I had to start my collection over due to a financial situation. I got my first pin in 6th grade (back in the early '70's). It was a wood rail Dancing Dolls (if you have ever seen the movie Biloxi Blues the pinball machine in it was mine, on loan to the production company). I kept that machine through college and after marriage. I started a computer systems integration business after college and often traded services for old EM machines. I ended up with a nice collection of Gottlieb machines, a shuffle bowler, and an EM shooter. The computer business became very difficult in the early '90's so I stored my collection in my father's basement, uprooted the family (wife and 2 young children), and went back to school. After school I landed a nice job, but with the kids in school and starting a completely new career in a new state I did not have the money and space for the collection. My father got tired of storing the machines so I had to sell the collection, including my Dancing Dolls that I had owned at that point for over 25 years. It was sad to see them go, particularly since I had not been without a pinball machine since the age of 11.

Fast forward a few years and I was able to build a house with enough room for quite a few pins and vids. I started my collection over with my first DMD machine, Jurassic Park (that I have now had for 13 years). Going from EMs to DMDs was a learning curve, but I have enjoyed the new machines and have had a lot of fun building a new collection. It sucks to have to start over, but it does present opportunities to go in a different direction with the collection. I still miss my Dancing Dolls, but I will get another one some day and I found I like playing the DMDs better anyway.