Something I recently pulled out of storage to hang up.

Original BK2000 T-shirt (Size Large) purchased 1990 through Williams. This was part of the promotional ad campaign you see on playfields at the allen screw lock point to rotate the upper playfield for service.
"Authentic Black Knight T-shirt, $14.95, Call 1-800-347-5300"

A prototype BK2000 backglass sits above it signed by Steve Ritchie.

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Another highly uncommon backglass now.

NOS Bounty Hunter (Gottlieb, 1985) framed backglass.
I have not seen an original backglass other than in a game for over a decade.
Not many left around after over 30 years.
Bad lighting due to sitting in a hallway.
May post some more goodies, another time.

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One of Larry Day's best work, similar in quality to "El Dorado City of Gold", another rare backglass now outside of a game itself.
Somewhere in a box...

Original factory ink screened 1989 BK2K pinball topper that came with machines in box, most of which were stolen, lost, or never installed.
You do not see them extremely often.

This is not the same as the extra plastic found playfield plastic sets.

It includes various "Balls per play" numbers that are interchangeable on the backside of the topper through a cut out window. You can see another machine in the image gallery with 5 balls per play insert installed on the topper.

Installed with a rear bracket mount.
I kept the plastic film on this topper to prevent scratches.

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The ORIGINAL 1997 Empire Interactive Pro Pinball - TimeShock! PC CD Rom game.
Full color oversize box, CD ROM (with Dolby Digital Red Book Audio that includes all the music tracks and can be played in any CD player, Track One is the game, there are 32 tracks of music), Table Manual, Technical Manual, and product registration card.

It may not be a "real" pinball machine right now, but it is damn close especially with the four "time zones" which are distinctly different eras of play with interlaced modes similar to say IJ:TPA but with separated gameplay.

It provides an amazing amount of insight into this game and the manuals are similarly laid out like a real pinball machine operator's technical manual which include the game diagnostic settings and feature adjustments.
This was unheard of for most PC games of the time.
The game was designed using WMS pinball software and CAD design, including coding for software, lighting, DMD animations, and flashers.
Not possible to be built as a real machine when originally conceived.

Quite a rare beast these days to find the first edition with all the original documentation.
Total cost? $5 in a computer gaming store bargain bin back in 1998.
A real "blast from the past".
Designed to run on Windows 95!
The original game is still installed on my computer (and still works 20 years later although many computers have come and gone since then) along with the newly released Barnstorm Games Steam "Ultra" version.

Silver Castle Pinball version is just on the horizon...

Just "Another Cunning Development".

If you have not ever head of this machine, go download the game for free on Amazon Underground and install it on your Android or Ipad.
You will then understand.

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More NOS stuff, except a couple of things on this specific wall. One backglass was saved completely intact before something really stupid occurred (landfill rescue), the other is an alternative translite.

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Need to get this framed.
Factory unused copy LNM backglass that was ready for game install with trim and mounting, but never built.
I pulled it from the storage backglass box on my shelf.
I don't know how many of this Gameplan backglass exist outside of the one in the actual prototype game.
Originals estimates were around 10-15, but I cannot confirm, as information has been lost to time.
Feel free to fill in this gap, if someone actually knows how many extras were made.
It would make an awesome translite reproduction for wall hanging, as the detail on this backglass is stunning.
Red transparent film was used in the digital scoring display areas.

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Complete framed set of Doctor Who Promotional Plastics including the rare DW Bumper Sticker with "Tardis" end pieces and two of the non-holographic backbox plastics that were not used in the production game.
History on the backbox plastics is pretty interesting from Pfutz, as there actually were TWO prototype sample DW machines used for testing, before the final production run commenced for the game.
I know there are few prototype lenticular backbox plastics still out there in the world (similar to the effect used on the WH20 topper) but I have not found one outside of the few remaining examples of the sample game from 1992.
Still searching...

I see what else I can dig out that might interest people.
Lots of history.

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Quite rare for now...
Detail, colors, and screening are superb quality.

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Decorative edging and script is correctly ink screened mirror coated.
I uploaded 86 hi-res photos from the original owner that were used as part of the private sale so PinSide can fully appreciate the prototype in the archive.
It is a work of art, game play is above for the age, see my review.
I will probably never see the game again, "lost age".

This is not meant as a slight, just education.

Red boards does not necessarily indicate it is a prototype. It might not even indicate it was a test sample. You have to look at the boards, EPROMS, playfield and game specific features of individual game titles.

Red boards that were overproduced and unchanged at start of production where used on the assembly line.

DM has three different PFs that where produced.
If I could see the inserts, I could assess were it was *roughly* in the production run, as they came from different sources.

Results look favorable on the DM.
Crosscheck the SN against existing databases based on sequence number.

IPSND is a good start.

That may mean the DM was test sample, not a prototype. Cryo claw could have opto issues or just early ROMs. Do the board serial numbers have an X? If they do not, it most likely is not a proto.

A lost pinball friend hiding in storage decided to come by and have a visit.
"Hi Kids, I'm Punchy the Clown!"
"Get Ready!"
Not many left, serial numbers started at #1101...
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Added over 8 years ago: Based on estimates, roughly half (50 or so machines) of the original 103 produced (confirmed through AGC sources) in 1993 remain in existence in any form of functional capacity, even if in storage. The rest were "junked". This game did not hold up well on routes.

The existing numbers are generate by owner listings, serial numbers, and a probability matrix that generates losses of machine titles based on the years of production, trends, and interest.

Great acquistion, everyone needs something to be proud of in terms of uniqueness in this hobby.

NOS AFM promotional winter jacket.
Highly uncommon now.
Produced in 1995 in limited quantities.
Size large, unused.

"Pinball Rules the Universe"

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No cheese with this jacket unfortunately.

The first sets of the jacket were given to the design team, then WMS employees (including other designers), and the rest were spread out between support staff, distributors, large operators, shows, and demonstrations.

Most of the remaining jackets that float around today were those given to distributors for support.

In this particular case, I have no idea how many were made.
If I had to guess a couple hundred, as they are very well made, embroidered, insulated, and well stitched.
Not a "cheapo" jacket.

I would not expect PPS to be giving out a jacket when AFMr goes into production eventually.

If you are interested, do a quick search around the internet. Steve Ritchie and others in the industry have worn the jacket on several occassions and were captured in photos and during events.

On the AGC note, a former contribution by an owner to pinball history of a NOS Mystery Castle backglass to my collection, which I am now finally getting around to framing.

Scavenger Hunt Inside - Say "No" to Drugs

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The design team initiated, WMS liked the idea for promotion and supported it, although a bit more expensive.
Whoever made them did a good job over most of the cheap T-shirts that normally floated around.
I don't know who first brought up the idea.
Mr. Eddy or another would have to confirm.
Might become a "hot" item again soon, I suppose.
Still have no idea how many made, only WMS personnel could help.
Mine is distro passed along from an old show.

Another item from my artwork archives.

32x24" promotional poster signed on the backside by Python Anghelo in the 1990s.
Cross hybrid artwork for the pinball and video stand up arcade game.

I have no idea how many were originally made, but probably more than the 50 or so Pinball Circus 24x36" posters.

I recently bought another one of these unsigned.
Giving it to a fellow collector friend who owns the the H2H pinball as a gift for backglass assistance regarding another hard to find title.

The vibrancy of the hard print is still superb after over 35+ years.

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1 of the 50, 24x36" posters made, signed by the artist himself.
I just pulled it out of the cardboard mailing tube today for suitable framing after originally receiving it in 1995.
Most were distributed to friends and collectors.

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"Rare does not equal valuable, however it does not necessarily hurt the equity of a game except in conducting parts acquisition."

Nudge-It is worth less than $400, generally around $300.
It has less value and features intrinsically than a standard EM pinball.
Bell Ringer is a better choice from the standpoint of feature design of a SS 'game'.
As a whole "newer" pure redemption titles do extremely poorly as pinball 'style' collectibles for owners not operators.
50s-70s fair much better due to novelty of the electromechanics, especially puppet, band, crane, bulldozer, helicopter, and fortune tellers.
Simpsons Kooky Carnival is a good example, even with all the added features left over from TSPP from the same period.
Many times both these types of games were used for parts, especially the ticket dispensers that can be worth more than the games themselves, including when games are new.

However, significant jumps in value have occurred in both SMBMW and PtC in the past 5 years.
They are true pinball machines, although some may not really respect this aspect, just turn the ticket dispenser off and make them what they were originally designed to do.
Neither are stripped down, and have about as many features as many later 80s games.
Their value has doubled, and if either title is CQ, the value has tripled, especially PtC.
Most people have never properly played either of these last titles SPBMW (~500 units), PtC (~100 units), or those that do focus on modern games, so review evaluations are generally poor.

Both games are wicked fast with a Powerball™.

See my post above.

Information for education.

Re clear coating over existing FACTORY clear coated playfields can be detrimental, and wasteful in money.
If improperly prepped, in the long term there can be separation of the clear coat layers, especially if different formulas were used (solvent versus water based, automotive grade versus rattle can), leading to ghosting, insert microcracks, and chipping.
Even yellowing can result, but this is rare. It only applied if not done properly in a spray booth and drying rooms, and chemicals are improperly mixed for bonding.

There is no absolute guarantee this is a perfect solution to playfield protection, dependent on environment conditions.

This whole concept was a generated by new owner/collector fallacy to achieve the "quest for the ultimate shiny playfield".
This is not considering any type of factory imperfections, which is a completely valid reason to clear coat to correct deficiencies in either priming, ink screening, or coatings (tuffcoat, lacquers, or clears).

This fad started in the early 2000s in response to valid requirements to fix EXISTING games with WORN PFs, and people started taking the concept to the extreme with some HER games.
It caught on and many people personally started doing it on there own improperly.
It was reinforced in the late 2000s by Stern's decision in 2010 to start thickening clear coats for the "shiny factory" at the request of owners. Now, dimples are most noticeable initially due this this clear coat change, materials, application, timing, curing, and some variations on wood hardness.

There is absolutely NO reason to reclear coat a NOS playfield.
Just keep the original highly waxed, clean, and maintain their games, and the game outlive the owner.

Many times people think I had recleared a playfield on many of my games but they were simply clean and waxed.
If an owner is really concerned, install a playfield protector overlay, but recognize this will not stop things such as dimpling.

The example below is Dixieland (Bally, 1968) from my collection with an original Bally "tuffcoated" playfield with used lacquer, not clear, but is nearly 50 years old! It was simply well cared for as a game.

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Read what I said, then provide an opinion.

I stated NOS CLEAR COATED playfields (which did not occur in test nature until 1988), not lacquered or tuff coated for purposes of added coatings starting from the 1940s. Nor did I state, if a playfield had imperfections, or stored improperly that this did not provide value.
Nearly everything was related to older games that used lacquer.

#1 reason games are damaged are lack of proper maintenance and neglect, not the materials or coatings regardless of age.
Stashing NOS playfields in boxes is great if you want to use them as wall hangers.
Too many games have passed through my hands to change my opinions at this point in my life.
Too many technical aspects not understood.

If a person wants to stash 30-50+ year NOS lacquered playfields until they turn to dust, keep them looking like mirrors, try to speculate large monetary gains, or pass them onto new unknowledgable owners without proper instructions on handling, preparation, protection, that is not an issue I can solve.

This turns into the same stupid idiotic debates for the past 25+ years of people such as doubting the viability and usefulness of TTCCG which I have saved hundreds of backglasses (and used only when required), but then someone decides to put one in the back of the trunk of their car in the middle of a Wisconsin winter and blame the coating for the issue of their glass peeling, delaminating or veining because of the temperature variations of glass and ink screening contractions.

Vid is right, on one specific account.
Lack of education on this website is rampant, long standing, with inmates running this asylum.
I have tried to help people on this site, and provided various points of unique prototype and useful history which people fail to appreciate repeatedly.

Good luck.

More items out of my backglass archives.
All these backglasses are NOS from an original factory distributor in the 1980s (Bally) and early 90s (Data East).
Back at that point in time, spares were more easily acquired, as their was little "flipping" going on and no significant internet traffic. Most backglasses were framed after the photos was taken or put back in their storage boxes.

Keep flipping

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Another part from pinball history.

This Bally 4x29" cardboard pinball topper introduced with the game, Paragon (denoted on the backside of the factory flyer), and several other popular titles afterwards of the same era solid state period.

It was provided to operators to promote use of the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) dollar from 1979-1981, but not included with a game sale privately unless a distributor decided to provide one out of interest. These handout toppers were discontinued after failure of the currency in early 1982 (one of the reasons being lack of popularity and ease to be mixed up with quarters), although coin mechs on many games remained intact. The topper itself, being cardboard, often were thrown out in stacks, but still can be found once in awhile in warehouses unused. SBA coin door stickers have been reproduced (Paragon did not use one and many factory games did not have a Bally sticker either), however this topper has never been remade. Some operators cut out the word, "Bally" with an xacto, and simply installed their own version using the word, "New", behind the topper applying the topper to other manufacturers.

Younger enthusiasts might not recognize the coin, and I attached a photo, although the same coinage was attempted for reintroduction again in 1999, and failed a second time. The coin itself has never accrued significant value unlike the Eisenhower dollar with its imbedded silver content, and not considered highly collectible. Many uncirculated coins went to collectors anyway.

This topper was provided as a gift, and scanned to protect the image for archiving.

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Final note: I decided to redo the design as close to factory specifications, but without a perfectly matched Blondie Italic font style, the scaling is difficult. Very close though. Just for fun, no requests please.

Keep flipping,

- TBK

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Another backglass treasure safely secured in the vaults of "The Stronghold".
Prototype "King Pin" backglass by Dave Christensen, artwork creator of games such as Fireball, Nitro Ground Shaker, and Voltan Escapes Cosmic Doom. The backglass is screened on 3/8" tempered glass.

Support The Circus Maximus Group, LLC and their projects!

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Another backglass from "The Stronghold".
Sexy Girl from Arkon/Ranco.
Early SS Bally pinball conversion.

More prototype backglasses not often seen by the public eye.
These are owned by an acquaintance who knows I specialize in backbox artwork.

The first backglass is "Spellbinder" planned sequel to Hyperball, never produced, just playfield and backglass.
The other two are the original Banzai Run backglasses whose primary colors were changed prior to actual production to better match the playfield artwork.
NFS

Pinball history is out there for those that want to learn.

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“Wait a minute...WAIT a minute Doc, uh, are you telling me you built a time machine...out of a DeLorean?”
- Marty McFly

In 2022, let us all go "Back to the Future", and make it a better year for everyone.

One of the few remaining New Old Stock (NOS) pinball backglasses not installed in the game production of the "Back to the Future" pinball machine (Data East, 1990).

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One of last remaining printing proofs of the "magic eye" insert used on the center of the pinball backglass, Mystic (Bally, 1980). Above is the design sketch diagram used for development. The proof is signed by the artist, Kevin O'Connor, and model who provided the "eye", Margaret Hudson of Eight Ball Deluxe fame. James Loflin has another example when additional historical documentation was provided to IPDB regarding creation of the game.

The "magic eye" came in two variants, a flat image which was screened with the backglass and a more expensive recessed, attached 3D lighted version similar to an early hologram for roughly the first 100+ units. There are cabinet differences as well.
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I own a standard production Bally Mystic backglass with a fully silkscreened "Magic Eye" that is not a decal insert from late 1980. They do exist, however I do not know how many were made.

This variant has been documented. There were crossovers between the early production and final standard production on this title, as Bally made changes to this backglass order.