. . . during this 'bubble' we've been experiencing for the hobby. And that is even on higher-production-numbers pins. (It is much more understandable for the rarer, harder to find titles.) Consider the example of my first pin as an owner, the venerable EM Bally Wizard! I had thought this one, which has been on the market for quite some time
losangeles.craigslist.org link
was quite ridiculous, and would likely stand as a record price. But that was until I saw this one:
orangecounty.craigslist.org link
(I'd probably steer clear of pins from the former seller anyway. When I lived in L.A., they were the biggest route op in the greater metro area. The condition of their pins and the state of maintenance often left a lot to be desired, in the opinion of many players.)
In case either of these ads goes away, the first one was for $3,500., and the CL one was at $5,800. O.K., it's become way too easy to beat up on eBay and CL over many of their asking prices, but I greatly prefer the Wizard! that I bought, courtesy of an eBay listing, out of someone's garage for $800. This suggests that some mix of patience, persistence, and luck can still net you a reasonable purchase. And surface appearance does not always tell the tale either ! The pf on my Wizard! is probably just a 7 or 7.5, and the cab a 6.5 or 7, yet it plays MUCH better than the FAR more handsome specimen I've seen at PHOF.
I've noticed that with many titles the collecting end of this hobby has become rather competitive. You will seldom find yourself alone as a bidder on higher demand titles, unless they are crossing over into ridiculous pricing levels, and often you will have a whole lot of company. But -- outside of direct competition over a certain table -- I think other Pinsiders can be very helpful in finding them and in finding the better deals. I know that has been the case for me already, for which I am most grateful, and I'm trying to return the favor on good leads wherever I can.