at a TV show taking place in the mid 50's has a pinball machine from 1973.
Pins are often thought to be older than they actually are. Several times on American Pickers, they date a game much earlier than it actually is. I wonder who their "experts" are!
Quoted from jrpinball:I don't understand the downvote, but anyway, there were many different pins shown on Archie Bunker's Place.
I'm guessin' he may have read your statement wrong like I did.
I'm a Classic TV geek and I first read your post as "Archie Bunker's Place" being a great sitcom when it was shite compared to AITF.
If this can be proved to be the one from the show, I would love to see a Ritchie Cunningham "Bong Bong" mod that somehow replaces the chimes.
Quoted from Gotemwill:Name another more famous pinball machine from TV?
Probably not one but in depth of human movie roles, I’ll always remember the great Paul Newman doing straight shots of liquor at 8 in the morning and being totally enthralled for a few brief moments in an EM sounding machine that was actually a Williams Disco Fever.
The Verdict 1982.
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