I'm sorry you lost some value on your top-tier machines, but that is a risk with any investment. And you are obviously not into it for the "hobby" if you feel this way. You are a collector, you are into it for the investment/return value/collectability and speculation of future value. That is all fine and well too, but like any collectable, the market can drop out in a heartbeat, as it did with sports cards and memorabilia and muscle cars.

The hobby is really about PLAYING and ENJOYING any and all machines, learning about them, working on them, regardless of value/popularity, joining competitions, playing with friends in the mancave and drinking some beers. Just because something is ranked high in lists does not mean it is the best game either, opinions vary wildly, and that is what makes life great. Case and point, I think Pinbot is a better game that most in the top 10, it ranks what, 66 on here? That's great for me, because if you base your prices on popularity, it makes it a cheaper game to get (mine was $1000, which is just about as much as I can afford anyway). The only game that was somewhat high on the list I own is Funhouse, but that also was not an expensive game to get for me ($1500). I could also care less whether or not they appreciate in value or not, if they're remade, upgraded/made better, etc. I'm happy now with what I have. And if that suddenly changes and Funhouse is worth 3x as much over night, the only thing that would sway me to sell it to buy a brand new one would be if it is announced they are being reproduced.