Be sure to give that beauty a prominent place in your collection.

The seller has the machine incorrectly identified as ALPHA TARGET. I hear that this seller is seeking to trade for a ZONE TWILIGHT but that he's most excited about news of THRONE OF GAMES.

That is sooooo maddening! It's a terrific game, which the seller underpriced considerably. I plan to keep mine for awhile. As you likely know, Harbor Lites is the transition woodrail in which Gottlieb introduced the bulls-eye target and the metal apron. It's got metal legs, but retains the wooden coin door.

I agree that Chicago Coin enjoyed considerably fewer successful games than did Gottlieb, Williams and Bally, back in the 1970s. However, I've always admired the elegant design of my 1951 CCM THING's coin door, which creates conductivity without the use of wires. As seen in the photo below, 3 metal plates on the interior door depress 3 corresponding prongs, when the door is affixed. On my Gottlieb woodrails, I've accidentally torn off many a wire over the years, when I've knocked into a coin door, dangling by a wired Jones plug.

O-din correctly notes that many THING owners, like me, think that THING is as good as any of the best woodrails of all manufacturers. THING has the benefit of Roy Parker artwork, at his best, of course, combined with a great ruleset. My profile contains a detailed article about THING, for anyone interested in the nuances of this unique game, which is based upon a hit song. Alternatively, there's an enjoyable podcast on the game from November 2015, which is the first post in the thread: "Post Your Favorite Pinball Podcasts (EM & Modern Games)." The popular song punctuates the podcast. Understanding the song's lyrics allows for a full appreciation of the art package and the game's wonderful audio elements.

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Don't beat yourself up too much. We have all passed on games with later regrets and we've all sold/traded games which we've later wished we would have kept. It took me forever to find a Niagara, after just missing out on one. Your good luck ultimately brought to you not one, but two Spot Bowlers!

In addition to Chicago Coin's 1951 THING, Twinky is another CCM game I've always liked. There's one for sale on eBay, at the moment (link below). It's a good player and it sports an undeniably attractive, vintage 1967 Christian Marche art package.

ebay.com link: vintage 1967 Twinky pinball machine Chicago Coin rare arcade NR

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The Race Way, Slugger, Official Baseball, Bank-A-Ball, Buckaroo, King of Diamonds and The Pennant were formerly in my collection. The Race Way is a fantastic original example, in great condition. Beautiful playfield, backglass and cabinet. No disappointments to the lucky buyer of that one! The Official Baseball has meticulously hand-painted playfield mannequins (by a professional artist) with correct uniforms and numbers to mimic the 1960 New York Yankees team, depicted on the backglass. Backglass and cabinet are excellent. Legs are correct. Stunning example of that title. Bank-A-Ball is also a particularly nice example of that title. I reinforced the animation panel to avert damage to the animated pool balls from gravity. The Buckaroo has a fantastic playfield and very nice backglass; but, the cabinet is only about average in condition. Slugger is a super fun game and fairly scarce. Indeed, I replaced that title in my collection with another Slugger last year. King of Diamonds has a repainted cabinet and had mylar between the slingshot when I had the game. Nice playfield and backglass overall. The spidering splatter is thicker than the original, though, which is why I sold the game. The 1933 Bally Pennant is a very nice example of a fun prewar game. The legs are correct and the playfield is excellent. When I owned these games several years ago, all functioned nicely.

If anyone is interested in viewing photos of the games formerly in my collection, and now for sale (link at post 15955 by Pecos above, Atlanta auction posted on Craigslist), feel free to send me a private message. Here's the list of those games:

*1963 Midway Race Way (exceptional all-original example of this title, see above)
*1963 Midway Slugger (fairly scarce, under-the-radar, super fun pitch & bat)
*1960 Williams Official Baseball (professional artist hand-painted, highly detailed playfield mannequins, very nice original example)
*1965 Gottlieb Bank-A-Ball (very nice example)
*1965 Gottlieb Buckaroo (very nice playfield, good original backglass, average cabinet)
*1967 Gottlieb King of Diamonds (repainted cabinet)
*1933 Bally The Pennant (very nice, original example)

I sold these games several years ago to a collector who has a microcar and pinball museum in Atlanta. However, from the limited photos, the condition of the games appear to be quite similar to when they were purchased from me. Here are a few photos of some of the games, when they were in my line-up:

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Yes Dave, plus several others, because he liked the first group he acquired from my collection. The machines and microcars, plus other collectible items in this auction are from a singular collection. The seller has the largest microcar collection in the world.

For this particular seller, convenience is far more important than the revenue generated by the auction. I suspect that Pinside and Mr. Pinball ads for these games would have yielded much higher sales prices.

Final gavel, including the 21% buyer's premium, was:

Official Baseball-----$4,537.50
Race Way------------$4,235
King of Diamonds---$3,327.50
Buckaroo------------$2,420
The Pennant---------$2.420
Bank-A-Ball----------$2,178

The liveauctioneers website auctions fetch prices all over the map, and this auction was no exception. As indicated previously, the Race Way, Official Baseball and Bank-A-Ball were the gems in the lot.

At the liveauctioneers auction on Saturday, the Midway Slugger pitch and bat sold for $1,815. That game was in poor condition when I acquired it. However, I rate it as an overall solid 7, upon completion of the restoration. I don't think that the seller modified that game after buying it from me years ago. Slugger is a fun and unusual game, which features hybrid pinball and pitch & bat action, with slingshots as well as add-a-ball rewards, 2 ramps, 2 gobble holes, and variable value target scoring.

I recall reading that Wayne Neyens identified his favorite designed game as Queen of Hearts. Queen of Hearts is among my favorite woodrails as well. I love the roll-unders.

Needless to say, the success of Queen of Hearts led to Poker-Face's very similar design, save for the latter's extra gobble hole and drain saver. However, there are a few very good games which I don't want in my line-up and Poker-Face is one of them. Poker-Face, like Minstrel Man, may possess a valuable teaching moment about historical oppression and stereotypes. Nevertheless, I can't have fun playing those games, as a player and as a collector, when I'm reminded of that needless oppression in the not-too-distant past. Perhaps I would feel differently if the hobby itself was more racially diverse.

O-din, It is axiomatic that none of us speak for any minority group, even if we happen to be a member of that oppressed group. (I too am a member of a minority group.) That is why I specifically expressed my opinion in the context of MY gameroom. I do not begrudge anyone who is able to enjoy Minstrel Man or Poker-Face in their home line-up. I just don't want either of those titles in my home. Neither your preference nor mine is better or worse. On an unrelated note, Smoke Signal's playfield reminds me of Williams Army Navy (the first score reel game, as I recall).

JRPinball, There are dozens of other Pinside threads addressing the objectification of women in the hobby so there's no point in recreating that wheel here. In my experience, women are beginning to enter the hobby in increasing numbers. Certainly, WOZ helped to some extent in that regard. I do not think that the same can be said for racial diversity, however. Anyone who has attended a pinball expo anywhere in the USA, in the last two decades, will note the homogeneous attendance.

JR, My apologies. I meant to address PINWIZTOM's comment #16031. Regarding your Gottlieb Square Head observation, below is a pertinent link:

http://www.cracked.com/article_16967_8-racist-words-you-use-every-day.html

I think that it’s folly to rank ethnic slurs in terms of an "offensive meter." Consequently, I will merely observe that Americans of Scandinavian and Germanic descent have been generally embraced since their wave of immigration whereas other ethnic groups have not.

TKO, Tiger and Poseidon?

I played TKO at the Silverball Museum in Asbury Park, NJ. I too agree that its gameplay is uninspired. Nevertheless, I would add that title to my collection to play it longterm, if the opportunity arose.

There really aren't too many scarce wedgeheads (Blue Note/Rock Star, Strange World, Hit-the-Deck/Neptune/Poseidon, TKO, Tiger). Have I omitted any?

The good news is that the seller is seeking only "instreaded" potential buyers, a nonexistent constituency.

For this trip, with this seller, plenty of "treaded in" tires is mandated.

1935 Daval Chicago Express is one of many early asymmetrical playfield examples. Many prewar games had asymmetrical playfields. Just sayin'.

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