(Topic ID: 287880)

Pin Prices? 20 years out of Collecting

By Kiddpepsi

3 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 26 posts
  • 22 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 years ago by TheLaw
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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    #1 3 years ago

    Years ago in the mid-90’s I was an active collector of late 70’s/earlier 80’s pins, Evel, Harlem, Firepower, Blacknight, etc...I stuck primarily to pins and not a lot video’s. Within a 5 year period I filled my place with 30 or 40 games before I realized I was a junkie and it’s not normal to have Pinballs machines in your kitchen.

    By 2001, I amassed a collection and left the hobby when I purchased a new house. I have not bought a game in 20 years now. I set most of the games up in the new house in a nice warm and dry basement.

    Lately, I’ve been snooping around websites and Facebook game groups and seeing what these games are going for. People are asking $1800 or more for what I considered to be a “ok condition” games? Are they actually getting their price? I’m just shocked, I’d figure $950 to $1,200 would be the ceiling on these games in the future? I saw an ad for a $3,200 Black Knight where the playfield had huge amount of wear around the “save magnates”. In my day that game would have got significantly dinged as non-collector quality - but it sold. $1,800 Bobby Orr’s, Gorgars, Evels, and Playboys. Crazy…

    Anyways, sorry for the long post. It’s been interesting to poke around in the pinball world in 2021 after leaving the games behind in 2001. It was fun when I was younger and don’t feel sorry for me. Around 2001 I started restoring the cars I had purchased in the early 90’s, before I started collecting games. Since then I’ve finished ground off’s on my 69 RS Camaro, 70 Chevelle, ‘69 GS Skylark and I should be getting my ‘64 Vette back from paint shop sometime next week and we’ll started assembling it. I just switched from one expensive hobby to a more expensive hobby.

    However, the prices of the Pinball machines are mind blowing these days?

    Later

    #3 3 years ago
    Screenshot_20200713-141820~3 (resized).pngScreenshot_20200713-141820~3 (resized).png
    #4 3 years ago

    Supply and demand......

    #5 3 years ago

    I've got 2 High Speeds

    #6 3 years ago
    Quoted from Kiddpepsi:

    Years ago in the mid-90’s I was an active collector of late 70’s/earlier 80’s pins, Evel, Harlem, Firepower, Blacknight, etc...I stuck primarily to pins and not a lot video’s. Within a 5 year period I filled my place with 30 or 40 games before I realized I was a junkie and it’s not normal to have Pinballs machines in your kitchen.
    By 2001, I amassed a collection and left the hobby when I purchased a new house. I have not bought a game in 20 years now. I set most of the games up in the new house in a nice warm and dry basement.
    Lately, I’ve been snooping around websites and Facebook game groups and seeing what these games are going for. People are asking $1800 or more for what I considered to be a “ok condition” games? Are they actually getting their price? I’m just shocked, I’d figure $950 to $1,200 would be the ceiling on these games in the future? I saw an ad for a $3,200 Black Knight where the playfield had huge amount of wear around the “save magnates”. In my day that game would have got significantly dinged as non-collector quality - but it sold. $1,800 Bobby Orr’s, Gorgars, Evels, and Playboys. Crazy…
    Anyways, sorry for the long post. It’s been interesting to poke around in the pinball world in 2021 after leaving the games behind in 2001. It was fun when I was younger and don’t feel sorry for me. Around 2001 I started restoring the cars I had purchased in the early 90’s, before I started collecting games. Since then I’ve finished ground off’s on my 69 RS Camaro, 70 Chevelle, ‘69 GS Skylark and I should be getting my ‘64 Vette back from paint shop sometime next week and we’ll started assembling it. I just switched from one expensive hobby to a more expensive hobby.
    However, the prices of the Pinball machines are mind blowing these days?
    Later

    The prices have gone up just as they have for any other collectible of desire during this period. Frankly you would have been better off buying collectible gaming cards from the 1990s than pinballs. A box of say, Magic the Gathering Arabian Nights purchased for $70 in 1995 today sells for about $150,000.

    #7 3 years ago

    What is a nice, LED, Titan worth these days. Picking up from my man Ed. Interest already, it's crazy

    #8 3 years ago

    The question is what will they be worth 10 years from now?

    #9 3 years ago
    Quoted from pinaholic:

    What is a nice, LED, Titan worth these days. Picking up from my man Ed. Interest already, it's crazy

    The Taito Titan?

    #10 3 years ago

    Yeah, prices suck A on a lot of stuff right now.

    #11 3 years ago

    It is a different rip van Winkle angle on the price bubble thread.

    I took maybe 4-5 years off where I really slowed things down. I’ll say I was pretty shocked when I checked back in.

    Can you imagine 20 lol

    #12 3 years ago

    (Pity my stamp collection has gone WAY south during the same time period, postage stamps used to be a safe bet for collectors, but that is the risky nature of collecting anything for a profit.... things go in and out of favour,- just remember collecting should be for fun and not profit.... or else it is a business LOL)

    #13 3 years ago

    "...it’s not normal to have pinball machines in your kitchen." I'm stealin' that line.

    Kinda sounds like me, used to buy pins a ton in the 80s and 90s but last one I bought was in '06, though I still have seven keepers I've hung onto a long time. Today's prices do seem ridiculous compared to what I used to pay but 20-30 years is a long time. Pins and cars and houses are gonna go for what they go for, I can't do nothin' about it. Inflation, not nearly as many new pins being made, more people collecting them since much fewer places to play them on location, etc. Even though I ain't really shopping anymore it does seem like pins you see posted for sale in here are a lot more reasonable and much closer to 'reality' than Ebay etc. asking prices.

    #14 3 years ago

    Print enough money and not worth as much as years ago .

    People stuck at home buying titles familiar with fond memories .

    Few ops ( compared to years ago ) buying new and selling the older titles .

    All these actions driving price presently .

    Shane

    PS who could possibly not have considered putting a Diner pin in the kitchen for best utilization available floor space ?

    #15 3 years ago
    giphy.gifgiphy.gif
    #16 3 years ago

    SUPRISE! I've been collecting a long time too and am still flabbergasted at what
    people are willing to pay for what us olde farts consider to be common pins.
    Sure glad I held onto mine. New pin prices?! Are you serious????

    #17 3 years ago

    The dollar is just worth less than it used to be.

    #18 3 years ago

    It’s a shame that the fools with money are setting new prices.

    #19 3 years ago
    Quoted from locksmith:

    It’s a shame that the fools with money are setting new prices.

    Well, that's not unique to pinball!

    Try buying a house in South Florida...folks looking to escape the income taxes, weather, and culture of the big Northeast cities.

    -1
    #20 3 years ago

    I believe The pinside community is one big fat sucker. Spending thousands on ridiculous toys. A sucker wiling to pay 7000 for a pinball machine, complains about another one willing to pay 20000 is comical to be honest.

    #21 3 years ago

    I miss buying Marlboros for .75 cents also. Who would have guessed prices go up?

    #22 3 years ago
    Quoted from Yelobird:

    I miss buying Marlboros for .75 cents also. Who would have guessed prices go up?

    I can remember 50 cents. Put your two quarters in and pull the handle. Sometimes there was laughter at the donut shop, sometimes someone took it seriously.

    #23 3 years ago
    Quoted from DustinP:

    The dollar is just worth less than it used to be.

    Exactly. $1800 in 2021 is equal to about $1200 in 2001. Inflation accounts for quite a bit of the perception that things are more expensive now than before.
    Some things have gone up or down disproportionately, but overall it's the shrinking dollar that bites us.

    #24 3 years ago

    Take a look at the price of big macs versus official government inflation.

    Big Mac Price Over TimeBig Mac Price Over Time

    Expect that due to the large increase in their money supply over the past year (and another 2 trillion being created soon), that inflation will rise even more quickly.

    #25 3 years ago

    Reality is there are a ton of repair guides and replacement parts out there. The pinball Shows are also great promoters of pinball. There are a ton of people who have turned their passion for pinball into a small business. All of these things are good for pinball.

    There is competition which sucks if you are looking for a deal. It sucks to see hobbyist looking for deals and then flipping those games on Facebook for triple value. But there again who cares?

    #26 3 years ago
    Quoted from Yelobird:

    I miss buying Marlboros for .75 cents also. Who would have guessed prices go up?

    Quoted from Electrocute:

    I can remember 50 cents. Put your two quarters in and pull the handle. Sometimes there was laughter at the donut shop, sometimes someone took it seriously.

    Wow. $1.35 when I started

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