Xenia, OH
Really enjoy this thread.
All of us have different financial situations but are pretty fanatical about pinball. I got sucked into the pinball world in January 2019, which is pretty recent. Even though I had a very good job and saved a lot of money, I was dipping my toes into this new expensive hobby. So funny to look back. When I was trying to figure out which game to be my first purchase, I researched all kinds of lists just like I would do for a new car or appliance. I thought that there was easily a number one game that everyone agreed on. I had spent time on medieval madness, but wanted something more modern. I asked my distributor which game to buy and he very smartly said to buy the one that you like and don’t worry about what other people say. In spite of my anxiety and cost of a new machine, I bought a Batman 66 which I still own and thoroughly enjoy. $7800. Ouch.
So to increase my collection at a more affordable rate, I bought a bunch of ‘B’ list and ‘C’ list 1990 games. Each day I would scour Pinside as well as some classified ads and eBay. I found many games within a three–5 Hour drive of my house. The search and purchasing of these used games was a fun in itself. Fortunately, everyone I dealt with was very good and honest. I really loved going to the bank withdrawing a big wad of cash to take care of pinball acquisition. A lot of these games were really fun and I put a lot of time into playing and fixing them. However, I realized that I really enjoyed the new games and deep codes.
The last two years were crazy as we had a pandemic followed by inflation and a worsening stock market. At the age of 63, I had had enough of work and recently retired. Up until my retirement, I admittedly went a little crazy buying pinball machines. I sold over 10 of my older 90s machines, all for profit, which allowed me to buy some of the newer machines which I really enjoy.
However, recently, the announcement of the prices for toy story four really brought the pinball world economic situation a reality check. I’ve never been on a collectors edition or limited edition list in spite of buying many games. Unexpectedly,I was on the list for a toy story four collector edition. I was surprised and flattered that I had finally made the big list! Yeah, the price was very steep, but I went with it because I figured that I could always get my money back. My son, an avid pinball player as well, really wanted this game for his six year old daughter. Well, he decided to buy a toy story LE, and so we no longer really wanted the CE. Fortunately, we were able to find another buyer to take over the slot. What I find fascinating is that Jersey Jack pinball found the ceiling pretty quickly for us buyers. They are still selling these machines and are fortunately still making money and are in business.
So, you can buy a toy story 4 CE from several dealers at cost or even lower than MSRP. In my short time in this hobby, that is unprecedented. As an aside, I think this game is beautiful and fun to play. It is challenging enough for me, but not so much for my son. His daughter’s favorite game? Rick and Morty!
So yeah, I do have a big new collection and I know I am very fortunate. Like some of you, I can afford most new machines, but unlike most of you, my time on this earth is more limited. I figure I have another 10, hopefully 15 years left in this hobby and I’m going to make the most of it. So it is a race between time and money for me. I do not have endless time or finances. For future purchases, I will probably have to sell or trade which is fine. These new games have so much deep code and I can never truly beat them. Even playing one – two hours a day, many of my machines do not see any action for weeks at a time.
What I have enjoyed the most about pinball, which supersedes all financial issues, are the great people I have met with the same crazy passion for this obscure hobby.
Cheers!
