Zipper Flippers on that machine also! Low production machine (about 1800 made).

Crazy story but I just picked up one of these in Central PA this week. If anyone in my area is looking for Dixieland I have a decent one with a pretty nice backglass for sale here in Carlisle, PA for $400. I never even had a chance to plug it in yet but seller said score motor kept running.

Nitro Groundshaker machines always seem to bring crazy money for what they are as far as gameplay but the backglass art on that machine is fantastic. Rarely do you ever see a Nitro for under $1000 in working condition even with playfield wear and some backglass flaking (which is very common for that title).

Looking at pictures of that machine it looks like the backglass has some paint loss down by the lift channel which is very typical of Nitro also.

After buyer premium & sales tax that machine sold for over $500 and was actually still a pretty decent deal in my opinion. I paid more than that for them in worse condition. In the past 5 or 6 years I have owned several Nitros and keep selling them once I have them fixed up. Every time I get rid of the last one I start missing that neat 1970's backglass art and end up buying another one, fix it up, then realize I don't like the gameplay and sell it, a month later I end up with another one. My plan next time is to just hang a backglass on the wall and forget about wasting space on the full machine.

Nitro is not a bad playing machine but it is just kind of disappointing after playing mostly System 11 and newer machines.

Nice looking playfield on that $750 Firepower and backglass looks good also from the pictures. From what I see that looks like a $900 to $1000 machine all day long?

I don't think the count of 350 of those made can be correct. I have gotten 4 "junk playfields" in groups of stuff I have bought for parts over the past 3 or 4 years and I know of a couple others that are complete or that have been parted out. It just seems like way too many of these pop up or have been parted to only have had 350 made originally.

On the other hand Gottlieb Ready Aim Fire shows production of 390 and I have owned a couple of those and know of 4 or 5 others here in the Central PA area. Again it just seems crazy there are that many still round in central PA that I know about with original production under 400 machines?

For anyone interested these belong to Pete that does both York & Allentown Shows. He is a good guy to deal with and his descriptions are typically spot on. If someone else doesn't grab them before I have a chance I might make the drive for them this coming week. But to be honest I really don't need more machines because I am too-many-pins already!

I have owned three Allied Leisure's with blank coin doors over the past 5 years or so and two of those had no "necks" so someone is wrong about "no home models" or they made a lot more of these than stated for parties.

I always just flipped the ones I ended up with because I had no interest in them but as you would expect not being on location they all looked pretty much like new. Cheaply made but not all that uncommon for them to be in nice cosmetic condition from my experience. Every time I got one in a "bulk purchase" deal I thought to myself "not again" but someone always wanted them and I think I actually sold my last one at the Allentown Pinball Show last year.

Talk about cool & different! One of the first times I have ever had to say "wish I was closer"! I love crazy stuff like this!

Lots of times when sell puts "best offer" they wait for weeks trying to get more then a machine is worth once they get a couple decent offers on it. I would be willing to bet if you offered $500 cash you still wouldn't hear back from them. Don't let the $50 price fool you!

Bottom line these days is GREAT DEALS are gone with in minutes of them being listed. GOOD DEALS last a few hours (if you are lucky). I agree this thread is likely making more people aware of "good deals" but if you are truly looking to buy in your area you likely have already contacted seller before it ever gets posted here.

I have contacted 8 or 10 people after machines have been listed here and they are already long gone. So I think this thread might help sellers more than it helps buyers but it is still interesting to see what is for sale all over the U.S.

Bottom line with pins & prices is: Old operators warehouses are pretty much a thing of the past, so most pinball machines are currently in the hand of collectors or home owners. As interest in the hobby increases supply will keep getting smaller and prices will continue to go up.

20 years ago there were buildings full of machines and very little interest in them - now you have new machines with price point of $7500 to $10,000 (out of logical reach for most working class people) so demand is well above supply for used machines. I think this trend will continue for at least another 10 years but no one knows for sure.

Two things I can tell you for sure is prices on most machines have gone up dramatically over the past 5 or 6 years and I am finding it much harder to buy machines these days. Thankfully we have our collection about where we want it and have some excess machines to sell off this coming year.

Pecos,

I know this post had made it somewhat harder for me to get some of the "local deals" but I still love it and look at it at least a couple times a day. As with anything in life - something good results in something bad for someone else at times but overall I think this post is a great idea.

One suggestion I would make to people trying to buy machines is DON'T get too crazy with prices you are offering for them. Offer what you think is fair - if you get the machine GREAT - if not move on. There will always be another one down the road shortly.

Keep the post coming - I love seeing what is for sale in other parts of the country!

I emailed about that one last night and offered to "buy them dinner ($100) if they would hold it for me till Thursday (first chance I would have to pick it up)" and never got a reply so I assume it is long gone.

If I lived on the west coast I would be buying all of them. Depending on space you have I wouldn't think twice about grabbing as many as you can and what you don't want just pass on to other collectors down the road or use for trade bait.

I check in at least a couple times a day. Sometimes it is the only post I even look at when I hit Pinside for a quick visit. I love seeing what is for sale all over the country. Keep them coming! Great idea for a post from Pecos - and thanks to all for posting.

Ready Aim Fire is a tough machine to sell for some reason. Even with low production number no one seems to care. I have actually owned 3 of them over the past 7 or 8 years and always had a hard time getting $500 out of them (shopped and working 100%). I really don't understand why you see so many of these come up for sale since they only made 390 of them but since I have been in the hobby this is about the 12th one I have heard about (or seen) for sale?

Now that is a "Blue Light Special" as I have never seen blue before. What are some people thinking?

Projects headed ALLENTOWN SHOW in a coulpe days:

After several weeks of trying with little luck because of other things going on in my life I finally have a list of machines headed to the indoor flea market area. Most are projects and are priced accordingly. I am really not interested in selling anything before the show and prefer buyers look at machines before I make a deal with anyone. But if you are seriously interested in any of these machines I will hold machines till 1 PM Friday to give you a chance to see a machine before unloading that specific title from the trailer.

EM's Include:

Bally Circus - nice backglass, some playfield wear, stepper needs coil and needs other work $275
Bally Dixieland (zipper flippers) decent overall & semi working $475
Bally Time Zone - whitewood playfield - needs backglass & work $375
Chicago Coin Beatnicks project $275
Chicago Coin Festival project $375
Gottlieb Dodge City project - decent cosmetically $600
Gottlieb Jacks Open - fair cosmetically (likely around $500)
Gottlieb Jet Spin $350
Gottlieb Mini Cycle (repainted playfield) $275
Williams Swinger $300

SS's Include:

Bally Nitro Groundshaker -- project (likely $800)
Bally Silverball Mania -- project (likely $450 to $500)
Bally Space Invaders -- working with playfield wear - nice backglasses (likely $800)
Gottlieb Force II - likely already sold (bringing it to show to someone, but if they don't take it I will put it out for sale)

Also bringing about 25 to 30 backglasses (some super nice and some wall hangers), used playfield glass ($5 a sheet), assorted wooden legs for woodrails (some sets & some singles), back doors from a few EM's, coin boxes, etc.

This machine has been up for sale for at least 3 to 6 months and has been up for $325 for a good bit of the time listed. I am about a hour away but figure there must be something up with it or it would likely be gone by now?

It happened to me yesterday. Machine listed locally for $200 OBO - my email to seller "if your machine is not already spoken for I will take it and I'll pay at least $250 for it (possibly more)". After she agreed to sell it to me I never got an email with her address. Today same machine is listed for $450. I emailed her back and told her I am no longer interested at any price.

I have mixed feeling about this thread but I to want to say thanks for starting it. I check it all the time and it has been a lot of fun to watch.

What I love about the thread is it lets me know if there is something for sale fairly local I might have missed when looking for machines and I have found a few machines as a result. For that I say a big THANK YOU!

What I don't like about the thread is very often it has let others know about a machine I though I would be able to grab and someone else has gotten to it first or offered more. But at least those machines went to someone on Pinside so that is good I guess.

Anyway - overall it has been fun to watch and I will keep watching it. Happy Holidays to PECOS and everyone else who stops by here often! Keep them coming!

Looks like a great deal for someone in that area. Wish I was closer!

I have to agree! I have been told something was sold and later got an email that it was available again but I don't think I have ever gotten an email when someone said I was number two in line.

THANKS for posting this! I have been talking with the seller and as luck would have it I'll be driving right past his place tomorrow on my way to Norfolk VA to pick up a group of machines I recently made a deal on. So this one would work out great if I can make a deal with the seller. I guess I'll know in a few hours.

I am blown away & super happy - seller agreed to sell it to me and when I I plugged his address into Mapquest he is less than 2 miles out of my way on my trip south. It doesn't get any better than that! Another one from my wish list added to the collection without a lot of driving involved. The Pinball Gods have been very good to me lately! And this one would not have happened without Pinside, Captive_Ball & PEOCS so a big thank you to everyone involved.

Typically I try to look for other machines along the way when I am traveling to pick up machines but I have NEVER had one come together this easy. Life is good!

That's a great price on that machine but I hope it is still there when you want to get it. I can't tell you how many times someone from Craig's List told me they would hold something for me and it was sold before I got it picked up.

The worst one was a guy about two hours south of me told me he would hold 2 machines for me while I drove down for them. I pull into his driveway and see two guys loading the pins into a pick up. I asked the seller what was going on and his reply was "this guy got here first". I wasn't happy and if I carried a gun I likely would have shot the SOB. This was when fuel was close to $4 a gallon so the round trip cost me about $65.

To me Craig's List has gotten so bad I rarely even look anymore!

I feel better knowing you gave the guy a deposit - typically once money changes hands people feel more obligated to do the right thing. Great score!

I am the same way when something is prices too low - I pretty much always try to give sellers more money. Glad to hear I am not the only one that thinks paying a "fair" price for a machine is the right thing to do!

Interesting - these is a post on the first page of Pinside about him buying that machine yesterday for $800 and wondering if he paid too much. Same machine same wrong slingshot plastics!

Still looks like a decent deal and he isn't trying to kill anyone with his price considering eBay will take over $100 from the sale.

As far as I know this machine is now sold but I'll have dozens more for sale over the next few months if anyone near Central PA is looking for project machines. No list or anything yet but in a few weeks I'll be picking up the next load from our "warehouse find" and that deal has over 60 pins in it that have been sitting for 10 or 12 years. Right now I am posting a few machines from our collection and project stash to make some room for all the machines coming in and to get some extra cash for the warehouse deal. Keep watching the Marketplace for lots more project machines shortly. This week we will be posting fully working machines from our collection in the Marketplace - once some of them are sold the next batch of project machines will be headed to the garage.

I tried contacting the Taxi guy with no reply so far but I want to warn anyone interested there was a post on Pinside that the display is missing out of that machine also. So between display (only used in two machines & hard to find used) and the MPU plus other stuff that might be wrong with that machine it might not really be a bargain price? I have never owned a Taxi and would still love to try to purchase it but I am really wondering if the "deal" makes sense at this point.

I know! And I shouldn't even be looking at stuff for sale but I always keep my eyes open for titles we like that we have never owned. Most of you guys know how the pinball illness is - we are all junkies addicted to the silver ball!

$450 is a bit high for a fully working Chicago Coin machine in most peoples eyes!

I have a Hot Tip up in the marketplace for $550 I would take $500 CASH for if anyone near central PA is looking for a players grad Hot Tip machine. Fully working & recently shopped but has an EM backglass in a SS machine. We did not go through the pins & connectors at this price but machines plays great so I wouldn't worry too much about those!

Caveman $750 (working project with good monitor), Hot Tip $550 (fully working & shopped but EM backglass in SS machine), El Dorado (city of gold) $1250 very nice machine with a couple broken plastics. These are the last of 50+ machines I am trying to get sold off quickly. Each is listed in the marketplace right now but I am looking for a quick sale before I head to Florida next weekend so if you are local (or fairly local to central PA) and could pick these up this weekend I would take $2100 for the 3 machines. (That is actually a few dollars less than I have invested in them but I really want to get them sold quickly if possible.)

If I can't get these sold & picked up by next Thursday I need to move them again & I am tired of moving machines!

Late 1960's or early 1970's Williams EM Shuffle Alley for sale $175 (OBO). I just picked this up today from a friend of mine that said it worked but I have not assembled it and tried it yet. Fair Shape overall from what I saw when loading it. Cheap EM Shuffle Alley if anyone is looking for one! Just PM me if you are interested.

I just took a Williams Double Play pitch & bat in on trade today that I would like to sell fairly quickly if anyone is interested. Cosmetically the playfield is very nice but cabinet & backglass are a 6 or 7 at best. Make me a reasonable offer and it will likely be yours! Since it is much longer than an average pinball machine I just don't have a space for it long term.

I worked on it some today but score motor keeps running so something is not resetting properly and I have not figured out the issue yet. I'll be working on it again tomorrow but for now it is being sold as a project machine.

One heck of a deal there! Buying a couple parts from that machine would cost you more then he is asking for the entire machine!

I think the bigger problem is their asking price - according to my rough estimate almost double what would be logical to pay without a lot more information. They say parts missing so you have to assume a lot of boards & other major parts are likely gone. Plus backglasses still in these machines are likely trashed because of storage conditions - containers are not the best way to store backglasses!

I replied within minutes of the machine being listed and offer to give seller well over his listing price. When something is listed too low I always offer a "fair" price for the title. Not trying to get into bidding wars (or playing other games) just trying to be "fair" to sellers who don't realize the value of machine they are selling. Don't worry - I am sure this one will not end up in a landfill!

It is glare for the backglass reflecting on the playfield glass. If you look closely you can see the design of the backglass reflected. Interesting machine but wrong coast for me!

Odds are score reel is missing a clip and just slid back into the backbox but even if a score reel is missing it isn't a huge deal depending on price.

As far as seller saying you are wasting his time - as both a buyer & seller of dozens of machines I know that feeling all to well. Too many questions gets old. If machine is fairly local then just drive over with the cash and look at it in person. If it is too far away to do that explain that to the seller and tell them you want to know as much as possible about the machine before making a long drive to come get it.

Bottom line when buying or selling anything is price has to work for both buyer & seller for a transaction to happen. What most "small scale" buyers don't realize is what a PITA it can be selling machines. I can't tell you how many times I have wasted 1/2 a day waiting for a buyer not to show up, how many hundreds of "specific pictures" I have emailed to people beyond what is in my listing, how many dozens of emails I have answered, etc for nothing.

As a seller I want a quick & easy transaction these days.

As a buyer I make the drive then decide if a machine is worth it to me. Too many times pictures and emails don't disclose the facts. If it isn't worth making the drive to take a look I let the deal go to someone else and just move on.

Buying & Selling 101

Seller doesn't care about buyers issues!

Buyer doesn't care about sellers issues!

Price & condition either work for both of you or deal just doesn't make sense.

Unusual for too may pins to use few words! But sometimes something can be said very quickly.

While I am here DON'T FORGET the WHITE ROSE GAMEROOM SHOW this coming weekend if you live anywhere near central PA and want to have some fun. About 200 machines on freeplay - lots of machines for sale (and typically some great deals) - new and used parts vendors & much much more.
Rich (the promoter) is a great guy and works hard to make this show better every year. This year is especially exciting because it is in a new bigger hall at the fairground and Rich has added an indoor flea market area.

Thanks Rob - I hate it when threads get too far off topic. That is why I put the "plug" in for the York Show in my last post. The deal you just posted would be tempting if I didn't already have "too-many-pins"

Set up Sept 28th and show opens Sept 29 and runs both 9/29 & 9/30. "Be their or be square" - remember that from many years ago? I don't know why but it just jumped into my head when I was typing. Something I have not heard since the 1970's!

The problem with that title is they used shitty decals on it from the factory so they always seem to have issues on the cabinets. I sold a decent one a couple years back (some minor cabinet art issues but fully working & shopped) for like $800. I don't remember the exact number but it was between $750 and $900 and I would have called it an 8 or better overall. Not an easy title to buy or sell!

Sadly things are getting way off topic here. Bottom line is there will always be "flippers" in any hobby and that isn't going to change. Those people that do something just to make a quick buck don't see anything wrong with doing that. In some ways I hate them and in other way I wish I could do what they do. But the one thing for sure is they will always be around in any hobby.

I never worry about what someone paid for something I am buying - I just worry about what it is worth to me. Bottom line is I have no control over others actions - the only thing I can control is my actions.

Like with politics , legalizing weed, abortion, and so many other topics there is really not right or wrong - just different people with different ideas.

Bottom line here is this topic is "PROJECT PINS FOR SALE" not what is "fair or unfair when buying and selling used machines".

So how about we all just agree that this discussion does not belong under this topic and move on?

It is a "Project Pins For Sale" thread not a debate on how much should a seller make on a machine they buy for resale. Flippers who "overcharge" for machines are not here on Pinside reading post complaining about what they do they are out trying to beat the other guy to the next deal.

If we use the logic that sellers shouldn't make a profit then Stern, JJP, and the rest of the people making machines should sell them for what they cost to make and apples should be free because they just grow on trees so farmers shouldn't charge for them!

I am not saying it is right for someone to buy a machine for $300 and turn around and sell it for $1500 without even touching it. What I am saying is that will never change so bitching about it isn't going to help. You want to keep people from doing that DON'T buy what they put up for sale. If they can't sell what they buy they will stop buying at some point. But as long as there is someone willing to pay their inflated prices they will keep doing it.

If that one doesn't have "SCAM" written all over it I have never seen a scam post!

Story & picture don't seem to match up? Picture looks to be a storage unit and yet they say in listing "putting in the basement". I thought about contacting them the other day but it just didn't "feel right" so I decided to pass on it. Might be a heck of a deal for someone but if it was legit how is it still listed 3 days later?

I asked for some extra pictures and from the pictures he sent me it looks more like parts than projects. I am known locally as "the guy who will buy anything" and I think these are likely too far gone to even interest me. It is a hard call from just pictures but between the low demand for woodrails (even working woodrails) and the fact that is looks like the renter walked instead of renting a dumpster for most of the stuff I don't see it being worth the drive for me.

There might be a few machines worth saving but unless someone has a ton of energy, cheap space (like an empty barn), and time --- this doesn't look like a good deal to me at any price. If it wasn't a 10 hour drive each way I might consider driving out and taking a look "just in case" but just too far for me to consider so best of luck to who ever takes the plunge!

If you do end up going over to take a look - check with Rich and see if he is OK with you taking some pictures and posting them here on Pinside. I don't see why he would have an issue with that and it might help him sell the stuff. If you are looking for Bally Woodrails there might be some with all the bodies & heads that are their but if you are looking for machines after the woodrial era I didn't see a one in the 14 pictures he sent me.

I would say 100% for sure there will be nothing solid state and it is highly unlikely there is anything newer than the early 1960's in the lot from the pictures I got from Rich.

Anyway best of luck to whoever follows up on this. I would likely be a buyer for the parts & to salvage what machines could be salvaged if it wasn't a 1000 mile plus round trip for me. But sadly that is just way to far for me to consider with what the pictures looked like to me.

Anyone in Central PA want a decent looking 1986 Bally Special Force project machine? One of the "flippers" I buy from just dropped one off for me this afternoon and I need $400 for it as it sits. From a quick look playfield looks good and cabinet is nice for that era machine. It has a broken playfield glass so that will take time to clean up, the MPU has some battery damage, and the backglass is lifting all over but not flaking so far. (I call the backglass worm trails with the way the paint lifts it reminds me of worms making trails all over the backglass). Typically I just Mylar over backglasses like that to save the art and they hold up OK. But if you want a nice looking backglass it will need to be replaced.

I don't have time to mess with pictures and I will not sell if for a dime less than $400 - that is what I just paid for it. I am out of space and really don't need it but I never say no to this guy when he contacts me because if I say no he will not call me next time he finds something. If I can't get $400 out of it I'll just clean it up and fix it for Allentown in the Spring.

I think the last one I owned I paid $350 for and drove about 4 hours (round trip) to get it. It had issues & playfield wear so I ended up selling it instead of fixing it and I think I sold it for $400 (talking about a $25 loss once I figured in fuel cost to pick it up).

Probably 3 years ago.

If someone offered me that machine today in nice shape fully shopped I think I would pass at $800. After playing one at one of the shows I didn't find it all that much fun and resale is tough on that era Gottlieb machines. In my eyes your money would be better spent on a Williams System 11 machine.

I can understand both sides of the story and I always try my best to help anyone I can but TIME is a huge issue for me. With everything I always seem to have pulling me in a dozen different directions I am always happy just to find enough time to grab something to eat or get a few hours sleep.

With that said - on the average - I have found picking up a machine (even when it is "fairly local") always seems to take me 3 or 4 hours. Normally my van is sitting loaded so first thing I need to do is make some space somewhere for what is in the van. Next unload the van, then I need to dig up a handtruck (I own 4 or 5 of them but they never seem to be handy). Then drive to sellers house talk a little to seller & load and then drive home. Next thing you know 1/2 a day is gone.

If I added driving 30 to 40 minutes to someplace to get a machine shipped - doing necessary paperwork and driving home it appears to me most of my day would be gone. I just don't have that much time to devote to something these days. Normally I don't even consider making a trip to buy just one machine these days because of the cost of time. I have found out I make out better buying machines in groups to save time (travel & loading time is about the same) so if I can bring home 3 or 4 machines I can grab several machines without costing myself extra time.

I don't even ship machines I am selling because of the time it takes so it would be hard for me to help someone get a machine shipped from my area to them. I know some people have "extra" time but sadly that is not the case for me and most people in the hobby I know are in the same boat. I do understand someone getting frustrated when they can't find someone willing to help get a machine shipped to them but that is asking a lot of most people.

Just my 2 cents on things!

"CASH on the Glass" is the only logical way to buy a pinball machine. Getting involved with shipping has never made sense to me. So I am the same way - you want it you come and get it in person. I don't ship pinball machines regardless. I know some people just don't seem to understand this but it is the only "safe way" for everyone. If you want something - find it locally or be willing to drive - it isn't all that hard to figure out.

As crazy as it sounds if that was closer to home I would be all over it. I have two Jungle Lord machines waiting for me to make one decent one out of two. With that machine I could likely make 2 out of 3 but I am not going to drive 2000 miles for a $200 machine.

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!

Very nice to see that at your place in one piece! I hate backglasses in the mail --- typically everything ends up OK but it is such a risk when shipping something nearly impossible to replace. Best of luck to you with your machine! I see Clay (VFW) has one so he might be able to answer questions you have once you get working on it.

And I thought some of my post were long! I will not ask how long this post took you. Keep up the great work & don't worry too much about too-many-pins! 2018 will be my last year of buying & selling unless something really crazy comes up. I promised my wife when I hit 62 I would stop buying machines and this past May I turned 63. The crazy thing is this year I bought more machines than any other year I have been in the hobby. It will be sometime in 2018 before I finish up with the two warehouse deals I got involved with but after that I really need to focus on selling off the excess.

Most of my buying in 2017 was because of the two warehouse deals (or other ghost from the past) but as far as I know most of that is behind me. We have the collection about where we want it and have been out of space for years (renting 4 storage units beyond what fits into the gameroom & garage). Now it is time to finally decide what stays and what goes. Watch for some machines posted here during 2018 as I lighten the load.

And for those of you who are curious most of what I currently own is in the collection or parts machines (for my used parts business). Don't worry - I do not part out anything worth saving! As I go through the rest of the warehouse find stuff I'll post any "parts" machines I think are worth trying to save here or have them at the Allentown Show this Spring.

I agree with Pecos as far as time spent here. Most of the time I feel like it is an extended family - maybe a dysfunctional family at times - but still family

Contacted this guy yesterday with no reply. Like I really need another machine but it is close to home!

As much as I hate auctions (they always waste so much time waiting all day for the few items you are interested in and then someone bids those items to insane prices so you don't end up getting them anyway) I might have to drive over to check this sale out. It is only about an hour from me and I would feel silly not going but I really wish I didn't know about it and then I wouldn't be wasting a day!

Knowing the area my expectations of buying are very low - Lloyd (coinopwarehouse) will have someone their for sure and I know a couple other local guys that will not let anything slip through cheap so before I drive over I already know I don't need to take the truck. But I am curious what parts and stuff are around and maybe one or two of the backglasses might help me save a machine or two. Who knows!

Pretty much as I expected - 150 miles driven, 10 hours wasted, and I came home with two small boxes of parts. I am glad you were happy with the backglasses you grabbed!

They listed 75+ backglasses and that was correct but sadly only about 25% of them were nice. And for what they were I thought prices were pretty crazy. Pinball machines sold close to retail and the shelving unit of parts didn't end up at the auction. One of the girls said "we didn't bring that stuff because we didn't know if it would be worth bringing". So there were a total of 8 small boxes of mixed parts and other than a box with a Gottlieb Chime unit in it that went for $75 the rest of the parts were not worth talking about. I knew better but I needed a day off anyway! The good thing is I had a chance to talk to several pinball friends I only see once or twice a year. That was the highlight of the day for me.

I didn't keep notes on what each machine sold for but I think it was north of $500 on Hokus Pokus (maybe like $530 or $540 plus 13% buyers premium or 10% premium if paying in cash). If my memory is correct the only machine selling under $400 was the single player and that went in the mid $300 range (again if my memory is correct).

I have a used one that is faded but otherwise decent (if my memory is correct) if you happen to be heading to the Allentown pinball show next week or know anyone that is. I don't ship backglasses - it just isn't worth the risk in my eyes but I could bring it along to Allentown.

The price the seller gave me on those was $16,500 for the lot. The pictures he sent me showed slightly better than "average" condition machines. Some playfield wear - cabinet fade - etc. Not a "bargain" in my eyes but who knows as crazy as prices have gotten lately!

I love descriptions like this "At one time all machines ran." At one time a "junk car" ran also! It is like saying "years ago these were new"! Words that take space and really say nothing?

These were from the final Silverman's Collection auction back in September of 2014. The guy also has them listed on Craig's List ( as a lot of 21 machines) but would not get back to me with a price on the lot. I think once he found out I knew about the Silverman's auction he realized he wasn't going to be able to "hook me" on machines he paid a few dollars each for a few years ago. I don't mind guys buying stuff to make a profit but if you list something for sale at least reply to emails when people ask for a bottom line price.

Anyway - if you are interested be sure to do your homework - prices realized can still be seen on Morphy's Auctions web site.

Colson is suppose to come out and "visit" one of these days when he picks up the Dracula I have been holding for him since the Allentown Show. As I tell everyone interested in talking pinball, looking at or buying machines, selling machines, etc "if you are headed past and I am around I am always happy to hang out with other pinball guys that have some time".

I'll be listing a dozen or so "project" machines and finished machines in the marketplace over the next couple weeks (unless they sell first). I might also be interested in selling off a few dozen "parts machines" if anyone is interested in a storage unit (or two) full of parts machines. Most of the "parts machines" are woodrails or EM's too far gone to restore. Tons of great parts but I'll never have time to get everything listed so I might just sell some machines off to save some rent money if anyone is interested. Not much (if any) Gottlieb stuff in the mix as far as parts machines go. Mostly Williams, Exhibit, Genco, United, etc. - bodies without heads, heads without bodies, semi complete machines with no backglasses, etc.

The trick is selling just enough to keep the wife happy until you are totally out of space. Then at that point you have to sell one for every one you buy anyway.

As far as starting with a System 80 machine -- as long as the ground demons don't get you they are really no worse than any other project machine. Just remember if a System 80 does not have "ground mods" and is having issues the FIRST thing you want to do is do the ground mods. If it works OK without them great but if not do the mods first and save yourself some time down the road.

Free BIG STRIKE in Tuscon, AZ posted in FOR SALE here on Pinside about 12 hours ago. Why is that not long gone? Might have been listed here before but I just discovered it about 5 minutes ago when looking at current post on forum.

Join the club! We are all a bunch of sick hoarders but such is life! Better having an extra project or two then having to overpay for one when your supply runs low.

I just gave you an up vote on that one! I was working on trying to get down to 4 units before Winter but with a record amount of rain last month and heat index near 100 degrees the days it wasn't raining I think that project is now pushed back till Fall.

I am getting "better" about my buying habits though - in the past 2 or 3 weeks I have passed up at least a dozen machines I thought were great deals including a couple I would have really liked to add to the collection for a while. Other than my warehouse deals and my trip to Texas this Spring for a van & trailer load of stuff I really have not bought much in the past 18 months and I am trying to keep it that way. I am still looking just not emailing or calling people until I get some stuff gone. But I do have to say it hasn't been easy!

Looking at another road trip for another load of machines. I have to be totally out of my mind!

I have not told my wife yet but if I am not on Pinside for a while it might be because she finally killed me or beat me to near death.

Love no picture of playfield and nice barn storage. Nothing a little Windex will not fix!

I always love the ones the mice are still living in. Nothing like having company on the ride home!

I don't understand the "lack of love" for Magic and the low selling price compared to other Classic Bally & Stern machines? This is a fairly low production machine you don't see come up for sale often yet no one seems to care about it? Or at least the "average selling price" indicates no one cares about it.

He doesn't say anything about the $200 worth of displays that are missing?

I didn't notice that! The next question I would have is what is up with the mouse trap on the playfield? Why would someone leave that when taking pictures?

I was actually wondering the same thing. I don't think so but I'll be moving a ton of stuff around over the next couple weeks so I will keep my eyes open for one.

This is Bill from Jumble Amusements if any of you remember him. I know because a couple of the machines for sale were machines he bought off me years ago. I don't know if Jumble Amusements was the actual name he used before but it was something like that.

I took a Gottlieb Volcano in on trade at the York Pinball Show this weekend and it isn't really a machine I want or need to mess with. I allowed the guy $700 trade value on the machine he wanted so I would like to get around that out of it if anyone is interested before we start working on it.

Kind of a hard one to describe so I'll say the goods are a pretty nice playfield and it did boot and somewhat play but had issues.

The bad is it was stored somewhere damp and cabinet isn't great plus backglasses are just OK at best.

The sad thing is the guy I got it from spent a ton of time hand painting the cabinet and his paint job looks great - what is a shame about that is -- he wasted that time on an otherwise rough cabinet. As far as backglasses got they don't look all that bad but do have some flaking.

No pictures yet since it is still in my trailer but if anyone is interested I should be able to get pictures in a day or two.

Would be a great shop or garage machine but not something to add to your high end collection!

I listed the Volcano here on Pinside yesterday in the Marketplace. There are a couple dozen pictures in that listing if anyone is interested in seeing pictures of the machine. We were playing it some yesterday and issues kept coming & going so I am thinking doing the ground mods might fix most of the issues with it. Right flippers would work sometimes and not others, pop bumpers would work then not work, etc. Overall boards look decent so I don't think this one will take a ton of work but we just don't have time or space for it.

When I first got into the hobby about 10 or 11 years ago both Black Hole and Haunted House were typically selling for between $1000 and $1500. Then 5 or 6 years ago prices on those machines seemed to drop off a good bit for some reason and all of a sudden Black Hole was a $1000 machine at best with Haunted House slightly higher at the time. Now I see both Black Hole and Haunted House bringing in excess of $2000 on a regular bases.

In my eyes - looking at current pinball prices for some of the classic machines - $2000 to $2500 is about spot on where either of these two titles should be if they are working and in good overall condition. I don't see either as a $3000 machine but I also think they are better than a $1500 machine with today's pinball market.

With all of that said I would have a hard time paying in excess of $1500 for either in non working condition regardless of how nice they were cosmetically.

I have the two machines listed in an earlier post here still for sale in Central PA (Carlisle PA to be exact) as well as a couple other project machines we would like to sell before Winter.

Projects I have include:

Laser War $900
Comet $550
Flash $400
and maybe a Jungle Lord

Picking this one up for Colson tomorrow night while I am in Mass. dropping off a couple other machines. Always nice to make a trip both ways loaded (or partly loaded). Three machines & some parts headed 400+ miles north then 1 machine & some parts headed south on Saturday when I return home.

I have a Comet sitting here that has a badly worn playfield (perfect for one of those new hardtops) and is missing the MPU & power supply boards. I need $450 firm for it. I had it listed in the marketplace as sale pending for almost a month them my buyer fell through the day before I was suppose to deliver it to him. He still wants the machine but he is about 700 miles south of me and I already made my only southern delivery run last week. I emailed him to finalize things and he didn't get back to me in time for me to include it in that load of stuff heading South. So it is still sitting here if you are interested.

While I had it listed as sale pending I got several other emails about it but by the time the original deal had fallen apart those other guys had disappeared also.

What kind of money do you need for it? If it is cheaper and head is decent I might be interested. I think I have a headless body if my memory is correct.

Here I go again - spending time and money trying to make junk into a whole machine. But that is what the hobby is all about. Thankfully I am down to my last couple headless bodies and I have a couple super nice playfields I am looking for machines that have trashed playfields in them to drop those playfields into then I'll be done trying to save some of my junk!

Normally I have dozens of "trashed playfields" around if anyone is local or passing by and needs some of those. Most are EM & woodrail stuff with an occasional earlier SS in the mix. Typically I sell them to a guy in Western PA about 40 at a time for $10 each once I have all the parts off them but that only happens about once a year so basically I am always just making piles of playfields as I pull the parts off them waiting until the next time I get together with my regular guy who takes all I send him.

90% (or more) of those playfields are wall art at best - it is rare for me to part out a playfield that can be saved. Normally anything worth saving I just set aside populated and try to find a machine that needs it. Right now I have a very nice Buck Rogers & a pretty nice Gottlieb Pioneer sitting here waiting for someone to need them or a machine that needs them.

I also have a Bally Playboy body with no head and a Close Encounters body with no head if anyone local has heads for those and wants to put a machine together from parts.

I just sold a nice fully working one with full LED's for $850 so I just don't see anywhere near $650 as a good price for a project. It took me almost 3 months to sell a fully working Flash for not much more money.

I don't know about good parts on that one. I have salvaged parts from lots of nasty machines - many looking worse than that - but without it having a playfied glass to protect things I don't know how much you will be able to salvage from this one.

Still worth a drive for someone local but I wouldn't expect to salvage a lot from it.

I know I have never had much luck selling that title at any price. Machine is worth $250 in parts so seller is not asking a crazy price for it or anything. Sadly it just isn't a title that is worth putting time & money into. That is likely why the boards were pulled & used in another machine.

I think the issue with a lot of these less popular machines is the art package. I never could bring myself to keep machines like Raven, Hard Body, Spring Break, World Cup, etc in the collection because the art just didn't do anything for me. I actually really enjoy playing most of them but you have to be looking at the art to play them so I do understand the lack of love.

I sold a really nice one at Allentown a couple years ago for less money. I don't know what it might be worth but according to Boston Pinball two sold for under $400 each in the past. It is a title you don't see come up for sale often and art is pretty interesting but does anyone really care? Playmatic machines are tough to find parts for and I am a parts guy.

I just looked at my records & I sold mine in 2015 for $300. Looking back it surprises me how cheap we were selling just 3 years ago. I am paying more for machines now then I was selling most of them for back then.

Sadly it is only going to get worse. The days of "warehouse deals" and cheap machines for sale on Craig's List & other venues is pretty much long gone. We have only been in the hobby about 10 years and things have gone from picking up 3 or 4 machines some weeks to being lucky to find that many in a year.

One of my "sources" for machines is a local "flipper" that runs ads in our local papers. (He doesn't even own a pinball machine yet he is constantly buying and flipping them). Anyway 5 or 6 years ago I would get so many calls from him I didn't know where to go with the stuff. I didn't want to say no to him for fear he would start contacting someone else. So I started selling off trailer loads of project machines at near my cost just to keep stuff moving. At times I would take a $50 or $100 loss on a machine and other times I might make $100 on one. (One day I actually took time to figure it out and it typically worked out that I would make about $200 on a load of 8 to 12 machines.

Anyway - I got my first call from him in over a year last week. Not for a machine but he wanted to know if I wanted to buy a load of "junk" jukeboxes & some pinball parts he was headed to look at. I love parts so that is fine but no machine? So when I hooked up with him I asked him who he has been selling stuff to lately and he replied "no one but you". Then he proceeded to tell me in the past 18 months he had only bought two machines and sold those to to friends or family members. This is a guy I was buying 35 to 50 machines from every year for about 5 or 6 years. Now he is finding one every 8 or 9 months!

So that gives you some idea how tough it is to buy these days.

In a free market society price is nothing more than a measure of supply & demand. As long as demand keeps going up and supply isn't being increased prices will continue to go up.

Some people argue "with all the new pins coming onto the market prices are sure to drop" but even if they are correct and prices do adjust because of increased supply this will only change the $5000+ market and will likely have very little impact on lower priced SS machines & EM's.

Right now Classic Bally and even some Classic Williams machines are on fire. Some more common Bally titles your couldn't sell for $500 a couple years ago are bringing double to triple that amount in today's market. Machines like Silverball Mania, Six Million Dolly Man, Supersonic, etc have really jumped in price recently.