Sprewell just came by my house asking for $20 to mow my lawn.....

You should've explained to him that owning a game is not a requirement to enjoy the hobby. I own a bunch of games, yet prefer to play on location. Playing on location is cheap and a lot more fun than playing alone at home. I know a pinhead who lived in his van for a while and played on location regularly. You don't even need a house to enjoy the hobby.

The collector side of the hobby is a rich mans hobby. They are commercial machines designed to be placed in a public location. Having one or more in your home is a luxury. You can rationalize it however you want, but it is a rich mans hobby. Many families consider a playstation, x box or nintendo to be a luxury. If you have a pin in your home, you should consider yourself very fortunate. I know I do.

In my mind, pinball isn't too much different from other guy hobbies in terms of cost. Most of us have probably spent $10 - $20k on our current machines. That's about the same range as owning a good boat, buying part of a hunting property, having a nice antique auto, etc.

And everyone has a different concept of rich.

But I do say... if "gold-diggers" were in the know, they'd go to a pinball expo every now and then. It's basically a bunch of single and divorced guys with a slew of disposable income.

Also, as many pointed out there are a lot of holes with the above poll. If I got married, I would move up in one of those brackets if she simply made min wage. However, if she came with a slew of debt and reoccuring bills... I'd have significantly less money to spend on cool things even though the family income was higher.

The real question would be how much $$$ per month do you make that isn't already allotted towards fixed expenses (mortgage/rent, car payment, student loans) and recurring variable expenses (food, power, gas).

Fully agree. We are some lucky people here. Yes, we work hard for it. But we're still fortunate people.

Whenever I sneeze or something and someone says, "God bless you." I say, "He already has."

And I ain't just talking about my toys.

I never pay him more than $15.

I offered him $15 once and all he did was choke me!

Thats what you get for disrespecting him!

Very interesting poll! No one said voting discloses your vote. Chillax to the complainers. Just interesting data to see

Instead of driving that Murano I always wanted, I'm driving a hail-damaged Honda. THAT'S how I pinball.

I've changed my mind on this poll. Interesting to see the spread. Good topic OP.

Even for collecting machines, you don't necessarily have to be rich or even particularly well off, it just depends on how you choose to be in the hobby.

Myself, I'm very much on the lower tail of the poll results. I had to save up for awhile to buy my first machine ($700) and that's by far the most I've spent on any one that I have owned. I usually buy in the the $2-400 price range, and have even gotten a few freebies. Yes, they are fixer uppers, but that's half the fun for me. Are they HUO/CQ/NIB/etc. condition? No, but can they be cleaned up and presentable!

There's more to the pinball hobby than just buying the latest NIB or flavor of the month (AFM, etc) and blinging it out with hundreds of dollars of LEDs, powdercoating, toppers etc. Personally, I find much of that stuff to be gaudy, and prefer the stock look. Also, I don't like a lot of the newer games compared to my older ones. The newer games I do like are generally not well liked, so go figure... (WoF is favorite Stern if that says anything).

Many people on this board have spend more money on "mods" than I spend buying and repairing a number of machines. If you think that you HAVE to add LEDs, high-end clear coat, mirror blades, toppers, powdercoating, etc, then YES, it is a rich man's hobby. But, if you're looking for something fun to hit a ball around on, tinker with from time to time, then it certainly doesn't have to be

There should have been a "I don't yet own a pinball" option. I think incomes for players vs owners could be different.

Pshaw... non owners dont count : )

There's a husband wife couple who are both teachers on here, who both enjoy pinball (gameroom shows like 20-30 pins in the basement, many A-list). He said he's just been fixing them for years and years, and has just been flipping them for the next pin.

I myself have found deals, put in some work, been patient. I know one day I'll have a good size collection (not that 4 isn't a bad start), just takes time and hard work, not necessarily money.

Only if you know of a location that actually maintains their pins. Pins in the wild are scarce near me and most of them are broken down pieces of shit that aren't worth playing anyway. I have to buy my own to get any reasonable amount of enjoyment out of this hobby.

+ 1000%

I used to think only the rich guys could afford the nice machines. Now, I think you just have to make a little more than you need to live on. If pinball is all you really spend your disposable income on, you can add to your collection pretty quickly. My income is WAY below the 100k average here, but I could still manage a couple of NIB games a year if I really wanted them.

I drive a $14,000 car that is 6 1/2 years old now, so that frees up a lot more cash for games.

I wouldn't say it is a "rich" man's/woman's hobby...I think it is more a "frugal" man's/woman's hobby...You don't have to have a 100K or even a 50K income to have pins, you just have to be patient, and learn how to buy them and fix them yourself. The first few years I was in the hobby, I probably didn't spend more than $500.00 on any one that I bought. Then I brought them home, and taught myself how to restore the PF, BG and cabs and hubby got good at doing the mechanical stuff...and when we were done we had some really nice games...In the last few years I have bought a few that were a bit more expensive. I still fix them myself. I have not been buying nearly as many as I did at first. So I save up to get the ones I really want. Income is not really the issue it is how "frugal" you are with your $$ once your bills are paid.

Phoebe

There can be a big difference between one's income versus their wealth. Read "The Millionaire Next Door" sometime.

Well said! You, sir, are not a pinkhatter!

First off, being "rich" is all relative. Rich compared to who? While some may consider themselves "well off", some may consider them Rich (IE Someone who makes $120K a year with a family of 4). While the person making $120K a year considers someone who makes $500K a year "Rich", etc.

So does the OP have a Monetary # where someone automatically fits into the "Rich" category to make this a valid poll (to determine if this hobby is a "rich" man's hobby)?

I'm just a 17 year old kid, but I saved up money from helping my dad at work, bought a Delta Queen for 200, sold it for 500, bought a Laser Ball for 100(totally messed up corroded mpu and black painted cabinet) and got 350 for it even though it was broken! Then I bought a checkpoint for 500, and sold it for a thousand. Now I have a Pat Hand I got for 200 for sale, and it is nice. Basically, constantly checking ads and sending a lot of offers will get you far. I think I'm about to get a Laser Cue for 350 as well. So no, you don't have to be rich at all.

I'm with Phoebe on this one...
Once the bills are paid the groceries are bought- it's up to the almighty pin-gods whether the leftovers go into the kitty (savings), or ____ machine. Having a big collection doesn't necessarily mean "deep pockets". There are still so many great pins out there, just waiting for some love for pennies on the dollar. Too bad I don't have a neglected pin-detector attached to the roof of my car.

On a side note,
So far Stern has been saving me a bunch of money this year! Thanks Gary!

By the poll it looks like upper middle class wins.

That said there are like Ted said plenty of more reasonably priced pins out there. I think it is a common misconception that it is only for rich people. I work hard for my money and am by no means rich by any ones definition. I use to also think this way and income has not changed. My spending habits changed allowing me more pins as I save money. Buying these is probably not the best move for my money but it is by far one of the funnest. =-)

You can buy machines from a couple hundred to upwards of 10K+ so it is a hobby for all.

Now will you all quit worrying about other peoples money and go play pinball

Have a great night all rich and poor alike.
Have a great night fellow pinheads

I used to be rich, but I spent all my money on pinball machines and lasers... True story.

proof please...my taxes were higher for 2011...

I personally don't view the purchase of a pinball machine as spending money. To me, it's dead money or a +/- 10% on my cash. It's more about liquidity and having the ability to tie up large volumes of cash without being detrimental to your ability to earn....

This is an important point - nearly anyone with a stable job can afford a few pins (maybe the cheaper ones - but whatever), depending on how they choose to spend their money.

One thing interesting is how different the US is to the UK. Our costs of living and taxation are much, much higher, yet a good 50% of the full-time working population fits well within in the lowest two bands of this poll...

I do OK, could do a lot better, my partner is one of the 50% though. We have no kids, I drive a top spec Jag but it's 8 years old and cost me less than most budget end family cars cost (I don't do enough miles for the fuel economy to matter in the slightest). We don't spend money on holidays or going out a lot. We do spend money on material things.

Earn your money and make your choices. At the end of the day there are plenty of games just as much fun as the so called "A list" games, and even more better than the new machines they're selling now. Just compare Baywatch to a modern Stern. Same company, just look at how much more is in Baywatch...

Its kinda a big boy sport, sure...however, a pinball machine in my game room has a better APR than a saving account, CD, mutual funds or IRA.

So yeah, to a room full of pinball guys... IM RICH BITCH!!!! (Rick James)

I've been buying and fixing up coin-op games of all kinds since I was in high school, including several lean years where I had little-to-no income. It can definitely be done. In fact when I bought my Medieval Madness I was basically broke and had to totally scramble to raise enough cash for it. I knew at the time it was a huge gamble and possibly one of the most irresponsible decisions of my life, but I felt like if I was ever going to go all-out for a game, it would be for that one. Luckily since then the game has tripled in value over what I paid, and on top of that I've more than earned back what I spent on it by operating it on location. Not such a bad idea after all, I guess!

It's funny though, MM has such a stigma that I've actually had several people over the years accuse me of being snooty or wealthy just because I own it. They think I bought it as some kind of status symbol. I couldn't care less about that crap. I was just a dude living in a tiny converted garage apartment who wanted to own one of my favorite games ever, so I did what it took to get one! It's really no different than a kid saving up to buy a nice car or anything else. I know people of absolutely all walks of life who own pins. Most of them have decent-to-great jobs, but I also know a few gutter punks, teenagers and other assorted riff-raff who have kick-ass pins just because they made getting them a priority and made it happen somehow.

Only an ignorant free-loader thinks that an incompetent and corrupt federal government should be given more money. Government spending is the highest it's been in over 236 years.

Nice thing about our hobby is that both the rich and lower income folks can get into it. We all agree that Pins can be had in a wide range of prices. Like any hobby, there is a high and low end.

"I say that Pinball is not a rich mans hobby"

O, yes, Merry Christmas.

Truer words have never been spoken.

I really don't care for the next best thing in : cars, cellphones, computers, or any other luxury items. Hell i can't even spend money on expensive household stuff. I prefer decent material, and will only change them when REALLY broken. Not to have the next best thing. I enjoy a holiday once in a while. But i won't spend thousands on it. Getting away is good enough for me.
I have friends who are addicted to the "next best thing", and get really frustrated when they can't have them. I really can't be bothered really. Mind you, on pins it's the same. If i can buy them, great! If not, then so be it. I won't let my life be dictated by material stuff. As cliche as it may sound, the most important things are family and friends. If needed all my pins would go in a heartbeat!

No politics on Pinside K-Mart!

I hope you don't have to keep all your Ramen noodles under your Tron.

Rich man's hobby? I think not. Look at my collection and has owned list. Only 5 of those games were over $200.

Jason

Anyone care to guess which 5 they are?

Yes absolutely . To the guy on the street with nothing to eat but dumpster food, pinball is a luxury we should all be thankful for that we can afford these beauty's

I am shocked to see lowest poll option is 30 thousand dollars in a topic about being rich or not. When the lowest option is 30 thousand i think you already lost touch with reality around the world.

Thats a average income in the netherlands, but maybe 40% earns less, way less. Minimum income is around 12000 euro in a year.

Off course pinball is a rich mens hobby! 8000 euro for a nib. Its undoable for all average incomes and less, and even when you earn 50 tousand euro a year its a very big piece of that money.

And the netherlands is a very rich country, with all sorts of caresystems. Can you imagine in 85% in the world, how much 30 thousand dollars is?

The more i think about it, the more i think do you guysnin america know there is a world outside the states?

The average earning american, 32000 thousand a year, is in the top 6% earning people world wide....

You do realize that you're using a sexual slur against a good percentage of the population there?

You don't have to buy a NIB machine to get into pinball. The newest machine that I own was already 11 years old when I bought it. All 5 of my machines combined cost me less than a NIB.

Its Pinball not the freaking Unicef…so yeah it may sound rude but I don't associate the rest of the world when focused on this hobby. Many pinsiders won't ship even in the states and only deal locally and certainly as could be seen in the MM for sale thread the majority of us won't sell or buy outside of our country. So why would I factor my ability to buy a pinball machine on what a guy in the Netherlands is doing??

All Americas? I do enjoy being a US citizen regardless : )

I've seen a lot come and go over the years in the pinball hobby.

Give me a few guys out in the garage, having a beer, playing a High Speed with half the paint off of the playfield and things not working on it and they are having a blast playing pinball.

And they are way ahead of the curve.

There are some things money can't buy.

LTG : )

Maybe the fact this forum is from a dutch guy? Maybe the fact people from the whole world are using this forum.

So, its a bit ignorant and unreal to think only of the american situation. Certainly in this hobby where a very large piece of nib are sold outside usa.

I am not saying you cant think the way you do, but when you really want to discuss this subject, you cant only look at earnings of the elite in the world.

Seriously I'll be doing this at my bothers house tonight

Plus I saw a couple threads last week that implied Robin was dying.

Well Plungemaster, Than I guess the answer is yes : )

Sure sure, but that average 'merican spends 22K in medical costs so it evens out.

Haha, .