About 4 days ago while doing my daily craigslist search for machines I came across an add for estate/yard sale. It said it was today starting at 9 am. It had a few things listed for sale and one of the items was "pinball machine", didn't say what it was. So I figured I better go out and look cause if I didn't I would forever wonder what the machine was. The sale was about 20 miles from me. All week in my mind i am curious what it will be, i figure its some EM or something that will most likely have a complete rats nest in it and be tore up.

So today rolls around, i get up get ready and head out there. The ad said no one before 9 am, i wanted to be respectful so i showed up right at 9. There already people there buying things, mainly seniors looking at nick nacks and what not. I start looking around when i notice the garage to the house open and more items inside. I go inside it and start looking when i see the machine sitting in the corner by itself. I still call myself a noob when it comes to this hobbie cause i haven't been around it as long as others and am still learning something new everyday, however i know right away this machine is on the rarer side.

No price tag was posted on anything, so i walk over the gentleman hosting the yard sale and ask how much for the pinball? He tells me the price and then follows it up with well it doesn't work, it wont turn on. It was working fine before we moved and then it spent 6 hours in a moving truck and hasn't turned on since and has sat here. I tell okay, well ill go ahead and take a chance and ill buy it. Hand him over the cash along with the cash for a candy machine i also bought from him. I take the candy machine and load it in my trunk.

Now i take a big gamble. To be honest this machine isn't what im into as far as games goes. I know its highly sought after by some and is a grail pin to others. Perhaps me not being into the machine is the reason i took a gamble.

I tell the gentleman that i am on my way to work and that i don't have a truck, i use my fathers truck whenever i buy games to pick them up with, however my father is at work and wont be off for till the afternoon. I ask him if i he is willing to let me leave it there and i will come pick it up this afternoon. I know in this hobby if you don't load it and leave, someone will be right behind you ready to load it and leave, but as i said i took the chance. He says absolutely no problem, we will be here all day come get it whenever you like. He sticks my cash in his pocket and we shack hands and i leave. I call my father and leave him a voicemail asking if he could help me move a game when he gets off work.

I know i need a truck, its on my list of things i am looking for. My father is really the only person i am close with whos truck i can use. Pretty much all of my friends don't have trucks. It sucks.

All day while i am at work i wonder if my machine will be there or if someone was right behind me and now it was in their truck. My father calls me at 1 saying yeah when do you want to go. I tell him i have lunch at 2, he says okay ill meet you at your work and we can go. We meet up and i tell him, don't be surprised if we show up, its gone, and i get handed my cash back.

We get there and to our surprise its still in the same spot untouched with a sold sign on it. I asked the guy if he had anybody else come look at it, and he said a couple people showed up but i told them it was sold and they left. I thanked him many times and gave him some extra cash for holding it for me.

Now time for pictures of the mystery game i purchased today.

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I have no idea what im going to do with it. Like i said older pre-dmd games aren't my thing. I will most likely sell it off or trade it towards something i actually want. Still am going to get it going though and enjoy it while its here.

Oh and i already got it to power up, but its acting funny, wont start a game, and the display isn't lighting.

I knew this would be first question. I haven't decided if I am ready to say what I actually paid for it. Lets just say it was a good deal.

oh and for everyone already blowing up my inbox with pm's asking me for how much I want for it. I really don't have a price yet, you are free to make me an offer, but like I said im not sure what im doing with it yet.

this was the price range I was thinking it was worth around the 2k mark, but I was actually going to ask everyones opinion on what its worth.

just tried their website, its listed as a newly added item but when you click buy it says out of stock..... I would like to get one to put in this machine so if anyone has any leads please let me know.

These two points are whey I didn't post a price. I have seen people post about great deals they get, only to get bashed when they then try and sell the item for a profit. My post was mainly to say that good deals can still be had. It seems there are 100 bad craigslist stories to every good 1, so mine was a don't give up faith post. It was also to say that if you see something for sale just listed as "pinball machine" to take a chance and go look at it cause you never know what you might find, I sure didn't expect to go home with a Fathom.

Now for all of those wondering what I paid, I will go ahead and post it. I paid the guy 200. He set the price, and I kindly obliged.

I had someone ask me for a few pix of the backglass so figured I would also post a few here. Its in great shape, very clean. I only found what appear to be a couple of light scratchs, although they aren't through the paint on the front, so not sure if they are scratchs or something that could be cleaned off.

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Bingo!

Do i since sarcasm?

Yup i put it up to gauge interest. I will be working on it this weekend to see whats going on with it, i posted the ad in anticipation. I will also be taking some more detailed pictures of it this weekend. I have already also been contacted many times today about it already and a couple of guys already to make the trip up. Im actually asking everyone to contacts me for trades rather then cash, cause at the end of the day id rather trade it off for something i would actually like to own.

Probably more my fault then yours. Rough day at work so im sure im reading things with a negitative attitude. Sorry about that, just ignore me lol.