Many affluent people diversify their investments in physical assets such as art, exotic cars, gold and even bitcoin. I do not appreciate art and really can't afford exotic cars, but I can afford pinball machines. I have sold several pins for what I paid for them and in two instances, sold at a tidy profit. If you have well maintained 'A' titles, I believe pinball is a hobby you can enjoy and, at least, not lose money on. Many lament the high price of pins. I get it and I'm not happy about it. I would like to buy a Dialed In, but it sounds like it will be out of my price range, unless I get rid of some of my beloved titles.
Perhaps we should be happy about the high price of used pins. It means that they will not depreciate to zero like most technology. If the industry were to promote pinball as a hobby you can love and profit from (or at least break even), I bet there would be more players attracted to the hobby.
My only problem is my second story garage floor is about to collapse from the weight of my pins. It really is dangerous at this point. I'm building a barn to put all of these games in. Then the question is, can I somehow charge an annual membership or some similar strategy to recoup some of the massive investment I've made. Since retirement, I've gotten a bit carried away and now my wife is giving me the third degree over my hobby. But what if I could show a profit....?
