Card Wiz is a pretty good game. Fully restored and playing 100% it should be worth at least $1000.

I'm not an expert on EM pricing, but I can't imagine paying $2k for one. I paid $750 for my Card Whiz a couple years ago, and it was fully working, restored (not CQ, but really nice), minimal playfield wear that had already been touched up and clearcoated, new plastics, new drop targets, clean rubber, etc. In short, mine is really nice. My estimate would be pretty close to John's.

Right around a grand is the right price point...

yes, it's a fun game to play...

however, unless it is basically perfect and truly restored* (in which case it is grossly overpriced), it is ridiculously overpriced...

* the "restore" word gets used too easily, imo... "restoring a machine" is a long road to travel, and the great majority of machines that are said to be "restored", aren't...

-Card Whiz is an absolutely brilliant design. One of my all-time favorites.
-It will look amazing next to Jack's Open.
-It is still a few hundred too much.

I sympathize though man, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. Please make sure it is the best Card Whiz you have ever seen before making the plunge. You can get *almost* perfect ones for half that.

I have a restored Bob Horton Card Whiz that won "Best 1970's EM" at the 2014 Texas Pinball Festival. I would not sell it for less than $1,500.

The amount of effort to get an EM to restored condition makes it difficult for non-EM collectors to recognize the market for higher priced EMs.

If ANYONE has a a near-perfect Card Whiz for $750 (50% of $1,500) in the continental USA, please let me know. I will buy one all day long! Even with shipping charges, it would be a great deal.

Marcus

The money will be long forgotten once you have a few hundred plays on your game.

Excellent addition to your collection!

Congrats!

Marcus

And you shouldn't. True CQ games command true CQ prices. I don't doubt for a second that CQ EMs sell for that much or even way more (one just did, obviously), I just don't value 95% of the Card Whizes (sp?) out there at that price. I'd go 1200-1300 for a super nice one, but if someone really wants it - sure i can see them spending a couple more to get it. Hence why I told him to make sure it's nice enough to be worth it.

Completely true. Card Whiz/Royal Flush is a great game. Ditto on the congrats.

Sure, "near-perfect" is a bit subjective, so I should be careful throwing that around, but I bought an un-restored example in really beautiful condition (non-working) for $600 last December. Fixed it. Shopped it. Played the hell out of it. Sold it for $600. If I see another one come up around here - I'll send a PM your way. They're out there.

The Targets are all there standing to be hit. The bonus is awarded based on what combinations you have made. Once down, the Drops do not come back up. All that remains to do is bang away on the 3000 center target (or complete the 3 Jokers to light special). Niether of which has much "fun factor" for me as a home / free play game.

On Jacks Open, the targets are reset each time you complete the target combination (Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House etc.). And at the final stage, only the Royal Flush Targets are left standing to shoot at (similar to the Horseshoe Target Feature of Fast/Quick Draw).

There is no doubt that when the game was being operated, it was one of the most popular ones ever made by Gottlieb. Lots of them made, lots of $$$ made by operators, lots left on location for many years and still plenty of them left to buy in all sorts of conditions. For, a crowd pleaser of "average skill" players, it is a great game. But probably not for the skilled player once properly restored (becomes too easy to down all the targets each ball).

A person in France did a conversion to the game to add Same Player Shoots again and reseting drop targets for the exact reasons I stated.

$1500-$2000 for a fully restored (extremely clean interior) with Perfect backglass is probably not out of line in these days of gotta-have-it collectors.