(Topic ID: 275257)

Pinball and Divorce

By alienpoker

3 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 167 posts
  • 77 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 years ago by LTG
  • Topic is favorited by 7 Pinsiders

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    Topic poll

    “Would you keep all your games during a divorce?”

    • Yeah. No question. They’re mine. 138 votes
      79%
    • Nah. I’d sell (or give her) half of the games. 23 votes
      13%
    • Some other answer (justify your answer in the comments) 14 votes
      8%

    (175 votes)

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    There are 167 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 4.
    14
    #1 3 years ago

    Topic says it all. My now ex wife hated my pinball collection. It started when she bought me an EM for Christmas, and after I caught pinball fever (over time) it grew to around 15 games. She actually would play sometimes and liked pinball in a small way. She finally banned them from the house... I had even put one in a conservatory I built, but I was worried about the UV and heat so I kept it covered.

    She put her foot down and said that I was allowed *one* pinball in the house. I had to get rid of the rest or find another solution. She wouldn’t budge. Now we had a large home. No garage, but 4 bedrooms and a basement. She says all the rooms are needed for kids and an ‘office’. Pfffft... kids... working from home. I owned 1/2 the house, so shouldn’t I get a room of my own? Apparently not.

    I considered renting a shop or workshop with power and putting them there, I actually paid for shop space and stored some at a storage facility for a year to try and keep her happy. Didn’t really work- for me. Too much trouble, why own them if I couldn’t play them when I wanted?

    Anyways, the games (all but my LoTR LE) finally went down into a basement ‘games room’ (not light work). I was not too happy about it as there was some minor damp down there. Not good. I had some nice titles, too. TZ, AFM,RFM,... you get the picture.

    Long story short, married life didn’t last much longer after that. It didn’t help that I sold the only game she had bought for me (my only EM) and it never made it into the basement ‘games room’. Trouble was- during the divorce she wanted 1/2 the ‘market value’ of all the games I had personally paid for and that she had expressed little interest in util then. Of course market value to her meant the *most* that title had ever sold for. In the end I was still on the hook for paying around $20K+ (1/2 the final valuation) after haggling though lawyers about the actual market value.

    I even threatened to sell them (give them away) in a ‘fire sale’ and just give her 1/2 of whatever I got. Couldn’t bring myself to do that just to prove a point about ‘actual market value of a collection at a single moment in time‘ - so in the end I paid twice just to keep my own collection intact. And I also had to pallet them and pay to ship them 3,000 miles.

    It reminds me of the scene in the John Cusack film ‘High Fidelity’ where Rob goes to look at a vinyl record collection for sale and just can’t buy it because one unicorn record is worth 10x what the girlfriend asking... great film if you haven’t seen it. But I digress.

    My new wife lets me keep my games in the living room. And in a shed I built for the ones that won’t fit. Some guys never learn. ‘My name is Richard and I’m a pinball collector”.

    14
    #2 3 years ago

    Hi Richard! Welcome to the club and thank you for sharing your story. Cookies and coffee is in the back of the room. Please help yourself

    64
    #3 3 years ago

    New wife? Clearly you learned nothing.

    30
    #4 3 years ago

    The real problem with being married and pinball is that every second you spend playing, working on the machine, or on this forum is one second less you spend giving your wife your complete and utter attention. Many women find this unacceptable. Fact is though, pinball is not the problem.

    #6 3 years ago

    Wow! Alienpoker that’s a crazy story. Your ex was horrible. I never would’ve tolerated that bullshit she put you through. It reminds me of something that happened to me with my first wife. I have a beautiful taxidermy Tiger (full mount) that I acquired before I met her. Well...we were out to dinner with some friends and she was ragging on me over the Tiger. I finally had enough, turned to her and said, “listen. You’ll be gone before that Tiger is.” Needless to say the rest of the dinner was pretty awkward. But my statement was accurate. She is gone and I still have Tiger!!! And my new wife has no problem with it. It holds a special spot in the game room beside my TOTAN game. Alls well that ends well.

    #7 3 years ago
    Quoted from Charlemagne1987:

    Wow! Alienpoker that’s a crazy story. Your ex was horrible. I never would’ve tolerated that bullshit she put you through. It reminds me of something that happened to me with my first wife. I have a beautiful taxidermy Tiger (full mount) that I acquired before I met her. Well...we were out to dinner with some friends and she was ragging on me over the Tiger. I finally had enough, turned to her and said, “listen. You’ll be gone before that Tiger is.” Needless to say the rest of the dinner was pretty awkward. But my statement was accurate. She is gone and I still have Tiger!!! And my new wife has no problem with it. It holds a special spot in the game room beside my TOTAN game. Alls well that ends well.

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    #8 3 years ago

    Yeah, but I don’t have a mullet and I’m not gay.

    23
    #9 3 years ago
    Quoted from Charlemagne1987:

    Yeah, but I don’t have a mullet and I’m not gay.

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    #12 3 years ago

    It is a miracle half the guys in the hobby can keep a wife. The obsession is real for many of you fools.

    10
    #13 3 years ago

    Happy you found a new girl that is more understanding! My partner has her art room full of junk and I have my games room full of junk. We are able to do things together but also have our own interests and hobbies.

    #15 3 years ago

    I only have one machine and my wife plays it sometimes. She does not want to play against me though. Says that I take "too long" and that she has no chance to beat me. I am sure that if we parted ways, half the value of the machine would be hers.

    #16 3 years ago

    I would burn the house down with everything in it, grab my bug out bag and hit the road.

    12
    #17 3 years ago

    Sell them All to a friend for $100 and give her half. Buy them back for double as a thank you to the friend.

    #18 3 years ago

    Just binge watch forensic files on Netflix

    #19 3 years ago
    Quoted from Charlemagne1987:

    Wow! Alienpoker that’s a crazy story. Your ex was horrible. I never would’ve tolerated that bullshit she put you through. It reminds me of something that happened to me with my first wife. I have a beautiful taxidermy Tiger (full mount) that I acquired before I met her. Well...we were out to dinner with some friends and she was ragging on me over the Tiger. I finally had enough, turned to her and said, “listen. You’ll be gone before that Tiger is.” Needless to say the rest of the dinner was pretty awkward. But my statement was accurate. She is gone and I still have Tiger!!! And my new wife has no problem with it. It holds a special spot in the game room beside my TOTAN game. Alls well that ends well.

    Lamo! A tiger like that would be awesome down in my basement. You sir are the man!

    #20 3 years ago

    My wife loves pinball and we would never get divorced. But should it happen, she’d let me have all of them.

    #21 3 years ago

    Yeah my wife gets mad at me and threatens to take half my pins and money. I said “totally worth it!” She says” you’re mean.” She drops it then. Ummmm winning!

    #22 3 years ago
    Quoted from Gunnut40:

    Lamo! A tiger like that would be awesome down in my basement. You sir are the man!

    Thanks. Yeah, it looks awesome beside TOTAN. If I had the room I’d get a Big Game to go with it.

    21
    #23 3 years ago

    A wise man once told me “it is harder to replace a really good collection of pinball machines, than it is to replace a wife.”

    #24 3 years ago

    A friend of mine is going through a divorce right now and it’s the same thing. Too many years of fighting has made it impossible for them to be reasonable. They are basically giving all their money to lawyers to fight about the value of their stuff. It’s brutal.

    #25 3 years ago
    Quoted from Yelobird:

    Sell them All to a friend for $100 and give her half. Buy them back for double as a thank you to the friend.

    My ex brother in-law did something like this with my sister when they were getting divorced . He “sold” his Harley to his mother for very cheap so he could “buy” it back after the divorce was finalized. They both made around the same income and just as much of my sister’s money was invested in that motorcycle as his. She let it slide because she just wanted out as quick and painless as possible.
    Shitty move on his part , but he is a shitty person and I am glad my sister is done with him.

    #26 3 years ago

    What happens if your soon to be ex takes pics of all your pins and shows them to her attorney.
    Her attorney happens to be a pinhead!
    If you want to continue a pinball lifestyle don’t get remarried.

    #27 3 years ago

    Marry someone who , if it came to it , an easy and fair divorce... unfortunately divorcing will always favor the woman . That needs to change .

    #28 3 years ago

    I would make a claim for half of her jewelry and fancy clothes. Consignment shops are hurting right now.

    #29 3 years ago

    You have things that u NEED to do for your wife..... but you have pinball that’s GOT to be played!

    #30 3 years ago

    They say is cheaper to keep her but sometimes is better to be broke and happy then rich and miserable

    #31 3 years ago

    Dang that sucks alienpoker ....
    If I'll get married someday I want a prenuptial agreement!
    Luckily my girlfriend is a fan of the hobby, and would kill me if I'd get rid of them lol

    #32 3 years ago

    Your story was making my blood boil. If your partner/wife can't appreciate your hobby/passion, then you need to find one who will. F her, and anyone like her!

    Good luck in the future

    #33 3 years ago

    Couples get wrapped up in either trying to hurt the other or trying to keep everything. Just walk away. I was kidding about the burning everything part but I wasn’t about the bug out bag.

    World is bigger than we know and there’s too much to experience. When the happiness is gone locally seek it out elsewhere.

    You’ve got two legs and a brain...use them!

    Been married thirty years last week. Are we happy? I guess. Are we content? Absolutely. Would I walk if things went away? Yes. Would she? Yes. Sword of Damocles makes us maintain our relationship and take nothing for granted.

    #34 3 years ago

    I'm more worried about how cheap she is going to sell them when I'm dead.

    #35 3 years ago
    Quoted from NeilMcRae:

    I'm more worried about how cheap she is going to sell them when I'm dead.

    You’re problems are over at that point. It’s just stuff.

    #36 3 years ago
    Quoted from NeilMcRae:

    I'm more worried about how cheap she is going to sell them when I'm dead.

    My wife said when I die she’ll need to bring in an expert to see whats worth money and what’s garbage. I recently sold my Nintendo power magazines for $1500. She thought they were just junk sitting on the bookshelf

    #37 3 years ago

    Spent a little over 2 years in divorce court so boy do i feel this topic.
    Came out of it relatively unscaved tho.
    Learned my lesson, never getting married again!
    Wish i was gay but unfortunatley no such luck but never going past the gf stage again.. ha..

    #38 3 years ago
    Quoted from eckelpeckel:

    Spent a little over 2 years in divorce court so boy do i feel this topic.
    Came out of it relatively unscaved tho.
    Learned my lesson, never getting married again!
    Wish i was gay but unfortunatley no such luck but never going past the gf stage again.. ha..

    Move to Asia and have lots of GFs!

    #39 3 years ago

    Q: Why is divorce so expensive?
    A: Because it’s worth it.

    #40 3 years ago
    Quoted from trilogybeer:

    My ex brother in-law did something like this with my sister when they were getting divorced . He “sold” his Harley to his mother for very cheap so he could “buy” it back after the divorce was finalized. They both made around the same income and just as much of my sister’s money was invested in that motorcycle as his. She let it slide because she just wanted out as quick and painless as possible.
    Shitty move on his part , but he is a shitty person and I am glad my sister is done with him.

    This is where I expected the story to go - sell them to a friend for peanuts to minimize the value and then buy them back after.

    #41 3 years ago
    Quoted from epthegeek:

    This is where I expected the story to go - sell them to a friend for peanuts to minimize the value and then buy them back after.

    I was thinking sell them over time, one every few weeks, for cash. Stash the cash somewhere she doesn't know about. That would work with my wife.

    #42 3 years ago
    Quoted from Luckydogg420:

    My wife said when I die she’ll need to bring in an expert to see whats worth money and what’s garbage. I recently sold my Nintendo power magazines for $1500. She thought they were just junk sitting on the bookshelf

    This one kills me. I had a membership from the beginning and had several years worth. I'm typically a pack rat, I have newspapers that are 30 years old. I can't find my Nintendo Power magazines anywhere. I think I might have trashed them when I moved. I still have my Team Power pin and membership card though. Ditto a decade worth of bowling and golf digest. Kept my mad magazines though.

    #43 3 years ago

    Geeze, this thread in on fire. Guess a lot of us can relate!

    #44 3 years ago
    Quoted from ToucanF16:

    Geeze, this thread in on fire. Guess a lot of us can relate!

    Guess I’m the odd man out with having pinball banned in the bedrooms

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    #45 3 years ago
    Quoted from chuckwurt:

    My wife loves pinball and we would never get divorced. But should it happen, she’d let me have all of them.

    As long as she didn’t buy you your first game like OP, you should be good.

    10
    #46 3 years ago

    Divorce lawyer here. Been there. I've even been asked to serve as an expert to appraise pinball collections. Divorce sucks no matter what.

    #47 3 years ago
    Quoted from pinlawyer:

    Divorce lawyer here. Been there. I've even been asked to serve as an expert to appraise pinball collections. Divorce sucks no matter what.

    Can you give us any TL;DR advice on prenups?

    #48 3 years ago
    Quoted from pinlawyer:

    Divorce lawyer here. Been there. I've even been asked to serve as an expert to appraise pinball collections. Divorce sucks no matter what.

    That appraisal puts you in a tough spot.

    #49 3 years ago
    Quoted from EJS:

    As long as she didn’t buy you your first game like OP, you should be good.

    She has helped buy most of our games. She still would give them all to me.

    #50 3 years ago

    Nice new wife and pinball.

    Guess what? You win!!!

    There are 167 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 4.

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