Every project should start with a pickup story, right?
This game started out as another craigslist posting about an hour away from me. Unfortunately it had an E-bay type of price accompanying it. Even so I messaged the seller with my interest in the game but mentioned the fact I could not pay his asking price. I attached a link to the Earthshaker ads sold/archived here on Pinside as a reference to what some games have actually sold for. To my surprise the seller called me back and said he'd be open to offers, he was just going by what he saw on the internet. He invited me out to look the game over in person and go from there.
We set a day/time and I make the hour plus drive out to meet him. As it turns out my contact is actually a friend of the game's owner but is helping him with the sale. He was a very nice senior gentleman that met me outside an upscale community and had me follow him to the owner's home. Our destination was a very fancy house looking over a lake at the end of the road. This is where I always feel a bit odd when it comes to pinball. You are entering a complete stranger's home and looking over their stuff to potentially buy a very expensive toy. Much more "personal" than some of my other hobbies.
The game owner's wife met us at the door (also a spunky senior) and was very welcoming. I was guided down into the basement to the game -- I counted stairs and a number of sharp turns along the way. Earthshaker sat in a luxurious basement near an air hockey table, billiards table, full bar, entertainment area, etc. All the games were being put up for sale because the grandkids did not have much interest in playing them anymore.
I was able to get a few games in and could tell most of the important stuff worked, but the playfield was worn bare in a lot of areas, the ramps had cracks/were out of adjustment, plastics were broken, GI not working, etc. It was at this point that I asked if the keys were available to look inside. The response I received was "There are supposed to be keys?" This resulted in a number of phone calls to the actual owner and a lot of shuffling thru drawers/cupboards/etc. with no keys found.
My mind was calculating the options by this time. This game was located in a very nice house and scuffing walls was not an option. My help consisted of two seniors that were better cheerleaders than assistants when it would come time to move the game. No keys (and no drill in my tool kit) meant I was not able to open the game/look inside -- it also meant I was not able to remove the upper cabinet to try and move the game by myself (the only real safe way). After discussing these thoughts with the seller(s) I made them an offer and let them know I would have to come back with help to pick it up. They agreed, took a deposit, and said they would do what they could to find those missing keys. I made the return journey home pin-less.
Several days later my brother in law and I returned to find the owner had indeed found a set of keys as well as an instruction manual. With the B-I-L's help we were able to fold the top down, remove the legs, and ever so carefully move the game up the stairs/around the turns with no damage done to any walls or floors.
After this experience I always ask about location, keys, available help, etc. before chasing after a game. It helps avoid some unexpected challenges as well as (maybe) makes it look like I have an idea as to what I'm doing!
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