Quoted from ForceFlow:I'm always glad to see dog-eared games being rescued and brought back to life. A lot of people have participated in this thread, and a lot of games have been rescued. It seemed like it would be fun to see our top project pin enthusiast greeted with a little holiday cheer with something for his own project.
Merry Christmas--have fun with your project, Pecos
Thank you 
ForceFlow for the kind words and gift. It's always nice to have a moderator in your corner and participating in this thread.
Quoted from gdonovan:It was a pleasure to help out in some small way Pecos, your enthusiasm and help to all is refreshing and to be emulated.
THANK YOU!
Gary Donovan
@gdonovan, when I see pics of your gameroom it reminds me of the Pecos Palatial Pinball Parlour! A little bit of this and a little bit of that and from the same era as my pins. I hope we can find a few more for you! Thanks for your helping fund the backglass - another reason to think of you when opening up the PPPP.
Quoted from rkahr:... Even with "brain not working normally from joy" a class act all the way! I do a lot more reading than writing on Pinside and I've noticed the threads I follow most typically have a terrific person (or persons) behind them... rotordave and his travel threads (new one active right now!). pinballrockstar and his Pinball Amigos threads (Crazy Mansion is a blast). Several of the show threads, but certainly labnip with TPF (quiet lately). And, I keep up on this thread pretty much daily even though I'm not actively in the market for games - it may be my most visited thread (obviously I monitor my threads where I introduce products closely as well).
So back about 50 pages ago the deal I couldn't pass up showed up in this thread... https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/post-project-pins-for-sale-here-cl-ebay-pinside-and-others/page/105#post-3790745 . It's still not 100% but it's now a very playable game with a Max2K clear coated PF. And, (spoiler alert...) in the near future I'll be releasing a new product directly related to owning and working on that machine that I 
Crispin (resized).jpgthink will be applicable to a few other games from that era.
About a month ago I went to an estate sale just a few miles from my office to check out a game - I never would have known about the sale or the game without this thread and the volunteer army led by pecos that somehow seems to constantly keep it current. I've posted a few leads, but it's rare that I see something before this army.
I've shared links from this thread with my siblings (Texas and North Carolina) encouraging them to jump into the hobby with a project game. No triggers pulled on those opportunities, but Texas seems to be gaining interest!
So, Merry Christmas from all of us, pecos, everyone who reads/monitors this thread. And thunderous applause for ryanclaytor for being our collective arms, legs, and brains on this one!
-Rob
-new at http://www.kahr.us - Williams system 3-6 display glass brackets!
I always enjoy hearing about the Project Pins found on this thread and I really enjoyed reading your story. I'm looking forward to seeing your new product. Please post it here when you are ready to announce it. So, is that Monte Carlo this thread helped you find the Bally version or the Gottlieb/Premier version? Just curious because I have the Gottlieb/Premier version. I am honored that you helped to donate to the Queen of Hearts backglass fund! Thanks @rkahr!
Quoted from Colsond3:My pleasure to contribute Pecos! "Colson5" is my gift-giving alter ego, and always happy to help out! (just kidding Ryan)
You deserve it Pecos, you contribute a ton on here, and have saved several games from pending doom. If my circumstances weren't what they are right now, I certainly would have contributed even more. Enjoy the glass and the holidays, and glad that we could bring you some pinball joy.
Thank you for your contribution to the backglass. Let me remind others who are new here about this:
Ryan Colsonisms (resized).jpg
@Colson3, @Colson5 when gifting others, would you please find a pin you want but is too far away and do it again. Pretty please? Just for old times sake? It's good to see you posting here again. 
Quoted from Captive_Ball:Merry Christmas Pecos....I feel honored to have my name associated with your new backglass...can't wait to see your updated pictures
@Captive_Ball, you have been posting Project Pins here longer than anyone else. There is a lot to be said for consistency and perseverance. I am honored that you were part of this conspiracy! Gato, my cat, has this wonderful habit of yowling until I let her out for food and water - at 4:00 AM! I always check the thread when she wakes me up. when I see a post this early the first thing I think is, Captive_Ball is posting more Project Pins! You of all people deserve part of the praise that others have bestowed upon me.
Rafter Cat Gato in action:
You have also posted TWO OXOs. Anyone who posts an OXO is extra special in my book! Especially since the supply has seemingly dried up.
Captive_Ball Project Pin Superstar (resized).png
You, sir, are a Project Pin Superstar!
Quoted from SkyKing2301:You're welcome, Pecos. While I haven't successfully scored a treasure specifically from this list yet, I have investigated a few and am always hunting for more -- so your constant contributions will no doubt eventually pay off for me as they have for many others. Keep up the great work and enjoy your new glass!
@SkyKing2301, I will have to work extra hard to find a Project Pin just for you. I would hate to leave you out of all of the fun restoring one of these marvelous machines! Note to self. Look extra hard for Project Pins in Florida for SkyKing2301. Thank you for your support!
Quoted from bingopodcast:Thank you for all that you do, Pecos. You have helped me and my oddball custom games quite a lot. If I can help in any way with any of your projects, never hesitate to let me know!
@bingopodcast, I'm very happy to be a small part of your Robo Frenzy project arcade EM. I restore them. You build them. That is just crazy awesome. I'm so glad that you can provide your bingo expertise here on the Project Pin thread. Not necessary, but so pleased that your name is on the list.
Quoted from Crispin:Merry Christmas Pecos! I was honored to be included in helping someone who has helped so many others in our community, (thanks Ryan!). I love the "possibility" feeling I get when I read that the next thing you post. I hope you enjoy reviving your Queen!!
Crispin
I will enjoy restoring the Queen. Thanks to you for helping to make my Christmas so special!
Crispin (resized).jpg
Take her to the latest Star Wars movie and maybe she will say "This might be the pin you are looking for." May the Force be with you!
Quoted from too-many-pins:One of the few post I visit on a daily bases. I really don't need anymore machines but I can't resist following what is out there for sale and your efforts have made it easy to watch "project" machines from all over the country without spending hours searching them out. Great job to you and everyone who post here.
Topics like this and a bunch of guys working together is what a hobby should be about. Sadly there are way to few of these type topics and way too many "what will be the next new machine released" or "which LED's should I use in these machines" type post here on Pinside. Not everyone has tens of thousands of dollars to toss at a hobby!
Great work & it was my pleasure to be part of this little THANK YOU for you!
@too-many-pins, I alway smile when I see you posting here. It reminds me of the Monty Python sketch of Mr. Smoke Too Much.
Hope I am not an 'enabler'! Your Pinside name is appropriate for me too, after two and a half years of finding Project Pins I have too many, but can't resist looking for more! Your "little THANK YOU" is big in my book.
Quoted from NicoVolta:Merry Christmas Pecos! It was great to meet you on the pinball tour & thanks for keeping the spotlight on the good deals. I've certainly found a few this way.
@NicoVolta, I'm so glad that I was able to meet you here at Pecos' Palatial Pinball Parlour. I had no idea I had so many Norm Clark designed pins here. You are becoming such a popular celebrity spreading the word how to repair Project Pins that I might have to start regarding you as a VIP! Glad you hang out here. You will have to return one day to the PPPP to see, in person, how you helped put the Queen back on her feet again.
Here is what I mean about our very own NicoVolta reaching celebrity status:
Quoted from NicoVolta:The pinball tour hit CBS this evening... and some of you are in it! Thanks much to Scott Jarrell of CBS KTVT for putting the piece together and Shawn Christian (dallaspinball) for hosting from his pinball collection!
Being interview by channel 7 in Roanoke, Virginia:
http://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Texas-man-stops-in-Roanoke-on-Great-North-American-Pinball-Tour-454784163.html
Keep spreading the pinball joy, Nic! 
Quoted from AlexF:Congratulations Pecos! It's fun to see a nice guy fix up a great game. Nice to be a small part of it. Pinball friends are the best. Very thoughtful of Ryan to put this together.
@AlexF, I often check to say who has up-voted my posts and more often than not, I see that classic convertible. I am grateful for that and for the present that will help bring this ole Queen back to life. Project Pin friends are awesome!
Thanks @Cheddar. And thanks for the Project Pins you have posted here. Did you get that Vector working?
Quoted from Ballypin:Merry Christmas Pecos ! I am honored to be able to help in a small way with your backglass gift. Thanks again for what seems to be a tireless search to give these games a chance to live again.
Thanks also to Ryan for making this all happen. I enjoyed reading his travel journey from MI to MA to pickup his grail Bally Hay Ride so much that I decided a similar trip would be cool. So, when I read a pinside ad in Boston for a Bally Dogies that was posted in this thread, my brain went into overdrive. I was able to secure the game plus another game to make the 2,000 mile trip interesting. The 2 day trip kicks off next week and I plan to document the journey here.
Darrin
@Ballypin, I don't find as many Bally Project Pins as I would like. They are becoming harder to find. Thank you, Darrin, for helping make this backglass a new part of Pecos' Palatial Pinball Parlour. What Bally pins, in particular, are you looking for?
Congrats on picking up the Dogies! That is such an awesome looking game and it has Zipper Flippers! I'm looking forward to reading about your adventure to return this to your gameroom. I lived for quite a while in Forestville, just east of Cincinnati. So I envy your ability to eat a La Rosa's pizza or a Skyline 3-Way!
Quoted from fingersport:Well I'm late as usual. This thread is in my top 5 on pinside. They all relate to EM's, games, parts and restorations. So far no deals struck but I know it will happen. Not to many project games in the midwest. (Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and northers Missouri) Thanks to everyone who lists games but especially Pecos. Enjoy that new backglass on your restored game. Glad I could be part of saying thanks. Don (fingersport)
@fingersport, I have to admit that I had to look up your post on this thread. You may be last but you are not least. For those who don't know, 
fingersport is incognito as Don Bosworth of Pinballs on the Move. Are you still shipping pins? We need a Pinball on the Move out here in the southwest!
Thanks for helping get this Queen of Hearts backglass transported from New Jersey to Arizona.
Matesamo
You began posting Project Pins a year ago and you have helped keep this thread active. Thank you! Lately, you have been posting even more. Is it a coincidence that he began posting Project Pins more often about the same time that bluespin left? I hope you know how much I appreciate your Project Pin posts. Well, if you didn't, you do now! Your contribution to the 'Buy Pecos a Queen of Hearts Backglass Project' is just icing on the cake. Thanks!
@cyroute, I am a bit embarrassed that I wouldn't remember you, especially after seeing your name on the list of those who gave to 'The Perfect Christmas Gift.' As Grand Pooh Bah of the Project Pin thread, may I officially welcome you to the cavalcade of pins needing some TLC!! Please feel free to join in as you see fit.
@SergioJ, hope to see you posting here more often. Thank you for taking the time and money to bring the Queen to it's new home.
@Songofsixpence, you have been here forever! You post Project Pins. You sold a Sky Jump for a song. You sold it to Otaku!
Songofsixpence and Otaku (resized).png
And that wasn't the only one. You also posted a Black Belt, a Southern Belle and a Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man. You picked up a Torch and kindly shared pics of it here for us to ogle. You do it all and yet you still wanted to do more by gifting me. Awesomeness in action! Thank you for all you do!
@nascarrey, you wanted to contribute AFTER the backglass had been delivered! That means a lot to me. Thank you!!
Quoted from alexmogil:What a wonderful gesture for the person who runs what might be the most entertaining thread on this site. Thanks Pecos!
I like that, @alexmogil. I try to keep it fun here.
Quoted from shimoda:hit me up next time as I too have benefited from this list, specifically one of bluespin's last posts, the Dragon in KY. It was beautiful (as they usually are but this was particularly like new). Reminds me, it's time to donate to Pinside! Pecos, way to be such an asset to the community. Congratulations on a well-deserved reward.
Now that you mention it @shimoda, I could use three Aztec backglasses, one Honey backglass, for a friend, one Liberty Bell backglass, one Royal Flush backglass, one Spanish Eyes backglass and one Super-Flite backglass. JUST KIDDING. 
Please, no more surpise backglasses in my future! I will be buying these when I win the lottery. Hmmm. I wonder if bgresto gives a discount for buying in bulk. It was very kind to offer up your gift in advance, but this 'Perfect Christmas Gift' should tide me over for at least five years!
Quoted from uncivil_engineer:This thread is a daily read for me. While I haven't picked up anything off it yet, I understand it is a great resource. Kudo's to yall who paid Peco's back for all his hard work.
@uncivil_engineer, hope we can find a Project Pin for you soon! I'm surprised you haven't found one yet if you are visiting daily.
Quoted from Atari_Daze:Im usually a silent observer in this thread but wanted to thank and send congrats to Pecos!
And way to go znet for packing so carefully that beautiful backglass.
To all who contribute to this thread, to pinside and who helped Pecos get a well deserved gift!
@Atari_Daze, thanks for posting Project Pins here. For those of you wondering what his avatar meant:
Quoted from Atari_Daze:The obvious Atari logo wearing "Maverick" era aviators with the cockpit window from the Millenium Falcom in the background, just something I whipped up, for this site, in photo shop. Some of the things I enjoyed most from days gone by.
Quoted from PinballFever:I've been lurking while checking this topic almost daily in the vain hope that a project will magically appear in MY area but to no avail yet..... therefore I delurk briefly to wish you a happy holidays Pecos. What a great Xmas gift. I look forward to seeing your game restored.
*Goes back to lurking again!*
Bruce
@PinballFever, Pinside member, Salt Lake City, UT. You have my deepest empathies. I can confirm that you live in the driest Project Pin desert in the contiguous U.S. I pop over at the slc Craigslist ads occasionally, but the dearth of pins is deafening. Nevertheless, I will continue looking for you. Thank you for delurking to tell me that you visit here almost daily and for the warm holiday wishes. Be sure to delurk and share with us if you find a Project Pin in Utah! That would be a major accomplishment that I would like to hear about.
zacaj
You only post Project Pins occasionally, but I think that is because you don't post the ordinary. When you do post, you can be sure that it is a super bargain or something very special. Pay attention if one of the pins that zacaj posts is in your area!
bluespin
You may be gone but you are not forgotten. You have found more than one game for your fellow Pinsiders. I'll say it again, you are always welcome back here! I can only hope that we will see you again. You posted the last OXO. Did you know that OXO is my favorite pin? 
Just Kidding! Of course you know!
Quoted from bluespin:If you have been thinking abut buying @pecos a Christmas present for running this thread, but you aren't sure what to get him....here is a suggestion!
Manufacturer: Williams
Game/Type: OXO / EM....Coffee Table
Year: October, 1973
Production: 7,053
Cost: $250
Location: Bensalem (Philadelphia), PA
Link/Contact: philadelphia.craigslist.org link OP: Custom made..Does not work but lights can be installed inside.cash only
There are others, many others, too many to list here. I may have posted the most Project Pins, but this thread wouldn't be much of a thread without all of you who post Project Pins here and participate with your comments.
@CactusJack, for example, posts a wealth of knowledge. I always learn something from the information that he so generously shares with us. I will be looking for a Doodle Bug and NOT a Dipsy Doodle because of the information that 
CactusJack provided.
I wish I could give each of you a gift. For now, the Project Pins I post will have to do. Each time I post I hope that one of you will grab one of these old pins so you can experience the joy of bringing one of them back to life. God willing, I plan to continue to post Project Pins that I find. I will only stop posting if it starts to feel too much like work!
And finally, the two who colluded to bring this surprise to fruition:
@ZNET, I was so surprised and thankful when you offered to sell me your original Queen of Hearts backglass for such a nice price. I considered myself very fortunate to have found one so quickly and in such incredible condition. But that wasn't enough! You wanted to pay for shipping! I said that wasn't necessary and that it was more than enough that you were selling the backglass to me and no one else. I asked you to ship it after the holidays. Packages get thrown around a bit more at this time of the year and I wanted this package to arrive safely with the greatest of care. You said that you would get back to me after Christmas. So, I thought something might be up when you asked me for my mailing address before Christmas. I thought that 'something' was you paying for the shipping! So, it was a big surprise when I read Ryan's post stating that so many Project Pinsiders had just paid for the backglass, shipping and all. Yes, it was a huge surprise, just like you 'collusionists' planned it!
@RyanClaytor. What can I say?? I could easily write a thousand words about what your participation here has meant to me and how much your friendship has meant to me.
There has been this:
And this:
Ryan 1000 posts 1 (resized).jpg
Ryan 1000 posts 2 (resized).jpg
Ryan 1000 posts 3 (resized).jpg
Ryan 1000 posts 4 (resized).jpg
I did finally find a Project Pin Firepower! That and my Black Knight are my pride and joy SS pins. You know me too well!
I was really excited for you to see that Paul Bunyan in the back of your Project Pin Hauler.
Ryan Paul Bunyan (resized).jpg
There has been the occasional friendly ribbing of his Williams Jubie:
Ryan Jubie Bashing (resized).jpg
Now every time I get a GIF in reply to one of my posts from Ryan, I say to myself, "Wow! I've been honored with a Ryan Claytor GIF." I think we will trademark your GIFs on this thread - RyanClaytorGIF TM.
And then I see this crazy post just as I was going to bed saying that a surprise gift was on it's way to Pecos' Palatial Pinball Parlour. With friends like you, Ryan, who cares about enemies! This may be the nicest Christmas present I have ever received. And I thank you all - but it was Ryan's fault!
Ryan upvotes (resized).jpg
30 up-votes? That's just crazy! By far the most of any post on this thread. And it's no wonder - so well written! In case you haven't noticed yet, you unlocked another rarely seen Pinside accomplishment:
Ryan 10 posts in an hour (resized).jpg
**WHEW** So many well-wishes from well-wishers. And I didn't even have to croak off to get them! 
This may sound crazy, but I feel like part of a family here. That is something special and the best gift of all. All members of my family are invited to Pecos' Palatial Pinball Parlour to see for yourself the beautiful Queen of Hearts backglass that you helped make possible.
Merry Christmas,
Project Pin Grand Pooh Bah "Pecos"
Warwick, RI
Not to mention, you've probably got another couple thousand project posts to make before you catch up with Pecos. 
Ottawa, ON
