Not really - the "tax" is for a super nice condition game. That's how most collectibles go...

I dunno how you find anything without a 6+ hour drive anywhere in AL... I check craigslist out that far and there's never anything there. :p

Amen Brother, Amen.........

Well all I can say is that even at 6300 LOTR is well worth it (Assuming it's in great condition). The countless hours I have poured into this pin is crazy. It is still one of the most popular ones I have with friends and family. The rule set is awesome and code top notch. I think it is a pin that everyone should own at least once.... just not mine because I'm never selling

Rob had some FANTASTIC deals. Definitely miss seeing his stuff pop up here. MUCH better for my wallet though

Never say never...

And never marry someone that incessantly mocks the Frodo callout at the start of every game. That's why I sold it.

Location seems to play a huge factor. I'm thinking in West Coast prices which seem to be significantly higher than Midwest. Supply and demand. I could ship, but then I'd have to either roll the dice on a game without looking at it or factor in a few plane tickets.

Interesting topic, there do seem to be a range of prices on LOTR.

Here's an immaculate sounding HUO listed at $5850 that's been up for two weeks:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-superb-stern-lord-of-the-rings

And here's a clean but routed LOTR at $5950:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-lord-of-the-rings-32

Of course this may just reflects a west-coast or more local pinball premium (the routed game's in Oregon).

Here's a machine that's fairly similar to the first one in your post, sold after 4 days for $6500 (color DMD is the biggest difference I saw):
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/archive/44436

I see some shopped ones sold for low $5s after about 3 weeks, probably the best comparison.

So at a guess, $6500-$6800 for a believable HUO, and maybe $5300-$5700 or so for routed out here.

Side note: Please please please do a shooter lane pic in any listings! As a prospective buyer, I'm looking at shooter lane, gimli hole, balrog playfield damage, and ring ramp damage. Closeups of these are super helpful. Anything else I should be looking for?

I live in the wrong neck of the woods....

Can't find games to buy and can't sell games for months. Usually I have to drive my games 2+ hours to sell.

Well ColorDMD is a $400 mod (and one that most people actually value highly) so that explains most of the price difference. So maybe ~$5900 is about right for a near-perfect HUO specimen.

(TBH the higher these sell for the happier I am, as I'd love Stern to have enough incentive to run a Vault version with better quality sound and print resolution).

But they may not know the way.

Where or what happened to Rob and rockland pinball? Sorry off topic but had been thinking same thing.
Update=Just looked him up. Sadly he has deactivated account, voluntarily pinside says.

He got 'Pinsided' and left.

He's still selling games..just not here

*slap*

Alright guys, I'm testing the waters and consensus of this thread by selling my clean, modded, HUO LOTR.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/53336

Take a look at the shooter lane and you'll see it's had an easy life. I opened at $6300 OBO.

Note that I removed the ColorDMD to save the buyer some cash. Was that a mistake?

Its really a function of condition. If you can find a HUO LOTR in great condition its worth $6-6500+ all day long (LOTR LE's are more). The challenge is finding one that hasn't been routed or hasn't been maintained properly. The price goes up from there depending on the upgrades to the machine. I always give a lot of value to the color dmd (makes a big difference), glass, LED's, shaker, Cliffy's and plastic protectors....these upgrades alone can cost you over $1300 + all the time it takes to make the upgrades (which u never get back). There are three core reasons why it makes sense to find one in great shape....condition, condition, condition (look at the shooter lane)....if u find one much cheaper ($4-$5K range) you will find yourself in the $6-$7K+ range very quickly after u upgrade the machine, and address all the things that are probably wrong with it.