What would be a realistic asking price for a decent Williams Space Shuttle in the central PA area. Machine plays good and looks great overall but it does have a hardtop on it. All done in LED's and was shopped a couple years ago when that was done. It has very few plays on it since hardtop & LED's were installed. As far as I know everything seems to work fine but in might have a couple lights our or switches not scoring. I took this in on trade a couple years ago and we just got it up on legs about a month ago, went trough it and repaired a few burnt connectors on the boards and played it a little to make sure everything was OK.

As we get ready to scale back the collection by another 5 or 6 machines we are currently in the process of trying to decide what is going to stay and what is leaving. If we can get enough money for the Space Shuttle we are thinking about letting that one go but have not finalized that decision yet.

I got a lot of help on the other two machines I asked about so I figured I would try it one last time with this one. With use not being all that involved with the hobby lately it is hard to get a good gauge on prices these days. THANKS! Skip

Earlier this week I asked about Addams Family & Popeye. Since this is a pinball forum I figure it is a logical place to ask about current values of machines. We have been removed from the hobby for nearly 3 years and I am basically clueless on current market values. THANKS for any help!

Does the "hardtop" help or hurt the value of a title? Again just something I really don't have a clue about.

So far it is looking like the correct range on this will be around $2500 (or slightly less). Once I get some pictures I'll get it listed for sale and also post some pictures here so people can get a better idea of overall condition of the machine.

I have to say we were pretty impressed at the way the hardtop looked and played when we used this machine over the past couple weeks. I took it in on trade at the York Show (before Covid) over two years ago and never had space to set it up until about a month ago. Once I did finally get it set up we needed to install an NVRAM (we never use batteries in our machines) and make a few adjustments. So we FINALLY had a chance to enjoy it for the past couple weeks and it plays nice.

I moved it up to the garage this afternoon to beat the shitty weather that is headed in our direction. Now I just need to get it back on legs to take some pictures and get it listed for sale.

Thanks again for any input as far as price goes.

I am still looking to get this listed for sale here on Pinside later this week so I would appreciate any additional input about realist current value for a fairly nice (basically fully working) Space Shuttle with a hardtop and LED's. Backglass looks great and coin door is very nice. NVRAM installed and it plays as good as it looks.

Sadly I can't post pictures yet because it is folded up in the garage until tomorrow or Wednesday.

Originally I wasn't fond of the hardtop idea but once I looked at machines with them and played machines with them I am liking them more and more. Only time will tell but I have a feeling hardtops are going to hold up better than wooden playfields.

I am an old guy who typically resist change but I have a feeling hardtops are going to be the "future" of pinball with the cost of a new playfield getting higher & higher and finding someone to do a great clearcoat on them is getting harder and harder. Plus when you look at the issues JJP has had with wooden playfields lately it really makes you wonder about the new clears being used these days.

Wood and paint expand & contract at different rates, wood also does "funny things" as humidity changes. Etc. A lot of this issues do not occur with a hardtop.

Anyway as with anything else there will always be mixed feelings about something new. I do agree there is something "nice" about a nice original wooden playfield but I am not against the hardtop idea either. Wood does have a "warmer" feeling and I do think wood is a better surface as far as gameplay but I really didn't notice a difference between the hardtop and our other well waxed wooden playfield when I moved from one machine to another.

About the same as I feel about a hardtop.

But if I had a choice between playfield wear (unless very minor) and a hardtop I think I would still prefer a machine with the hardtop over playfield wear. Nice wooden playfield is still at the top and likely always will be!

But on the "flip side" you will never find a machine with a new playfield selling as cheap as someone can sell a machine with a hardtop on it. A Space Shuttle with replacement playfield is likely closer to a $3200 to $3500 machine (or more) with prices I have seen lately. Which makes sense with the labor involved & cost of a new playfield.

Honestly me selling one really doesn't change my opinion of them. I still like a nice wooden playfield and always will but dollar to dollar someone looking for a nice looking machine will find a machine with a hardtop much cheaper than one with a replacement playfield. So it really just comes down to personal choice.

The hardtop on this machine had ZERO impact on our decision to sell it. I knew when I took it on trade that it was just passing through and was not a machine that was staying in the collection. However Covid changed our plans as far as selling at shows so it has been hanging around longer than I expected and now it is time for it to go.

Thanks to everyone who replied. Since I allowed the guy I got this from $2500 for it (on trade two years ago) I think I'll just try to sell it for that same price and break even on it. I was hoping to see it at around $2800 in today's market but from my poll it doesn't look like that is the case. Anyway THANKS AGAIN to everyone who has replied.

With the price of System 9 & 11 machines these days and the historical nature of this machine I am really shocked they have not gone up in price as much as most other machines have. I think it is really just a matter of time and they will be tough to find under $3000. I love the art on Space Shuttle and the fact that it is a decent playing machine but we put the collection to a vote this past week and decided it is one of 6 machines that will be leaving in 2022.

8 or 9 years ago I sold a Space Shuttle for close to $2000 that wasn't as nice as this one?

Since my son & I are involved in the hobby together instead of us picking out machines to keep when we have family over we have them help us decide which machines should stay in the collection and which ones should go. Sadly Space Shuttle didn't make the cut this year and will be leaving with Addams Family & Popeye. Once those 3 are gone we will start trying to figure out the next three to go. Again thanks to all who voted in my poll.

I added a few pictures!

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Please keep adding your thoughts as far as "fair price" for this machine or other similar machines. I already have decided what I am going to ask for this but all information added might help another Pinsider sometimes down the road.

Now that I have the three machines I am selling moved to the garage I am happy & sad. I love having the extra space in the basement but I really hate to see any of these leave. I can see this process is going to keep getting harder for me now that I am down to mostly machines we wanted to keep long term.

I currently have a couple of my local "pinball friends" interested in all 3 machines I have for sale. So depending on what they decide over the next few days it will either be sold or listed here on Pinside. Anytime I have machines for sale I always offer them to people who have done business with me in the past before I open them up for public sale. Otherwise I would have already had them listed here on Pinside.

I listed mine on Pinside today for $2750 looking for a serious offer from someone fairly local that is willing to pick the machine up in person. I don't want to ship it - I want the buyer to look at it and play it in person before laying "cash on the glass".

I don't know where my pricing stacks up but I know I'll work with the right buyer if the machine can be picked up fairly quickly. The machine is in our garage and I am using electric heat to keep the garage warm. Running that heater cost money this time of the year so I am looking for a fairly quick sale.

Since there has not been a ton of interest in this (just a couple people) I decided to pull the backglass and move that back to the basement so I don't need to keep the garage as warm. I still have the heater running out their but instead of heating the garage to around 60 degrees I feel safe at 45 to 50 degrees without the backglass in the machine.

I still would love to see it gone ASAP so I am willing to move some on the price for a quick sale. But at least I am not worrying about that backglass now.

Sold pending pick up. Thanks for all the help! -Skip-