(Topic ID: 283461)

Ohhhhhhhhh them EM prices... *banjo strum* what does it mean?

By NicoVolta

3 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 196 posts
  • 64 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 8 months ago by DanMarino
  • Topic is favorited by 15 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    009BAB92-2319-4FA1-8DB4-2B13796F539E (resized).jpeg
    20201223_152745 (resized).jpg
    image (resized).jpg
    D852FA97-2B80-4831-8791-666187EE9506 (resized).jpeg
    DSCN7365 (resized).JPG
    A9F713E3-4044-4A32-98FD-B42552716E8F (resized).jpeg
    Screenshot_20201210-175433_Chrome (resized).jpg
    769499B5-EB9D-4C4F-8F97-48CC43E9320D (resized).jpeg
    638CFD2F-F73B-4008-BB5A-57F3CE82A137 (resized).jpeg
    7F2C407F-1FD0-4A5B-AE82-117638A2B14F (resized).jpeg
    0E070642-5C7C-4871-8769-CE98B8923C39 (resized).jpeg
    happy (resized).jpg

    There are 196 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 4.
    #51 3 years ago

    Yes, if I were selling a duotron retail I’d put that price on it.

    I just got a super nice scuba for free. Once I’m done with it it will go up around the same price

    To most buyers these games are all the same.

    #52 3 years ago

    Good for you. The thing is I don't think most hobbyists view them as all the same. But we aren't buying at retail either. It's Joe homeowner who is looking for a game and doesn't know any different. Then they are all essentially the same.

    #53 3 years ago
    Quoted from AlexF:

    Good for you. The thing is I don't think most hobbyists view them as all the same. But we aren't buying at retail. It's Joe homeowner who is looking for a game and doesn't know any different. Then they are all essentially the same.

    Even here though. Would a jungle queen project really cost any more than a duo project, if both were in the same shape?

    I don’t think so. But maybe you guys are paying more attention than myself. I’ll admit I don’t gobble up EMs like I used to. They usually come to me nowadays.

    If there are more hardcore EM collectors now that’s a good thing. It seemed like it was at an all time ebb in recent years.

    #54 3 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    I just don't get who are buying these and driving the prices up?
    Serious collectors? How could they possibly not have all the EMs they want over the past 20 years when people were giving them away?
    Newbies? THey don't want them, and even if they could they couldn't get them going.

    Newbies. Not necessarily looking for projects but they are looking to get their hands on just about anything. I would assume things vary around the country. A majority will want something plug and play.

    EM demand will be driven up based on the price point of new games. $8,000 to $10,000 is a commitment most non enthusiasts aren’t looking to get into.

    #55 3 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    With a few notable exceptions EMs are all worth the same thing.

    Could you list those notable exceptions?

    And then title that list?

    #56 3 years ago

    Yah... take what I'm saying with a grain of salt because I'm an experienced EM enthusiast, not a retail buyer.

    They aren't "listless", that's for sure. Otherwise the same could be said of cars at a Mecum auction: Thousands lying around, all have four tires and a motor, etc., what's the diff? Same for wristwatches... a $40,000 Patek tells the same time as a $15 Casio, right?

    If they are all the same, why bother looking for any particular EM at all? Just buy the nearest one and play it. Same experience, eh? Like a 1967 GTO will take you to Burger King same as a Honda Fit.

    Haha of course this is rhetorical. We are looking at this from two different perspectives: Newbie (retail) vs. collector.

    The only difference between a newbie and a collector is experience and enthusiasm. In time, the differences between games/cars/watches/headphones/shoes/eyewear/etc. become apparent... and that's when the price follows.

    Retail shops can sell EM's for $1500-$2500 but only because the market is so scattered and uninformed. We are capitalizing upon a lack of familiarity and an eagerness to just get something playable and vintage-y in the house. But no experienced hobbyist would ever pay that. Not unless it was a restored beauty they've been hunting down... because they just know the difference.

    If you're here on Pinside, well, you know the difference.

    Ironically, it sometimes works in reverse: The newbies are the ones aghast at the idea of paying $10,000 for a single machine, but the collectors are already lined up.

    If I listed my EM inventory at $800 apiece in the condition they are in, they'd all evaporate by the end of the week. But hey, maybe I'm the crazy one, because I paid $1500 for a Freedom prototype in good project condition. *shrug* I like what I like.

    All I am saying is the serendipity of the EM marketplace isn't quite as favorable as it used to be. Definitely noticed a shift especially over the past nine months. Seems like a good time to get the favorites locked in and the replacement parts on hand (if going full restore) vs. later.

    Is it a covid bubble? Maybe. But then again, we could see many more indoor pinball parties once the pandemic is beaten back!

    #57 3 years ago

    And here is one local to me...and the price recently dropped to $2K.

    I dont know if I should be laughing or crying.

    Screenshot_20201210-175433_Chrome (resized).jpgScreenshot_20201210-175433_Chrome (resized).jpg
    #58 3 years ago

    I snapped up a Fun Fest for $275 because the seller couldn't get it working. They replaced 5 bumper caps, rubber rings and entire flipper kits including coils (not sure why). But someone spent some money on it before they tried to fix it and couldn't get it working. Wasn't looking for this game, but the price was right. Still was more expensive than what I paid for my Star Gazer and Cheetah combined.

    #59 3 years ago
    Quoted from Electrocute:

    Volley is a great title. Sits right next to Atlantis and 2001. Learned awhile back, don’t sell your drop targets

    I have a volley, awesome game. I had an Atlantis next to it, it was a sample game with a horseshoe credit wheel. sold it about 18 months ago, it’s also a great game. Cant believe Atlantis is now fetching $2500, not that rare really. Mata Hari, el dorado, centigrade would be tops on my list along with Grand Prix. Grand Prix used to be like 250-300, now they are $800+. Not sure about some of these other titles, but suspect they’ve risen pretty well.

    One thing I worry about is who is going to buy these games down the road. Demand mainly comes from nostalgia and the generation with that nostalgia is getting a lot older.

    #60 3 years ago
    Quoted from Lermods:

    One thing I worry about is who is going to buy these games down the road. Demand mainly comes from nostalgia and the generation with that nostalgia is getting a lot older.

    I'm in this hobby to make me feel good. Don't really give a shit about how much they'll be worth when I'm dead.

    #61 3 years ago
    Quoted from Electrocute:

    I'm in this hobby to make me feel good. Don't really give a shit about how much they'll be worth when I'm dead.

    That’s fine and I agree with you, but some of the fun of buying these games and building a nice collection of maybe 5-10 games for very little money is being taken away by the rise in price. Just a few years ago, a decent Grand Prix could easily be found for $250-300, now look at it.

    https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/105991

    #62 3 years ago
    Quoted from Lermods:

    That’s fine and I agree with you, but some of the fun of buying these games and building a nice collection of maybe 5-10 games for very little money is being taken away by the rise in price. Just a few years ago, a decent Grand Prix could easily be found for $250-300, now look at it.
    https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/105991

    I see them for under 1k at least a handful of times a year. I’m not mad at all that EMs on average have gone up by a few hundred over the past 5 years.

    Also look at it this way. Those games you got dirt cheap are worth WAY more now.

    #63 3 years ago

    This is just like the housing market. Ups and downs. People are never happy on either end.

    The one thing that pisses me off is how everyone thinks their stuff is mint and over prices it because they saw one sold last week. The ' I can sell it for $200 more' Jack's the prices up. I even see it here on Pinside.

    Listings (anywhere) that say mint condition should not have 5 items that could use attention. To me, that is something that needs work.

    Prices get out of whack and others pay it just because they want a game (or house, car, etc).

    #64 3 years ago
    Quoted from NicoVolta:

    Yo Levi... here's my current personal inventory of EM's. How much should I price them all the same as?
    Little Chief
    Skyrocket

    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    I see nothing extraordinary on this list (beyond the fact that some are more fun to play than others) and I’d say yes, they all share around the same value.

    Little Chief is probably a 500 to 600 game. I will buy every Skyrocket you can find for 600. Skyrocket is easily a 2k+ game.

    #65 3 years ago
    Quoted from schudel5:

    Still was more expensive than what I paid for my Star Gazer and Cheetah combined.

    You're just trying to make my head explode.

    #66 3 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    I'm really not seeing it. Still seems pretty easy to get EMs cheap around here. Maybe not $100 cheap but cheap. EMs sit and sit on craigslist here as as well.
    Most people just don't want to deal with them, and the demand from the general public seems lower than ever. Every email I get looking for a "cheap game" the "buyer" is always very disappointed when I steer them to an EM. They want "newer faster" games with "ramps."

    Geography has a lot to do with it. I'm sorry but New York scares me, noway I'm driving up there unless its the North West part of the state.
    Location and convinience picking up a Pin is paramount and adds to the price.

    #67 3 years ago
    Quoted from Ballypin:

    Little Chief is probably a 500 to 600 game.

    Right now that's probably pretty accurate, but I think it's a sleeper... I'd take a Little Chief over a Skyrocket

    #68 3 years ago
    Quoted from Ballypin:

    Little Chief is probably a 500 to 600 game. I will buy every Skyrocket you can find for 600. Skyrocket is easily a 2k+ game.

    Any interest in a "Safari"? I had one offered recently.

    #69 3 years ago

    I enjoy playing both my Cleopatra EM and my Chicago Coin Juke Box, but there’s no way they’re close in value (unless “close” means within $1-1.5K).

    #70 3 years ago
    Quoted from zacaj:

    Right now that's probably pretty accurate, but I think it's a sleeper... I'd take a Little Chief over a Skyrocket

    *gasp* it's good but not THAT much of a sleeper!

    Skyrocket is my #2 all-time pin. Best light show of any EM and great gameplay 1p or 2p, in a 1p cab! Pretty neat. Also designed by Harry Williams. Too much there to ignore mang.

    I bought mine in, uh, maybe 2015 from a Pinsider in Washington. $1100 plus shipping to TX. Totally worth it. Has won numerous awards and everyone loves it.

    Looking forward to getting my Little Chief rebuilt and cleared. I wanna see just how good max level Chief plays...

    #71 3 years ago

    Lots of interesting comments on this thread. With limited space my family leans toward what we all enjoy, and honestly the EMs are limited. Fun to play, but as a hobbyist and not a collector I couldn't tell you which ones are more collectible. We approach every EM with the same thought.. dont expect bells and whistles, just have old school fun. To pay $250 or $2k for an EM probably won't happen for us and couldn't tell u if I got a good deal if I did. Just won't get a ton of play. I think our playing preferences starts around DMDs.. I didbt have interest paying under $1k for an EM before so certainly not paying more. But I do appreciate them and those of you who bring them back to life. But as all hobbies, tastes change, so just maybe.. someday.. one will make itself available and I just won't be able to pass it up.

    #72 3 years ago

    Condition means a lot when it comes to pricing. Hmmmm... I'm gonna have some fun and estimate what these could sell for today (maybe not instantly, but eventually) in "good project" status: Decent cab, nice PF, nice glass, perfect plastics, good mechs just needing the usual cleaning/rebuild:

    2001 - $1000
    Abra-Ca-Dabra - $1000
    Argosy - $700
    Captain Card - $850
    Dixieland - $700
    Flip Flop - $850
    Flipper Fair - $1000
    Freedom prototype - $1500
    Jumping Jack - $900
    Little Chief - $650
    Mini Pool - $1000
    Old Chicago - $900
    Out Of Sight - $900
    Pioneer - $750
    Pop-A-Card - $1000
    Queen's Castle - $1200
    Rancho - $850
    Skyrocket - $1100
    Snow Derby - $900
    Solids N' Stripes - $900
    Surf Side - $900

    Retail price all cleaned up with warranty? Multiply times 2 or 2.5 should do it. I guess Levi isn't crazy-off-the-mark... they aren't THAT far apart in price. Even so, I wouldn't sell any of mine for any of these prices. Except maybe Pioneer. Hasty buy.

    #73 3 years ago

    Put me in the camp of those who jumped off the dmd train due to pricing and, frankly, too damn deep. Collecting for 15 years. Have had one Capt Fantastic for years because that is the pin I first played in 78. I’ve owned and sold everything I’ve wanted over the years but ignored EMs. Deleted one of my eBay searches the other day that I’ve had for at least ten years that specifically excluded Gottlieb EMs because now...

    I’m the guy who has no problem “overpaying” for an EM I want because compared to late titles it’s still reasonable. Jungle queen (2), pleasure isle (free but needed a lot of work and $) and a sample cross town... still willing to overpay for a minty one if anyone’s selling.

    Learning how they work has been rewarding and is FINALLY starting to make sense thanks to good folks like timme and you (referenced your cross town pics with molly the other day... thank u.)

    I’m sure there are other late bloomers with dmd hangovers out there like me not helping the prices. Sorry?

    #74 3 years ago

    I see you pop a card. Haha. Man I hate that I like EMs. Haha

    #75 3 years ago
    Quoted from Beemus:

    Put me in the camp of those who jumped off the dmd train due to pricing

    When you’re ready, jump into the deep end with me...

    A9F713E3-4044-4A32-98FD-B42552716E8F (resized).jpegA9F713E3-4044-4A32-98FD-B42552716E8F (resized).jpeg
    #76 3 years ago
    Quoted from smokinhos:

    Lots of interesting comments on this thread. With limited space my family leans toward what we all enjoy, and honestly the EMs are limited. Fun to play, but as a hobbyist and not a collector I couldn't tell you which ones are more collectible. We approach every EM with the same thought.. dont expect bells and whistles, just have old school fun. To pay $250 or $2k for an EM probably won't happen for us and couldn't tell u if I got a good deal if I did. Just won't get a ton of play. I think our playing preferences starts around DMDs.. I didbt have interest paying under $1k for an EM before so certainly not paying more. But I do appreciate them and those of you who bring them back to life. But as all hobbies, tastes change, so just maybe.. someday.. one will make itself available and I just won't be able to pass it up.

    It could happen. EM's tend to sneak up on you. I think pricing is backwards (and glad for it) because I find EM's vastly more interesting mechanically and more focused in terms of pure physics.

    I used to be all about modern games and owned more than a few, but the EM's kept growing and the SS's kept getting sold off. This greatly accelerated after discovering how to perform a full meticulous rebuild and a professional clear coat. Best of both worlds. Sparkly, fast, yet classic.

    The mechanical->human connection is tighter with EM's. It's just more kinesthetic. More "alive". All of those little snaps and clicks and rhythmic chimes evoking the age of automatons and steam engines. Pinball is basically a shrunken billiards table. EM's manage to keep that connection at the fore. Not coincidentally, they are also more social... as everyone is in the same "headspace" while taking turns. Like playing foosball or ping pong.

    Conversely, modern pins invoke more "theater of the mind" than pure physics. Audio callouts, blinking lights, video effects... you know. All of that can be really exciting and take you places EM's just can't, but over time it gets repetitive. HAY! LOOKIT HERE! HURRY UP! WOW! BANG! ZIP! AWWWWWW! I dunno. I play EM's to relax and moderns to grind away at the high score.

    I'm just glad I run a pinball museum so that I can get my modern fix there and play my EM's at home.

    #77 3 years ago
    Quoted from NicoVolta:

    Condition means a lot when it comes to pricing. Hmmmm... I'm gonna have some fun and estimate what these could sell for today (maybe not instantly, but eventually) in "good project" status: Decent cab, nice PF, nice glass, perfect plastics, good mechs just needing the usual cleaning/rebuild:
    2001 - $1000
    Abra-Ca-Dabra - $1000
    Argosy - $700
    Captain Card - $850
    Dixieland - $700
    Flip Flop - $850
    Flipper Fair - $1000
    Freedom prototype - $1500
    Jumping Jack - $900
    Little Chief - $650
    Mini Pool - $1000
    Old Chicago - $900
    Out Of Sight - $900
    Pioneer - $750
    Pop-A-Card - $1000
    Queen's Castle - $1200
    Rancho - $850
    Skyrocket - $1100
    Snow Derby - $900
    Solids N' Stripes - $900
    Surf Side - $900
    Retail price all cleaned up with warranty? Multiply times 2 or 2.5 should do it. I guess Levi isn't crazy-off-the-mark... they aren't THAT far apart in price. Even so, I wouldn't sell any of mine for any of these prices. Except maybe Pioneer. Hasty buy.

    I can comment on 2 of those in recent sales.

    I was the underbidder for an Abra Ca Dabra local on EBay that went for $1225. It was in good cosmetic condition with a couple of supposedly minor game play issues.

    And I lost out on a local Old Chicago for $850 in almost the same condition because I forgot about the current market around this area for EMs.

    The way I look it, is that if certain games mean something to you and you have a chance to snag one, who cares if you overpay a little. Especially when you are in your 50s,60s or 70s like most of us.

    11
    #78 3 years ago
    Quoted from Lermods:

    One thing I worry about is who is going to buy these games down the road. Demand mainly comes from nostalgia and the generation with that nostalgia is getting a lot older.

    At the time of this writing, I'm 29. All my friends are roughly the same age, and we all play pinball. I have zero nostalgia for EM games, same goes for my friends. However, we all play EMs, and we all enjoy them. Like, genuinely enjoy them. My EM Cleopatra and Surf Champ probably gets just as much play as my White Water does sitting across the room. Same goes for Jacks Open and Atlantis. My case is purely anecdotal though, so take it for what it's worth.

    I think the "good" games will always be seen as good--regardless of generation or nostalgia. They'll always be desired. There will always be demand. Kinda like how Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" will always be a good song. Sometimes things transcend generations.

    #79 3 years ago
    Quoted from mbaumle:

    At the time of this writing, I'm 29. All my friends are roughly the same age, and we all play pinball. I have zero nostalgia for EM games, same goes for my friends. However, we all play EMs, and we all enjoy them. Like, genuinely enjoy them. My EM Cleopatra and Surf Champ probably gets just as much play as my White Water does sitting across the room. Same goes for Jacks Open and Atlantis. My case is purely anecdotal though, so take it for what it's worth.
    I think the "good" games will always be seen as good--regardless of generation or nostalgia. They'll always be desired. There will always be demand. Kinda like how Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" will always be a good song. Sometimes things transcend generations.

    Totally. You have to be pretty old to actually have nostlagia for an EM. 50+ anyway? You totally hit it with this post. Not about the nostlagia, the games are just fun, and the art of Parker and Morison in particular, just seems to age really well. My son hates new sterns, but we play Grand Prix just about daily. Go figure.

    #80 3 years ago

    I agree with the OP’s thoughts on current prices and availability. I find it increasing difficult and stressful to be the first in line for a chance to buy a game. Reminds me of the current housing market. Better be ready to compete with many other willing buyers.

    However I don’t really get the alarmism. Sure these games are no longer being made but there there is a constant turnover of games in the marketplace. Collections are created, collections are sold off. Owners lose interest or move on to other hobbies all together. Half of my games I have no plans of ever parting with but someday they’ll be sold off when I’m no longer around.

    We really are just caretakers of these things anyways, not owners. I do the best I can to preserve them until it’s someone else’s turn to enjoy them. That’s how it’s been and always will be.

    #81 3 years ago

    Pends which ems they are and their physical condition. Clean, 1970's ems some titles climb. Fun ones climb, boring ones will remain as they are or go down in price with the pre flipper 1940's pricing. 1960's ems arent pricey, they fall. Only some certain title 1970's are pricier and some rare 50's wood rails that are nice for the much older guys still in the hobby.

    #82 3 years ago
    Quoted from mbaumle:

    At the time of this writing, I'm 29. All my friends are roughly the same age, and we all play pinball. I have zero nostalgia for EM games, same goes for my friends. However, we all play EMs, and we all enjoy them. Like, genuinely enjoy them. My EM Cleopatra and Surf Champ probably gets just as much play as my White Water does sitting across the room. Same goes for Jacks Open and Atlantis. My case is purely anecdotal though, so take it for what it's worth.
    I think the "good" games will always be seen as good--regardless of generation or nostalgia. They'll always be desired. There will always be demand. Kinda like how Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" will always be a good song. Sometimes things transcend generations.

    That’s nice to hear, didn’t realize you younger folks liked EMs like that. For me it is partly nostalgia as my dad had volley, Grand Prix and Atlantis when I was a kid in the mid to late 70s and that opened me up to other EMs, which I enjoy playing today.

    #83 3 years ago

    50 is now old? Jeez today is my birthday. Just turned 55. I guess I'm a geezer.

    I do recall playing 70s EMs in the mid-80s at my high school lifeguard resort job. We have a collection of three DMDs and two EMs that I restored. Love getting on the EMs after work for a more relaxing and shorter experience. Fun to play with novices as the rules are more obvious.

    More modern machines are like going to a blockbuster movie at theater, EMs can be more like having an old movie playing in the background. Also don't mind having a row of EMs going all at once but would rather only play a modern machine with one on at a time.

    #84 3 years ago

    I just started getting into pinball a couple of years ago and I too have never played them when I was younger. Started with DMD pins but I’m gravitating towards EMs. Even in my short pinball life I find EM pricing going up, especially living on the west coast.

    #85 3 years ago
    Quoted from Lermods:

    That’s nice to hear, didn’t realize you younger folks liked EMs like that.

    When it comes to my friends who know pinball, and know how to play the game with the rulesets in mind, we LOVE competing on EMs. Turnaround is just so fast; no one has enough time getting bored. Don't get me wrong, we all love playing AFM, but it has long ball times and no one wants to sit around watching each other hammer away at the same shots for 20 minutes before it's someone else's turn.

    #86 3 years ago
    Quoted from Dogford_Studios:

    50 is now old? Jeez today is my birthday. Just turned 55. I guess I'm a geezer.
    I do recall playing 70s EMs in the mid-80s at my high school lifeguard resort job. We have a collection of three DMDs and two EMs that I restored. Love getting on the EMs after work for a more relaxing and shorter experience. Fun to play with novices as the rules are more obvious.
    More modern machines are like going to a blockbuster movie at theater, EMs can be more like having an old movie playing in the background. Also don't mind having a row of EMs going all at once but would rather only play a modern machine with one on at a time.

    50 is the new 40, don't let it get you down

    #87 3 years ago
    Quoted from silver_spinner:

    50 is the new 40, don't let it get you down

    Wait, I thought 60 was the new 40 (I’m 58)!

    #88 3 years ago
    Quoted from chuckwurt:

    Just paid $750 for a Hot Tip EM

    So you ended up getting it. Welcome to the club! It’s a greatly under-appreciated pin IMO.

    #89 3 years ago
    Quoted from mbaumle:

    When it comes to my friends who know pinball, and know how to play the game with the rulesets in mind, we LOVE competing on EMs. Turnaround is just so fast; no one has enough time getting bored. Don't get me wrong, we all love playing AFM, but it has long ball times and no one wants to sit around watching each other hammer away at the same shots for 20 minutes before it's someone else's turn.

    Yep, I'm feeling the same there. If a friend's visiting and they choose one of my modern sterns I sorta groan, we're going to be sitting there forever waiting for each person's turn. I enjoy them for playing by myself, but for hanging with friends I much prefer games with shorter (<1:30) ball times

    #90 3 years ago
    Quoted from zacaj:

    Yep, I'm feeling the same there. If a friend's visiting and they choose one of my modern sterns I sorta groan, we're going to be sitting there forever waiting for each person's turn. I enjoy them for playing by myself, but for hanging with friends I much prefer games with shorter (<1:30) ball times

    EMs with friends is more like bowling, I guess modern pins with friends can be more like chess.

    #91 3 years ago

    For 50s and 60s machines the nostalgia factor skips forward a decade or so as the machines were more likely found in bars and had a seedier reputation unlike the 70s and 80s arcades that attracted teens.

    My last EM purchase was from 1972, routed for two years and then sold to a family where it was past down within the family for last 48 years.

    #92 3 years ago

    Nico, surely you've realized that encouraging people to jump in NOW would only exacerbate the problem you're seeing, right?

    As to my own experience, my cheapest pin buy was an EM in 2016 - and wow but I miss that game (Prospector). The machine I also arguably overpaid the most on was an EM (one of those "oy this was a mistake I really should get out of here but let me make nice to not get shot" deal) yet I managed to break even / profit just a little even after my repairs, etc. They certainly seem to be all over the map in terms of value and asking price BUT, recently, I've noticed no pinballs (EM and solid state alike) asking under a grand go wanting for long, no matter how old or how bad.

    #93 3 years ago

    Just purchaed my first em. Being 46 i never wanted to play them due to other newer pins there to play beside them. I have been playing this em more than any other pin i have. I paid $200 for a players condition space mission that wasnt working when purchased. The prices in my area have been climbing but i still see them sitting for newer pins being purchased by the new people entering the hobby. People coming in the hobby seem to want the newer stuff not the so called old stuff best i can tell. Hope the prices dont get to high because i plan on buying a couple more.

    #94 3 years ago
    Quoted from wolverinetuner:

    So you ended up getting it. Welcome to the club! It’s a greatly under-appreciated pin IMO.

    Thanks! Yeah I’ve always wanted hot tip, but wanted to wait and get an EM. Glad I waited. Love it!

    #95 3 years ago

    I would probably be looking to buy and EM Hot Tip if I didn’t have an Argosy. They are both fantastic.

    Regarding the topic of how EM prices have changed around these parts... they have basically doubled. Up to about 5 years ago they were 300-600 each, now they are about 600-1200 each for random EMs that don’t suck. It makes perfect sense to me, twice as many people own machines, twice the demand, twice the price. All makes sense.

    #96 3 years ago

    I know, the “buy urgency” thing is half due to the 2020 EM price inflation and the other half the sneaking suspicion that we are reaching a tipping point of some sort.

    Hard to qualify, but I know it when I feel it. The single-source nature of PBR, the EM marketplace, the pandemic, the plight of arcades and transformation of homes into places of increasing leisure. A familiar feeling I get when something is about to pivot... it just seems like the ideal time to firm up the collection, get the parts needed, and sail into the sunset while options are still on the table.

    Nobody knows the future but... I’m in buy mode. I also want to help others get the games they want while I can.

    #97 3 years ago
    Quoted from NicoVolta:

    I know, the “buy urgency” thing is half due to the 2020 EM price inflation and the other half the sneaking suspicion that we are reaching a tipping point of some sort.
    Hard to qualify, but I know it when I feel it. The single-source nature of PBR, the EM marketplace, the pandemic, the plight of arcades and transformation of homes into places of increasing leisure. A familiar feeling I get when something is about to pivot... it just seems like the ideal time to firm up the collection, get the parts needed, and sail into the sunset while options are still on the table.
    Nobody knows the future but... I’m in buy mode. I also want to help others get the games they want while I can.

    I’m ok there...been in buy mode for 20 years!

    #98 3 years ago
    Quoted from NicoVolta:

    I know, the “buy urgency” thing is half due to the 2020 EM price inflation and the other half the sneaking suspicion that we are reaching a tipping point of some sort.
    Hard to qualify, but I know it when I feel it. The single-source nature of PBR, the EM marketplace, the pandemic, the plight of arcades and transformation of homes into places of increasing leisure. A familiar feeling I get when something is about to pivot... it just seems like the ideal time to firm up the collection, get the parts needed, and sail into the sunset while options are still on the table.
    Nobody knows the future but... I’m in buy mode. I also want to help others get the games they want while I can.

    Seems I always deal with Steves Son (Jim?), sure he would keep it going.
    I mean, how many parts does PBR sell that can't be sourced elsewhere? Plastics like bumper caps and drop targets?

    #99 3 years ago

    Reading this thread makes me regret dumping my project queue. Oh well, I still have an Old Chicago that will probably take all of next year to get right.

    I've definitely noticed a jump in prices, but it appears to be across the board. A lot of uh forgettable titles are being lifted because a lot of newbies are looking for a working game under 1k . It's getting harder and harder to find any solid state games in that range.

    I've determined a couple years ago that I am happy paying 20% over what I think a game is worth if it is on my small wishlist. At the end of the day when you look at older stuff, you never really know when another example is going to show up, or how much work it is going to need.

    #100 3 years ago

    From reading posts on pinside for a long time now a pattern has emerged.
    Most younger folks that are new to the hobby get the latest, greatest most
    expensive pins. But as time goes by and they learn more about the hobby quite
    a few gravitate toward EM's.

    Personally, I like all classes and vintages of pins and the collection here reflects
    that. Locally, the least expensive project pins found in the wild are overwhelmingly
    early solid state followed by bingos then EMs. Prices are all over the place but bargains
    can still be found. Got a Bally Lost World (dead) last year for $100 and had it working the
    same day. It was heading to the dump so seller was happy, I was ecstatic
    and wifee was pissed.

    There are 196 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 4.

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ohhhhhhhhh-them-em-prices-banjo-strum-what-does-it-mean/page/2?hl=gotemwill and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.