A year next month since I got my first pin, man it's been fun!
(Topic ID: 18061)
I bought my first pin in 1996. I went to an auction with $1000 looking for a STTNG. Little did I know that even though there were 2 STTNGs at the auction they were going for the sky high price of $1200!!! I had to settle for one of my other favorites a Cyclone for $600.
The Cyclone stayed with me, but began to get neglected because I was low on room and it slowly got covered up with storage clutter. In the spring of 09 I decided to do some spring cleaning and I not only uncovered the Cyclone, but decided to get it restored. This was going to take a good bit of time (complete playfield touch-up and clear coat, new everything, ect...) so I decided to look for another pin to keep me busy. After some research I decided on a Spider-Man. Figuring that this would be my only NIB purchase I sprung for Black Spider-Man. After throwing down a "late to the party" premium of cash and a lot of hassle later I received and loved my Black Spider-Man. I can't imagine picking a game that would make me as happy without even playing or seeing one.
Since then, Cyclone has returned home, looking beautiful, and I have had a Police Force, Last Action Hero, and most recently picked up a Baywatch. I have a max capacity of 3 game, so my first pin (Cyclone) reciently got sold after almost 16 years. I needed to make room and raise some cash for the X-Men Wolverine LE #94 that will be arriving soon. I though I was also going to be selling off my Baywatch to fund the purchase, but thanks to some panic ebay-ing that won't be needed.
So I say I have been a pin owner since 96, but a collector since 09.
Cumberland, RI
Two years, been through 25 pins and have 18 with four on order, including Predator, Nemo, ZA and now X-men. It took a lot of time and effort (and money) to build up a decent collection! I love the old ones and the new ones.
Quoted from DugFreez:I bought my first pin in 1996. I went to an auction with $1000 looking for a STTNG. Little did I know that even though there were 2 STTNGs at the auction they were going for the sky high price of $1200!!! I had to settle for one of my other favorites a Cyclone for $600.
The Cyclone stayed with me, but began to get neglected because I was low on room and it slowly got covered up with storage clutter. In the spring of 09 I decided to do some spring cleaning and I not only uncovered the Cyclone, but decided to get it restored. This was going to take a good bit of time (complete playfield touch-up and clear coat, new everything, ect...) so I decided to look for another pin to keep me busy. After some research I decided on a Spider-Man. Figuring that this would be my only NIB purchase I sprung for Black Spider-Man. After throwing down a "late to the party" premium of cash and a lot of hassle later I received and loved my Black Spider-Man. I can't imagine picking a game that would make me as happy without even playing or seeing one.
Since then, Cyclone has returned home, looking beautiful, and I have had a Police Force, Last Action Hero, and most recently picked up a Baywatch. I have a max capacity of 3 game, so my first pin (Cyclone) reciently got sold after almost 16 years. I needed to make room and raise some cash for the X-Men Wolverine LE #94 that will be arriving soon. I though I was also going to be selling off my Baywatch to fund the purchase, but thanks to some panic ebay-ing that won't be needed.
So I say I have been a pin owner since 96, but a collector since 09.
great story
I just checked the poll results and it looks like about half of us began in the last five years. It seems to support the reports of a recent revival and I would think is a major factor in the rising prices we have seen.
Brampton, ON
Next year will be a decade since I started my collection.10 games in the collection with one,MB,coming this summer.
This poll is indicative of why pin prices have gone up a lot lately. 1/3 of those who've responded have been in the hobby 2 years or less.
Quoted from kwiKimart:Collecting since last December. Hopefully I get Pin #2 pretty soon.
You had your chance and blew it! 
Borsbeek
Collecting for almost 2 years now, have owned almost 20 games since then. The money was originally ment for a bathroom renovation. But i convinced my wife (who is a fellow pinhead now also! 
) to spend it on pins instead! I made the comparison of time. I said : you spend around an hour a week under the shower, but you like playing pins for many hours a week. And that argument hit home (wooohoooo!!) So the money for a huge bathroom project is now in some awesome pins! 
2 months later
Quoted from bellbrand:oh ya the good old days..I sold the pristine CP for under 2400
that was before ill pinball did the 1st repro.
Quoted from bellbrand:AkumaZeto said:
I remember when i sold my player MM for 3850 lol.
oh ya the good old days..I sold the pristine CP for under 2400
Yeah, it's amazing how much things have changed. If only I had bought so many of those that I passed on back then....
And speaking of CP, I bought my nice *sample* CP for $1700. Days of prices like that are long gone now.... 
Um.... 14 months, almost exactly. A little longer if you add arcade games, but that don't count.
God. 9 machines in just over a year. Am I on the way to being Black Rose Jr? 
It's not like there's a bunch of C titles in my stuff... I'd say Supersonic is probably the ONLY one in my collection so far that I would not own again for the right price.
Since 2001. IJ was the first. Been through 18 pins - have 4 now. Fairly slow turnover rate. I remember back then I could get a nice CV for $2900, AFM for $3500, and MM was about $4500. Seemed like a lot. That's why I just can't buy some of these "A" titles currently, their prices have escalated way too high for me in the past few years. Luckily I like a lot of other machines - and have the PHOF to try many of them out before buying. Fun hobby.
Quoted from MattElder:Yeah, it's amazing how much things have changed. If only I had bought so many of those that I passed on back then....
And speaking of CP, I bought my nice *sample* CP for $1700. Days of prices like that are long gone now....
If I had only kept my "so called A list games" for a year longer wow what a difference a year can make...Now I will never get those back 7-8K for AFM. Crazy!!!
Quoted from NightTrain:You must not be married!
NPO has a lady of all ladies... She beat TFTC!
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/my-girl-just-beat-tftc
Im in the same boat as NPO. Only a few months and 4 machines with a 5th soon.
Villejuif
Similar story. Played my dad's couple pins as a kid (80's) but got reintroduced to the hobby over a year ago and pulled the trigger on my first pin back in Feb.
From the looks of this poll there are a LOT of newbies. No wonder pin prices have been skyrocketing.
Ryan Claytor
Elephant Eater Comics
www.ElephantEater.com
Veendam
2002 or so for me... RS was first pin a routed piece of junk sold to me by an operator.. condition of the thing and work to fix it almost knocked me out of collecting.. but then i found Clay's website and Videos, and RGP.. then as i started to repair and restore RS i realized how great this hobby is and was hooked for good.
Would make a commercial for Clay if asked... 
Quoted from NickBuffaloPinball:Like the title says, how many years have you been collecting pins (vote)?
2001 for me...bought my first pin Space Shuttle. Still own it, won't be going anywhere soon. It was also the first pin I restored.
Phoebe
Bought my first pin because location pinball in the NYC area was practically non- existent.
That was Dec of 05. Many pins and much fun since. Mildly surprising is how many new friends
that I've made through my obsession. My private space that I share with Levi is a must see
for pinheads visiting NYC. And it's right up the block from an entrance to the High Line park.
Al
I never played much pinball at all until this spring. I came across a retro arcade nearby that had a lot of pins. I played a few of them but didn't really "get it", then I built a MAME and put future pinball on it and got hooked.
Early this spring on some business I saw two pinballs in a machine shop and the guy complained that they were in the way. I worked on the buyer for a week and wheeled them out for $650 each. They were a Getaway and a JP (I didn't have any idea on the value of them or how to fix them). The Getaway just needed a lot of cleaning and replacing of some molex, and it was good to go. The JP needed a power supply and coils. I sold the Getaway and bought a BSD. And here I am.
Very telling poll, more than 50% of collectors started in the last 5 years. Demand more than doubled while supply has increased at probably less than 1% if you take into account existing and new pins manufactured in the same period.
Bought my first pin in 1993....was a Black Knight that came from Eddyville,KY....KY state prison...bought it at action....was a really nice machine...was 285 bucks back then plus 12 dollar buyers fee
4 months now.
Bought my first 2 in the first month then decided I needed to buy a house so I had more room for pins. I moved into my new home last week, just had my 4th one, NIB Tron Pro delivered last Friday.
Started in 1968. My first game was Gottlieb Gypsy Queen. A woodrail for $20. I've been in and out of the hobby ever since. Got back in about 5 years ago. Still going strong! Of course nothing but EM'S. lol
after seeing the results. I see why pin prices have shot up so much in the past 8 months. Looks like we have a lot of new people to the market.
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