They are in the hands of collectors. Nice examples are getting harder to find.

They are being loved in personal collections.
--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
http://www.Team-EM.com
http://webpages.charter.net/chibler/Pinball/index.htm
http://www.PinWiki.com - The Place to go for Pinball Repair Info

I looked forever for my TZ I just restored. I found it on eBay and local of all places. I over paid by about $500-700 but I didn't have to ship so I figure its a wash. I have been looking for a decent Addams for even longer with no luck.

A lot of them are not in your country.

Yep...I've had my TZ for 20 years and counting....

Just sold my tz after 10 years and my taf after 7 years

I've seen loads of TZ around us for sale. A few of them sat for months before they sold.

There in....the twilight zone....

There are three TAF in iceland, one on Freddi arcade downtown reykjavik

TZ's in general are more abundant than TAF in my experience. Usually there are at least a few TZ for sale on pinside. TAF are much fewer and further between on Pinside.

pinballs.com has Addams family. I think they're looking for $7500. they also have Twilight Zone for about $8400.

Pretty sure none of us consider those prices something real. Great for a retail sucker but that about it.
They buy those games off us at our regular price and retail them. Hope that's not a plug.

Those Ebay prices are for the non hobbiest who buys a pin in a "one off" way without any research or intention of getting into the hobby. I guess that is how most pins are bought. We are in the monority.

My TAFG and TZ are bolted to my floor. To me, two of the best games of all-time.

congrats on the sales...which one will you miss the most?

The retailers games are not in excellent condition in my experience. They flip these games to the un knowing buyer. How many horror stories haver we heard about regarding Ebay sales? Tons.

I think that ebay pinball sales out number Pinside sales by a wide margin. It is the sheer size of Ebay that makes this possible. I can't back this up with facts. Just my opinion. THere are only a three or four hundred Pinsiders and millions of Ebayers

With a flux of newcomers with $$$'s coming into this hobby - it wouldn't surprise me.

Yes. Until you become an experienced pin buyer you will be eaten alive by these retailers. I have made a few calls to retailers in the past and inquired about a few pins. I could tell by the answers to my questions that I was going to get screwed. I never made a purchase. I have bought many games from Pinsiders and never been screwed once.

Yours is worth the price . Imagine the worst pics I sent you selling for 8500. That's ebay and retailers because they can.

Recently sold my TAF to the Asheville Pinball Museum.
It was on CL for a couple weeks. gl in your search

I know where a tz and an Adams is.
In non pinheads homes.
They have the one game. They have had it for years and don't plan to sell.
They don't plan on getting another game. They don't go here. They don't go to shows. They just have 1 game and enjoy it from time to time.
That's how I got my royal rumble. It was an older couple who had it in their home for years.
That's where many hidden games are now.
Want to get on the inside of one of the non pinheads?
Do what I do, talk up pinball all the time. Any time.
Make it a point to find a way to work it into any and every conversation you can have with anyone. Everyone knows someone somewhere that gas a pin.
That's where all the good finds are today.

Excellent point. I was talking about my pinball machine to my dentist the other day and a hygenest from another room walked by and told me she has one pin.....yes TAF. She has had it for 10 years and loves it. You are spot on 'mrgone". I bet a lot of TZs and TAFs are out of circulation as a result of non pinhead owners.

I seem to find lots of both TZ and TAF. Those are both games that see like availability still matches original production. In other words, LOTS around.

Granted I am yet to find a complete beater TZ to give the full restoration treatment to.

Most seem to be in avg or better condition for TZ. TAF are all over the board but prices have still gone up in the past few years.

MANY TAF are still on route and earning money.

2 years ago a guy I work with offered me his TAF for 2100 then swapped to 2500. He had it for over ten years .
Change in price pissed me off so I passed. Plus I can't get into to the game. Of course I used to say that about TZ : o

I'll have to go visit it soon!!! Both my TZ and TAF going nowhere, as long as I'm in the hobby...

Apparently a lot of TAF's ended up in countries like Argentina.

Some of those retailers are amongst us..and you are very correct here.
I recently asked one of those brick and mortar retailers here about a price..never got a response..so, I asked again.. saying, "hey I pm'd you"..finally got a answer.." I know you did..but, so did many"

Never did give me a price..guess that meant he sold it.
well...It must be that makes it ok then..I mean, why waste his time telling me that.

No More Retail. Retail is understandably high anyways..good for the Noobs who want to pay more, have it del /set-up/explained, small warranty, maybe tax too...ok for them.

Yup my pin from a retailer when I started out= disappointment . All pins bought from pinsiders were like Xmas morning : )

Retailers have to jack the prices up to cover overhead. I understand that and have no problem with that at all. I am sure there are good, honest retailers out there as well. Pinside is all that I need. More than enough nice people and nice games reasonably priced in this community

In my experience pinsiders' pins are in better shape than described in the ads. So when you get them you usually are pleasantly surprised.

Better communication too.

I recently just bought my second TAF and this time it is not going anywhere. One of the reasons I made this purchase was because of this exact reason. It's just getting harder to find these games and to get a great collector quality example is even harder.

Agreed. Most of us are passionate about the hobby and like talking to one another. I have learned a lot from fellow pinsiders when buying pins.

There was an Addams Family up here recently, seller was asking $2500 and unfortunately I am not in that price range to buy pins yet. It's on my wish list.

Tim

I'd never pay anywhere near those prices myself and am not a fan of pinballs.com. They basically buy games for as little as they possbly can, do as little to them as they can, and try to sell them for as much as they can. The last time I visited their showroom it was depressing seeing all those great machines rotting away in a showroom instead of being enjoyed in a gameroom or bar. I posted because these machines are definitely out there and available in good shape.

I'm more of an EM guy, but would love to own Addams Family, TZ and Doctor Who someday.

You hit the nail on the head, We definitely take pride in our pins here on Pinside. When I sell a pin it is a reflection of me and the care I have put into the machine. I want the buyer to have the same experience I had with the pin.