Massive Pinball Auction in Tulsa OK 02/18/18 (160 pins!)

Holy. EM. Crapping. Christmas.

Thank YOU, Damonator for taking time to share this with the community! I'll most definitely be there & will buy you a beer.

Whoo boy. What a party. What... a... PARTY......

Quoted from spiroagnew:
There are a few gems in there, but for the most part, it's a who's who list of games appearing on your local Craigslist for $200 OBO.

...in 2009.

Quoted from TigerLaw:
Just in my neck of the woods the respect collectors are having for EMs has grown a lot the last year. I think the gentleman from Dallas that drove around the country ( nicovolta ) really increased interest and awareness in EMs for a lot of people (as well as getting many of them working again).

Hey Tiger! Well I certainly hope so! Once I get resettled in April with "the big plan", I'll launch some training videos into the universe and really kick it up a notch. EM's are timeless and still fascinate people but they've got to be working well and looking nice to hook new players. I can see quite a few here which would suffice for that duty...

#119 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from pinlink:
What are some of the more desirable pins in this collection? Just curious, I'm not an EM guy so don't really know what I'm looking at.

I've been getting a lot of questions about this. Luckily, not everyone has the same taste. Gottliebs will probably be the most popular... they usually are.

I shall reveal my opinions after the auction...

#132 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from Grayman_EM:
Not sure if it's Midwest as I am 3-4 states over. Wish I would have saved more money. I can see loading up a BIG SIZED U-Haul on these.

Based upon attendance and condition and sheer quantity available under one roof, I doubt these will be sold at the usual Craigslist first responder prices. People going in hoping to scoop up a bunch for $200-$300 apiece will likely get a nice reality check.

#135 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Even if I don't buy anything, I'm looking forward to seeing y'all in person and meeting other EM fans!

#150 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Whoo... better be pretty confident you’re going to win your machine via option 2. Otherwise if you don’t win it (or fall behind second place), you lose the $50.

#152 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from SuperDaveOsbourn:
#2 dookie option is effectively a losers premium. Been to 100s of auctions, never seen or heard of such a tactic used to either keep bidders bidding or effectively shill up the amount and activity by forcing a price on people for participating per machine.

It could mess up the bidding enormously. If 10 people want to bid using Option 2, that means 8 of them will lose their $50 no matter what. Then what happens when the winning bidder backs out? Ugh...

#156 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from PoBoyPinball:
Normally if winner backs out they go to second highest and try to get him or her to buy it at their last bid.

Would that mean the next-next-highest-bidder would then not owe $50?

Ugh. Could be a mess.

#172 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from vicjw66:
Am I reading this right. 50 bucks just to bid? And if you don't win or are at least 2nd highest, you have to forfeit your money?

That’s how it comes across... and is the most worrisome aspect.

If 6-8 people bid remotely, 6 of them are guaranteed to lose $50 apiece. How high might they outbid one another to vie for that 2nd place position in order not to lose their $50?

Never heard of this before. Might get weird, but hope it goes well.

#199 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:
That's not just Pinside. That's life everywhere. There are those who get handed a silver spoon and they bitch cause it's not the one they wanted.
I think the auctioneer is very up front and honest and seems to be doing what he can to make it a good and honest auction, rather than trying to put more money in his pocket.

Fingers crossed for integrity! Many of us will be driving hundreds of miles or more, getting hotel rooms, etc. and obviously hoping to avoid any last-minute surprise shenanigans.

Just a good old-fashioned auction, please... here's the first item, highest bidder takes it, here's the next item... and so forth.

#262 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

They’re doing “buyer’s choice”. Ffffffffffffffff.

Five at a time. Highest bidder gets first choice and can optionally buy 1-4 more at same price.

Bidding then continues for the rest. Not a fan... but oh well.

#282 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

It’ll be ok if he groups similar pins together, but if we see one premium woodrail with another premium 70’s or solid state... he’ll be pitting different bidders against one another for completely separate items.

Could be drama today... no idea. Big crowd!

#315 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Snagged Ice Show for $450. Great backglass and playfield.

#317 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Wanted Solids & Stripes but $1900?!? WHOO.

No.

#320 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

OK and Campus Queen for $500... couldn’t resist.

#332 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Dixieland just under $600 with perfect backglass. Almost bought it...

#377 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

FAD4496B-CB7C-4B25-AD62-11270DB5B73D (resized).jpeg

Met lots of cool Pinsiders today including nman here who was the winner of the rare and pretty Paradise woodrail.

FYI... it was not cheap!

Also... guy behind us appears to be attempting a photo-bomb. Not quite, my friend... not quite.

#380 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

I pulled a sneaky... picked up a mint Wizard! from a local seller near the auction beforehand - $740

When traveling, it always pays to check the local Craigslist, Letgo, OfferUp, and FB Marketplace... 'cause you never know!

#398 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Primary game I drove here for:

Solids N' Stripes - $1900 - Too much, but very nice

Second choice game:

Bristol Hills Gottlieb 1971 $600

Didn't need it. Just wanted to copy the mechanics so my Snow Derby plays the same way... prefer the Bristol rules. But eh, it can wait...

Games I'd have bought if they were cheap, but weren't:

A Go Go Williams 1966 - $1000
King Pin Gottlieb 1973 - $800
Old Chicago Bally 1976 - $1200 (excellent condition)
Pioneer Gottlieb 1976 - $750
Sky Line Gottlieb 1965 - $1000 (excellent condition)
Stingray Stern 1977 - $1700
Strikes and Spares Bally 1978 - $1400

Games I did buy:

Campus Queen Bally 1966 - $500
Ice Show Gottlieb 1966 - $450
Wizard! Bally 1975 - $740 (not from auction... nearby seller offsite)

Games I would have bought if I had more room and time:

Dixieland Bally 1968 - $575
Fan-Tas-Tic Williams 1972 - $650
Magic Town Williams 1967 - $500

Games I proxy bid for others and lost:

Bumper Bally 1936 - $575 (limit was $350)
Paradise Gottlieb 1940 - $2400 (limit was $500)

Games I was happy for the buyers:

Hi Dolly Gottlieb 1965 - $325
Mini Zag Bally 1968 - $375
Moulin Rouge Williams 1965 - $325
Pioneer Gottlieb 1976 - $435
Score Board Gottlieb 1956 - $150
Sitting Pretty Gottlieb 1958 - $1000
Stampede Stern 1977 - $325

Games which inspired gasps:

A Go Go Williams 1966 - $1000
Bone Busters Gottlieb 1989 - $2700
Ding Dong Williams 1968 - $850
El Rancho Keeney 1962 - $2400
El Toro Bally 1972 - $650
Flicker Bally 1975 - $1200
Hayburners Williams 1951 - $2100
Hi Deal Bally 1975 - $1100
Paddock Williams 1969 - $850
Paradise Gottlieb 1940 - $2400
Sky Kings Bally 1974 - $1100
Solids N' Stripes Williams 1971 - $1900
Spiderman Gottlieb 1980 - $2500
Spit Fire Genco 1935 - $1800
Spy Hunter Bally 1984 - $1200
Stagecoach Chicago Coin 1968 - $1500
Star Trek Bally 1978 - $1100
Stingray Stern 1977 - $1700
Surf Champ Gottlieb 1976 - $1300
Swinger Williams 1973 - $1200
Top Hat Williams 1958 - $1900
Tri Zone Williams 1979 - $1050
Trident Stern 1979 - $1000

Overall, definitely worth the trip for me... but newbie/wild bidders were more likely to get crushed than not.

Key post

#408 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from slawnski:
Auctioneer stated it was a switch in back that made it a 60-1. That is what I meant when I said I didn’t think it was possible.
Are we sure they didn’t pay $1,350 for each of the two machines they took in that buyers choice?

Had to be $2700 apiece as it was the first purchase in that row. Combined with $1100 for that worn Star Trek... holy moly! $6500 plus tax for all three!

#413 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from too-many-pins:
Here is the MILLION DOLLAR question for anyone that drove over 2 hours to get to that auction: "Knowing what you know now would you do it again"?
I expect the answer from the majority of people who reply will be no. And if that is the case then seller did well and a lot of people wasted time and money attending.
In any event it will be great to see a full list of realized prices if that becomes possible.

4 hours each way but I’d do it again. Wound up with three nice pins at good prices and got to hang out with fellow Pinsiders & enthusiasts. Had fun watching the bidding drama and surprises... good times!

Still... I feel bad for the newbies who overpaid...

#420 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Sorry to clutter the thread with my incessant lists (last one, promise...), but a few people were soliciting my opinions on gameplay.

Disclaimer... these are only my own feelings about the games *I* like to play as of February 2018. When it comes to others, I often make completely different recommendations after getting to know their preferred play style (Gottlieb Guys, "play for specials", "play for speed/score", tournament players, etc.):

Excellent:
Bristol Hills Gottlieb 1971
Dixieland Bally 1968
Ice Show Gottlieb 1966
Old Chicago Bally 1976
Snow Derby Gottlieb 1971
Solids N' Stripes Williams 1971
Space Mission Williams 1976

Fun:
A-Go-Go Williams 1966
Campus Queen Bally 1966
Fan-Tas-Tic Williams 1972
Hang Glider Bally 1977 (but the artwork is TERRIBLE...)
Hi Deal Bally 1975
Hot Line Williams 1966
Hot Shot Gottlieb 1973
King Pin Gottlieb 1973
Magic Town Williams 1967
Marble Queen Gottlieb 1953
Night Rider Bally 1977
Pioneer Gottlieb 1976
Score Board Gottlieb 1956

OK-to-Meh:
Aladdin's Castle Bally 1976
Big Daddy Williams 1963 (great layout, but largely "play for specials")
Big Indian Gottlieb 1974 (note: most Gottlieb Guys will rate this Excellent)
Big Show Bally 1974
Blue Chip Williams 1976
Boomerang Bally 1974
Bowling Queen Gottlieb 1964
Crosstown Gottlieb 1966 (the Add-A-Ball versions, Subway and Flipper Fair, would be Excellent)
Daffie Williams 1968
Dancing Lady Gottlieb 1966
Darling Williams 1973
Ding Dong Williams 1968
El Toro Bally 1972
Gulfstream Williams 1973
High Hand Gottlieb 1973 (the Add-A-Ball version, Captain Card, would be Excellent)
Hollywood Chicago Coin 1976
Mini Zag Bally 1968
Moulin Rouge Williams 1965
Pro Football Gottlieb 1973
Rack-a-Ball Gottlieb 1962
Sky Kings Bally 1974
Sky Line Gottlieb 1965
Surf Champ Gottlieb 1976 (note: most Gottlieb Guys will rate this Excellent)
Yukon Williams 1971

Too quaint/too slow/mostly about the art package and/or "play for specials":
Central Park Gottlieb 1966
Egghead Gottlieb 1961
Fashion Show Gottlieb 1962
Flipper Clown Gottlieb 1962
Flipper Parade Gottlieb 1961
Flying Chariots Gottlieb 1963
Four Seasons Gottlieb 1968
Harvest Bally 1967
Masquerade Gottlieb 1966
Roller Coaster Gottlieb 1971
Sitting Pretty Gottlieb 1958
Sweet Farts Gottlieb 1963 (yeah yeah, I only pick on it because Gottlieb Guys pick on Bally El Toro... both are dominated by lanes!)

#425 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from jrpinball:
Wow! No love for that game? I'd love to find a nice one, and so would 1974DeltaQueen.

IMG_1877 (resized).JPG

Nope.

Waiting for lanes, pops, lanes... then finally batting the ball around a sourdough toast-sized area with a gobble hole at the top, huge outlanes on the sides, and not much else to do except "hit the ball back up the lanes". Why? To earn specials... to do it again. And no point bonus for completing the set either. HUNH?

*shrug* too quaint for me. Gimme points, gimme speed, gimme something for the effort!

That being said... I will let you and Bryan know if I see a nice one!

#429 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from Darcy:
Hey, hey!! No trash talk or suggestion of abuse here on EMside.... Ya, I read that what he posted, and he did start it.

What Ken means is that he and Bryan are going to "take me out back" to the Saturday morning swap meet with promises of awesome $100 project machines, only to reveal they've already bought them all!

Now THAT's cruelty...

#434 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from Ballypin:
What? No love for Flicker? It’s better than Boomerang

Agreed, but I don't have enough playtime on Flicker to have an opinion yet. Left off the ones like that.

#459 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from ckcsm:
My Sweet Hearts is staying in my collection; it gets a 7.9 rating on ipdb.

It is a little different playing being a game from 1963, but I enjoy it more that my later card theme High Hand.

Yo Chuck! Glad you’re enjoying it, but don’t believe the ratings...

Is Big Ben better than Argosy?

Road Race better than Queen of Diamonds?

Rollercoaster better than Far Out?

King Kool better than Surf Champ?

El Toro better than Flicker?

IPDB thinks so.

Sweet Hearts is currently the third-highest ranked game of them all. THIRD! That’s... pretty high...

#476 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from nascarrey:
Nice haul Nic! Those all fit in your Subaru???

Tuscon, actually... and I can only get one EM in there at a time. Luckily, Howard and pinhead52 had some extra room in their vehicles and didn't take Sweet Farts to heart. Tee hee.

(BTW pinhead52 has a really nice one)

#478 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from nascarrey:
Ya I realized that I had the wrong make of car after I posted...congrats on the new acquisitions!

At least one of them will be playable in a public location before too long...

#484 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

https://www.ebth.com/items/8093566-sonic-super-straight-pinball-machine

Speaking of auctions...

High bid $111 with 2 days left on this nice looking Super Straight in Colorado.

#516 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from CactusJack:
So Buyer/Flipper has adapted the same technique as the Auctioneer: Buyer's Chioce.
Yes Grayman_EM, only the Big Shot has a value over about $600 and that's if its working and doesn't have a flaky backglass. But it looks like it might have a weathered cabinet (certainly has a ton of Nicotine to be cleaned away). Gulfstream is a personal favorite but again, they seldom sell for more than about $400 as they sit. If it has a perfect backglass (which they seldom do), add $200.

Fan-Tas-Tic backglass was perfect, playfield nice, looked very clean. I saw $600 there.

#525 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from CactusJack:
Okay, perfect backglass raises the value but as much as us Middle-pop-bumper-lovers like the game, it just doesn't seem to trade for much.

Fan-Tas-Tic is the weakest of the "big three" (Spanish Eyes, Fan-Tas-Tic, Freedom prototype). Primarily due to the slowness of the roulette wheel, somewhat boring art package, and the stingy post positions in the middle-pop zone (can be fixed by drilling new holes).

With some tweaks I think it would be better than Spanish Eyes. It has a lot of potential.

Quoted from CactusJack:
I will admit, being able to see and play these examples and to not have to pay $450 to ship, sight unseen, there is certain added value to that.
Question: since you were there, did you see full value if these 4 games at $600 high bidder gets choice, and then takes all 4? Or would you have cherry picked and let them go back up for bidding?

Definitely would have cherry-picked Hot Shot and Fan-Tas-Tic. The other three... or was it two? Stardust and...? Geez. Too many.

Anyway, just those two for me.

#532 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

Quoted from Bodean:
I thought this collection looked familiar. The pic of the pallet stacked machines confirmed it. It originated south of Oklahoma City. The gentleman died in an experimental plane crash about 8 years ago. Two friends and I went down there four times four or five years ago and cherry picked about 160 machines. At one time, he had over 700. At the time, they didn't want to sell any of the DMD stuff, although i still did manage to snag a few.
He had 2 or 3 NIB MM and one NIB Cactus Canyon, among other things. That's not counting the ones that were set up or on the pallet stackers. It was like being in a candy store. I wonder what happened to the rest of the stuff. We were going to go down there some more, but the bank got involved somehow, and the prices quadrupled. Here's a few crappy pics from when we were down there.

(reflexively clicks @bodean's profile... "There are no games in Bodean’s collection.")

Awwwwwww. Knows all the secrets, reveals none. Which only makes us wonder... when will my turn come?

Damn. That's the store we all want to shop.

#543 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

http://www.capitolonlineauctions.com/cgi-bin/mmlist.cgi?capitol15/16284

Maybe we need an "auction thread". $6550 for a Medieval Madness? Not bad.

#577 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta

All's fair at the auction. Flip 'em if ya want... but seems like pretty slim margins for all the hauling and such. Then again, the pinball market is wild right now so all bets are off.

Question: Why buy all four instead of bidding through the remainders? In all cases but one, the second third and fourth bids never got higher than the first.

Not keeping any yourself?

#584 6 years ago

NIC

NicoVolta