Actually, they've never broken $1000 (I've been following these closely for the last year and have kept a comp record).

The most recent was this one (I just won it on Ebay for $865):

ebay.com link: itm

Here are the ones before that:

$860 - 4-3-11
$595 - 1-18-11 (opened; previously displayed on a wall)
$930 - 12-17-10
$670 - 10-10-10

While its great to finally have a perfect one, now that I took the plunge, I'd imagine $200-$300 reproductions are virtually guaranteed.

The problem with the one from Pinball Heaven is it's essentially just a solid green blob in the general shape of the Creature (as seen in the attached pic). Note it has no face.

Personally, I'd rather have an original that's blue & clear and still has all the Creature's details.

Pinball_Heaven_Repro.jpg Original_Under_White_Light.jpg

Here's what Martin Reynolds said a few years back about originals and the road blocks facing reproductions:

"Seems that these were manufactured by Polaroid, using a contact print process from a holographic master. The hologram is recorded in a transparent medium, which changes its refractive index after exposure and processing. Processing consist of a dip in Xylene, which causes the exposed emulsion to swell, and then a bath in hexane, which displace the Xylene but does not allow the swelling to subside. Now, the hologram supply is exhausted and they have gone from a $20 novelty to a $400 rarity. There have been efforts to remake them, but here are the barriers:

1) You need a license from Universal - The Pinball Factory states that it has paperwork prepared.
2) The master hologram has been lost (probably looked like a piece of dirty glass)
3) The original model is unavailable. It appears that The Pinball Factory has a green one, and there may be another in private hands.
4) No way to get an EXACT duplicate. Which means that the replacements won't be worth so much.?
5) Have to find someone to make the master and reproduce the holos.
6) After all these expenses, are there enough buyers to cover the costs."

Color me in for a lifetime supply of a half dozen or so.

Given the shortage and Ebay comps on originals, I think they'd fly off the shelves.

The answer is quite murky:

A CFTBL with NO hologram isn't very attractive to buyers--unless it's cheap enough. We saw an earlier thread on this forum where someone got a great local deal off CL for one with no hologram for $1800.

I believe that was an exception.

Without seeing your machine, and assuming you're referring to an average CFTBL with a blue hologram, my guess is it would take somewhere around a $500 discount for someone to willingly pull the trigger on a CFTBL without a hologram--for the simple reason the hologram, while seldom seen in gameplay, is an important part of the game's lore.

$300 wouldn't do it for me: I'd want more off the price (and potential buyers would use this as a bargaining chip).

The enigma then becomes what's a blue hologram worth?

Some people suggest not very much; however, the above example illustrates their worth to be more than a little...especially if no reproductions are ever made again.

Hmm...well if that's the case what value would you guys assign to a blue one that's still clear?

I suppose therein lies the unknown: no telling how long a blue one will last--or for that matter, how long an NOS will last, or how long a reproduction will last.

FWIW, on RGP, John Wart recently mentioned he's had a blue one for 5 years: it arrived blue and is still blue.

this auction ended 3 days ago CFTBL mr pinball in australia - check out the hologram. no mention of the hologram hack.

Wonder what exactly this guy did here?

$(KGrHqQOKjgE6RdHWLSuBOu6rc211g~~60_3..jpg

Direct UV light is also known to kill them.

Don't know.