A documented, clean HUO LOTR goes for about $6,000 and has for some time. You can look at back the archived sales on PS to see that.

Modded LOTRs are all over the place (due to differences to mods, lamps, ColorDMD etc), but usually fall in the median around $5,500.

Unmodded, routed / player LOTRs can be found for $4,500 if you're really patient.

I spent a full year researching and studying LOTR prior to buy one late in 2016. These were my numbers I consistently saw.

Ive passed on 3 this year exactly like you described for 4750, 5k and 5200. I think anything over them numbers is to much. Pinside prices are usually the highest much like ebay. Gl

You can get one in your range if your patient enough and know enough of the right people.
If you don't know the right people - you could easily be waiting for 3 or 4 years at that price point - LOL.

The individual that mentioned passing on 3 games, also posted that he normally makes a couple thousand when selling expensive games. So he knows the right places to get deals evidently - more so than most pinsiders.

5500 HUO stock.

I have made alot of nice connections over the years . I also am very patient and willing to wait for the right deal and not over pay. I also usually make money on pins bc i keep them for years and the price just happens to keep going up on the ones i collect. I also put alot of time in them to make them very nice and play very well, so im not counting my time as money bc i love doing it . Regardless there are plenty of deals around when your not looking lol.

I sold a perfect, stock HUO LOTR with 400 plays for 5800 nine months ago.

All good advice given, but you also have to ask yourself if you are willing to travel or risk having one shipped. Having one local has it's value as well, and how many other HUO LOTRs do you think may exist in your area.

I paid $5800 for a local non-routed (Church rec room setup since new) that was in excellent shape a couple of months ago. Could I have gotten one better/HUO/lower price?? Sure, but having one local that I've looked at and played without having to worry about a long distance purchase had it's value to me, and being in the southeast where the selection is low and demand is high pushed me over the edge to spend a few bucks extra. Seeing that you are in SD you may be in similar shoes. I'd talk him down to under $6K.....

Both great machines, but one is NIB, the other 14 years old. Do you enjoy the NIB experience & just set up and play, or do you enjoy refurbing, fine-tuning, and modding???

LOTR has been a grail pin for me, and my wife is a HUGE Tolkien fan........that answered my dilemma!!

NIB is something every pinball lover should experience....it is a thrill!

MMr vs LOTR: Two different style machines that complement each other nicely.

MMr is very flow based, yet still deep and satisfying. If you get in a rhythm a very satisfying experience, and always makes you want to play another. There is a reason it's picked by many as the top B/W game ever and even as a top pin of all time.

LOTR is a combo of flow and rules, making you think as you play. Definitely more stop and go than MMr, but still a good rhythm pin as well. I also think that LOTR and STTNG are the best rule & licensed theme pins ever, with LOTR deeper in rules and integration, and STTNG better in flow.

You really cannot go wrong with any of these.

Another thought: How long are you planning on keeping the pins?? Are you a play it for 3 months and then trade it person, or are you one who keeps pin for the longer term? Keep AFMr for 3 months and trying to sell a HUO AFMr will cost you a grand when you resell it, as you are competing against NIB machines with warranty. 3 months and trying to sell the LOTR will more than likely get you close to your money back.

I bought a stock HUO LOTR a month ago for $5300.

Seemed reasonable, maybe saved $200.

This makes me sad I missed it. Show me a huo lotr in the southeast for under 6k and I'll jump all over it.

I think 550-5800 is reasonable.

Depending on where you live, your ability to pick up one for a decent price may not be easy and may take a while. I waited for over a year before I found any LOTR for sale in the KC area. Other areas may have it better, but I would agree with the sentiments here that $5000 to $5500 will get you a nice routed game and $5500 to $6000 will get you a HUO game, with mods adding some value depending on what they are.

Sold mine for 7k last year. But mine was the absolute shit. Even the buyer agreed. If you've got a beautiful, tastefully modded machine with something unique...it'll go for good money. Stock? About 5000-5500.

Yours was very sweet and very modded and i think 7k was a,good/fair price for it. I wld of loved to have it bc i wld of did all the sane upgrades .

I paid $7900 early this year for a beautiful HUO machine fully loaded with all the trappings. I probably overpaid a little because it was from a guy I trust and work with a lot and I wasn't really interested in haggling with him over it, but with about 2k worth of mods overall, that lands right in the same $5500-$5800 neck of the woods. If you get better than that, I think you're doing well.

What in the actual f is going on? A LOTR for under 6k is a total steal. I guess everyone paying more is too embarrassed to say so and everyone paying less is probably lying or had a very special deal. If you find a LOTR completely working for under 6k, take it.

I definitely dont think they're all worth $6k.

I bought a routed, filthy LOTR that needed a major shop job and some new parts for $3800. Bought it to route it. It was a lot of work but it cleaned up pretty nice. I was into it maybe $4700 once all was said and done. I routed it for a few months, but the fork switches kept croaking. Plus the ball times were too long. I don't recommend routing this title.

I sold a cosmetically flawless, likely HUO one, bone stock, for $5200. Sold fast. Maybe could have gotten a little more, but I got a good price on it in a package deal and wasn't looking to price gouge.

I sold my personal tricked out to the max HUO one for $6900. It was stunning. Took several years to get bored of it.

This was all within the last 2 years.

I paid $6300 for a modded out like new HUO one just yesterday. The seller was happy, as was I.

Im surprised they dont go for more than low 6's back when stern cared about nice art, good code, lots of toys features and compleate code lol, best game stern has made.

They made a ton of them, and there are usually a lot for sale which keeps the price low. Yes...it's a beautiful machine, but people get tired of it quickly because of the long ball times and is way too serious.

Some people maybe, Ive had one for 8 or 9 years, which is crazy long for me, only game that had that beat is tz, I have mine fairly steep and outlanes wide to make it a bit harder. Serious is a good change of pace, Im enjoying that about aliens as well, but also enjoy fun themes eg gb.

They did make quite a few though, if it were low production it probably would bring in huge prices, but it also probably would have had a ve lol

It's one of the best games ever made. A couple years ago I had the opportunity to sell my nice copy for a nicer copy. It's one of those games that only shines in a home. If it's 6k now, it's worth it. If you can find a nice one cheaper, get it. I think every pinhead should own this title at least once. I compare it to other Stern games, and very few of them reach the level of LOTR.

Sorry Grimdog, was listed on Craigslist for a few weeks at $6,000.00. Turns out it was 5 miles form my house in a MEGA mansion down by the river in Roswell. You can have it next if you PM me, everyone knows I flip em like crazy!!

????

Man I remember those suckers coming off route for $2500 each. I should have bought 5, lol.

pends its EXACT condition. HUO doesnt matter. pends condition. some huo pins get more play than certain location pins. also, is it a first release LOTR? those are the most $$$$. they have different toys, switches, etc. the later releases had bad switch bactches etc.

Finding HOU lotr under $6k.... is a long wait. Finding ANY LOTR for under 5500 is a long ass wait. If people are passing on 4500 lotr, why the hell aren't you flipping them? The normal listed is easily 6200-6500. Past listings on ebay and here are that or more.

Oh yes..i'm kicking myself hard....

Sheesh, 5400 will take my routed lotr.

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Wow you guys like to pay a lot for these LOTR pins. I bought low and just sold my HUO way to low. Don't care in the least.

only hou's were offered when I was looking!

All I know is that if these are going for 7k+ for HUO now (paid 4k for mine when I had it a few years ago. Single owner, no code updates, no coin drops from the un-resettable coin meter, person had box and reciept), Stern's got to be absolutely freakin' stupid if they're not trying to get the license back to re-run it. Not ashamed to say I put probably 200 bucks in protectors and LEDs and other mods, and sold for 5100...

There's no way on earth I'd be spending 5500-7k for a LOTR in *any* condition as many are as out there, UNLESS it was NIB. That's just stupid. It may be one of the best coded games ever, but fact is, if you even make a half-arsed attempt to get to Valinor at any time of owning that game, you're more likely than not going to lock yourself into a very predictable pattern of trying to clear things in very specific ways, and it can get old. This game also has nutso outlanes, so it's either not drainy enough, or anything that goes off a slingshot is gone. Not much middle ground. I will say that IMO the best way to make the game a little better without it just being boring or ridiculously frustrating is actually putting lightning flippers on it.

I think.....

original run = translite and figures on the pf. Darker playfield i think
LE = later run, backglass and no figures unless added by owner. More color/bright pf coloring.

hairdick. FTFY.

I'm going to buy in January or February, and will pay 6-7k depending on condition (though if another NIB comes up for under $8k I'd do that). I've been hoping for a VE announcement as that'd be minty fresh for the same price range, but with all the QA issues at Stern lately I might be better off sticking with an LE or super minty original.

I'd love to find a decent one for 5k.

You're right. What can I say here? That is a huge concern with any game they release until we see otherwise for a few games. =\

Still...if it comes down to spending 6k on a new production game and spending 400 on clearcoat to fix their playfield issues... it's still less than 7k. Stern did a good job with the additional protectors and whatnot on Spiderman. If they were to do the same with a LOTR VE, and fixed a few other minor things like THOSE STUPID STUPID FORK SWITCHES in the Gollum and Shire holes... I think there would be a good amount of buyers.

*Edit* Oh, and you wouldn't be stuck with the retarded low-rez screenprinted art that wears off way too easily around the flipper buttons..

thats the first thing i look at on LOTR. If they have lollipops on them i always think there to cover up wear. Now any game with lollipops that werent stock makes me suspect flipper wear band-aid, thanks LOTR(not really)

Or as a preventive measure. My LOTR had the slightest of flipper wear on the side, and now it will never get worse after the lollipop install.....

There were 2 at Allentown this year for $3900 in May. Obviously not HUO but in still sub 4

There was just a sale of a routed LOTR local for $3000 less than a month ago

Damn Pinside Tax is getting expansive these days

...and that is in a pinball saturated area of the country. Like I said earlier, if you are in a pinball starved area of the country, you may see one every 3 months within a 10 hour one-way drive, and it won't stay up for sale long.....