I spoke with the seller when the game was still on the market. The NAGS seller initially sold it for $4,000 to a horse enthusiast. The plan was to put the game in a venue involving racehorses or something to that effect. When the buyer's wife learned that the game was entitled "NAGS," she nagged her husband into rescinding the deal. While nobody enjoys a constant reminder of one's unenviable traits, the irony is palpable. At least the seller has a funny story to add to the hobby. Indeed, I'm now inspired to initiate a new thread. I suspect that the game ultimately fetched in the ballpark of $4K.

Ball times can be short on Universe. As long as you install Steve Young's yellow dot coils in the lower flippers, there's plenty of fun to be had here. Can't beat the art package. It's out of this world.

1954 Williams Spitfire woodrail.
ebay.com link: Vintage 1954s Williams Spitfire Woodrail Pinball Machine Game

1954 Williams Skyway in Milano, Italy. I wonder how much NAVL would charge to get this game to me in NJ?
ebay.com link: Williams Skyway woodrail pinball machine 1954 single flipper

NAVL does not handle international shipping, to my knowledge. Shipping from mainland Canada to the mainland USA isn't too costly and certainly not prohibitive for a high-end rare game. However, doing so requires a border agent and other logistical considerations. Typically, it's not a taxable event when the games are returning to their country of origin. Nevertheless, some states have quirky tax laws which do apply to such shipments.

Ship Ahoy buy-it-now $5,000. Yikes! The man is either overboard or else his ship has sailed.

ebay.com link: Ship Ahoy by D Gottlieb Company pin ball machine

That's a terrific list of woodrails (although I think that Mermaid's gameplay is inferior to the others listed and its value is grossly inflated for reasons unrelated to gameplay). I would definitely add among the "best woodrail" group, the following games [in no particular order]:

1) Gottlieb Daisy May (1954)--(unique clamshell flippers, multiple on-playfield specials, double-award game, delightful Parker art); Photo below:
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2) Gottlieb Queen of Hearts (1952)--(Wayne Neyens himself crowned it his best-designed game. I tend to agree. Gobble hole nirvana, for sure); Photo below:
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3) Gottlieb Niagara (1951)--(The 1st trap hole game, wonderful gameplay and art, including an animated backglass light feature found on only a handful of woodrails, i.e. cascading character over the waterfall); Photo below:
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4) Gottlieb Grand Slam (1953)--My favorite kick-out hole game, with a plentiful and varied variety of on-playfield specials; Photo below:
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5) Chicago Coin THING (1951)--I sometimes find myself advocating on behalf of this notoriously under-the-radar game, which is so often eclipsed by the early '50s Gottliebs. I detailed my love for this game in an article on my profile. The sound component on THING, mimicking the song which inspired the game's art, is unprecedented. The game is called simply "THING" (not The Thing, although the game did benefit from the overflow popularity of the horror movie with a nearly identical name);. Photos below:
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Thanks, Rat_Tomago. While NJ has a relatively higher supply of pinball machines in general than many other states, I typically have to have my best acquisitions shipped from long distances. Moreover, some of my games aren't quite as pretty upon arrival. Spot Bowler is a good example (and I still have to repaint the cabinet and conduct more cosmetic repair on the playfield). Here are some "before & after" photos:
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By the way, my wife is from Plano, TX. Your high schools are larger than most universities.

My wife's description of her years in Plano, TX mirrors yours. She was an outcast.

1952 Gottlieb Chinatown:
ebay.com link: 1952 Gottlieb CHINATOWN Woodrail Pinball Machine

1959 Gottlieb Miss Annabelle:
ebay.com link: 1959 Gottlieb MISS ANNABELLE Woodrail Pinball Machine

Nice Williams Palooka.

ebay.com link: 1964 WILLIAMS PALOOKA PINBALL MACHINE ADD A BALL BOXING THEME

Sky Jump buy-it-now is $9,300. Yikes!
ebay.com link: Sky Jump 1974 GOTTLIEB WEDGE HEAD EM Pinball Machine HIGH END RESTORATION

I bought the EM Joker Poker. Actually, the seller had a general idea of the game's value during the auction. The playmeter count is 49,957. The inserts are virtually free of wear and the mechanicals appear clean.
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Thanks. Because the game is not accessible to a tractor-trailer, STI (formerly NAVL) quoted a cost of nearly $700 from Kentucky to NJ. Fortunately, cost-effective options materialized, after some effort. I opted for a $275 U-ship bid, plus extra insurance ($40) & U-ship auction charge ($10). The left side of the game's cabinet looks to be in excellent condition (it was protected---against a wall). The front cabinet has paint wear, but, nothing that cannot be touched up. The right side has a few relatively minor blemishes. I see a missing bumper cap and a broken target in the photos. Legs look good. Coin box is included. Overall, I think that it's a fine restoration candidate.

1938 Bally Bambino.

ebay.com link: Rare circa 1938 Bally Bambino Pinball Machine

Per my post #4251, I bought the Joker Poker EM on eBay in August 2015. The purchase was somewhat risky because most of the photos were small and somewhat blurry. I imagine that all of us have taken a chance on a game, based on less-than-ideal photos. I'm pleased to report that the restoration is now complete. The game's condition has exceeded my expectations. The playfield was unmolested and just required a good cleaning. The original plastics required a couple of repairs; I have a repro set ready if those repairs don't hold up over time. The backglass is nearly blemish-free, although the dark reds are obviously faded. The cabinet sustained some needless scuffs and gouges by the mover, who transported this 4 player beast with the head attached. Nevertheless, I was able to adequately restore the damaged graphic, repair the gouges and blend the touch-ups to match the cabinet's patina. This task was more time-consuming and challenging than any other aspect of the restoration. The mechanicals were clean but in need of attention. Best of all, I discovered the game's original paperwork inside the cabinet. I had never previously played the EM version, until now. It's fun! Photos below (more photos at www.pinballowners.com/znet):
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1974 Gottlieb Big Indian, possible home-use-only.
ebay.com link: GOTTLIEB BIG INDIAN PINBALL MACHINE FULLY SHOPPED GREAT PLAYING GAME HUO

When that Cow Poke was first listed, the auction included a buy-it-now price for $1,399, as I recall. For a potential buyer, who doesn't mind the repainted cabinet and who doesn't have location issues, that buy-it-now price was a bargain.

My thought was that someone would snap it up with the buy-it-now option. Instead, an eBayer placed a bid at the minimum amount (which was $900, I think). Consequently, the BIN option was extinguished. Now, the bidding is at $1,400, with several days remaining in the auction. It is the seller who will benefit now, by likely receiving "fair market eBay value" for the game. This game has to fetch over $2K, even with the repainted cabinet and the minor cabinet blemish.

This is a nice Joker Poker EM example. It seems to have escaped insert wear. The cabinet paint is well-preserved. . .easy touch-up job. This title's backglass is prone to fading reds. This example has strong reds, albeit some flaking is present. If I hadn't purchased the last one on eBay, which was a "project game with good bones," I would be bidding on this auction with enthusiasm.

The lion's share of the 229 Blue Notes and the 268 Rock Stars went initially to Canada.

O'din's Joker Poker EM, as depicted in post #5188 above, was pretty spectacular. My JP EM (shown below) demanded considerable restoration work; however, the end result was acceptable.

My game arrived with a blemish-free backglass. However, the reds had faded dramatically. The last photo shows the original backglass with some of the reds appearing as flesh tones, e.g. hair color of the jester in the foreground should be dark red, not flesh tone. Ultimately, I acquired a replacement original backglass which escaped fading (as shown in the first two photos).

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Dave, I like the subtle playfield art variation (guitarist's silhouette) on your sample Blue Note, although I prefer the added art on the spinner on the production games. My Blue Note (pictured below, last photo) is among those which were made during regular production. John Osborne designed some great games and I consider myself lucky to have some of his designs in my collection. Your sample Blue Note is a rare bird indeed. As I recall, your game had an exceptionally low play meter tally.

Congratulations on acquiring two Asteroid Annie games. I sent you a message on FB a few days ago, in case you're interested in trading one for my Whoa Nellie EM (rare game for rare game).

Regarding your NOS Joker Poker EM backglass, I'm wondering whether that backglass ended up in my game. I acquired my replacement backglass from Adam K. That one had a similar minor imperfection, a faint shallow and thin scratch beginning near the King of Heart's hand which runs laterally across the six of clubs and into the lower white of the nine of clubs. Adam had that scratch professionally touched up. Below are 2 photos of that replacement JP backglass, the first 2 photos.

The 3rd and 4th photos show my old JP backglass, with its faded reds. The faded reds (which turned to flesh tone) are evident, when compared side-by-side with an unfaded backglass. Fortunately, the faded backglass, which looks crisp and bright in spite of the faded colors, went to good use, a collector who needed it for his game.

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Over the years, several friends have inquired about my 1963 Southland Engineering Speedway arcade, which features 2 slot cars on a figure 8 track, in a pinball cabinet. It's a game which is scarcely found in working condition and which rarely appears for sale. Here's the flyer for the game:

I note that one is currently listed for sale on eBay, with the auction ending on March 1st. Here's the listing:

ebay.com link: Speedway Southland Slot Car Racing ARCADE 1 32 Jaguar Corvette slotcar RARE

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A Southland Speedway fetched $10,800 ($9K + 20% buyer's premium) at the 5/2/15 Liveauctioneers.com (Morphy's auction).

As for the game's fun factor, it's fun. You're right about its popularity at parties and also about its integration into a larger gameroom.

Its predecessor, Time Trials, had a somewhat similar design. However, Time Trials lacked an essential control panel, which allowed for adjusting car speeds. Consequently, Southland redesigned the game, called it SPEEDWAY, added a control panel, and gave the game a more attractive backglass and a better ruleset. Here are some photos of the Speedway in my collection. My kids love it. Having grown up during the slot car craze of the seventies, it's a natural game for my line-up.

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Here's a nice condition 2 Player Gottlieb Swing Along in New Jersey, starting bid $300:

ebay.com link: Swing Along 1963 Gottlieb Pinball Machine

Arcade manufacturers commonly “borrowed” successful designs from one another. The American Indy game represents an attempt to recreate Southland Engineering’s Speedway.

Unfortunately for American Indy, the effort was an abysmal failure. Merely racing against the clock cannot duplicate the excitement of racing against another car.

Southland’s Speedway allows the player, in single-player mode, to race against another car. The first to reach 20 laps wins. In the 2-player mode, Speedway is especially fun because 2 players race head-to-head and a slightly imperfect turn of the steering wheel can allow a player to overtake the competing car. Often, the lead changes several times throughout the race, creating much excitement. While lead changes also occur in single-player mode on Speedway, it’s simply more fun when 2 players are lightheartedly taunting
each other and laughing along the way.

Below are videoclips of each game. See if you can remain awake during the American Indy gameplay demonstration.

The Southland Speedway on eBay sold on 3/1/17 for $6,723 with 14 bids. According to a Pinsider who communicated with the seller, the game sat dormant for many years, requiring considerable mechanical attention. The condition of the game's series of potentiometers was of concern on this example. Nevertheless, if the game can be repaired, the sale's price certainly leaves room to invest the necessary funds to do so, particularly since the cosmetics were pretty good overall.

Incidentally, Southland Engineering was owned by Harry Williams and later purchased by Sam Stern, Gary 's father.

Someone in Illinois is selling a 1964 Bally Happy Tour----$595 or best offer.

ebay.com link: BALLY HAPPY TOUR VINTAGE COLLECTOR CLASSIC ARCADE PINBALL MACHINE 1964

Gottlieb Hearts & Spades and Midway Little League pitch and bat in Wisconsin. Starting bid is $275 each, although the listing is confusing.
ebay.com link: vintage bacollectible pinball machine

1974 Kasco Untouchable on ebay! I just finished restoring mine. For anyone considering the purchase of this cool game, it's expensive but exceedingly rare.

ebay.com link: Rare 1974 Kasco Untouchable Coin Op Gangster Shooting Arcade Scarface Capone Mob

It's my understanding that the game is currently overseas and that the seller is a broker in California.

1953 Williams Lazy-Q. The top half mimics the classic 1952 Gottlieb Queen of Hearts.
ebay.com link: Lazy Q Pinball Machine

That's too bad because the art package is first-rate.

Agreed; best deal I've seen on eBay in years. The running man unit alone is worth the selling price. I had an Upper Deck (made in 1973) in my line-up 20 years ago, first pitch-and-bat in my collection. I prefer it to the arguably more popular Line Drive from the previous year.

Decent examples of Upper Deck regularly fetch no less than $800 and occasionally closer to $1,600+. The reds are typically faded in the backglass on this title and the cabinets tend to show wear as well. For some reason, many show up with the head's perimeter painted black (modifying the original). . .not sure why.

Seldom seen Gottlieb woodrail (1950 Rockettes) in Indiana with $999 buy-it-now or best offer.

ebay.com link: Vintage 1950 Gottlieb Rockettes Pinball Machine Project Restoration

Here's a Williams EM title that doesn't appear for sale too often:

ebay.com link: Beat Time pinball machine for sale

A game's value is primarily dictated by the title and secondarily by the cosmetic condition, not by the functional condition. For example, a complete, but nonworking, 1954 Gottlieb Daisy May, in average cosmetic condition, will fetch $4K+. A Gottlieb Mermaid and Space Walk will fetch 3 times that amount (collectors will not care whether it's working). Likewise, the top wedgehead titles typically sell for a grand in partially functional or unshopped condition; the rare late production Gottlieb EMs fetch considerably more.

Sadly, the days of $125 games in good shape are largely long gone.

A complete Beat Time, nonfunctional, with good cosmetics, is worth the auction's starting $500 price, in my opinion. The backglass alone is with a couple of hundred.

Actually, pinball prices have not mirrored the general economy. Indeed, a significant number of titles went up dramatically during the downturn. I submit that predicting price trends is not nearly as simple as the availability of recreational spending among all economic groups.

I do not think that an "inevitability factor" is a valid barometer of pinball prices. Instead, I am convinced that a variety of factors have historically affected prices in the hobby. Just because the 2006 Illinois Pinball remake of Big Bang Bar originally sold for $4,500 and now hovers in the $15K to $20K range does not mean that "in time" that title will return to its original $4,500 price tag. If you're waiting for that price adjustment, based upon a "what goes up, must come down valuation theory," I hope that you're a young enthusiast because you're likely to wait a lifetime.

The "what goes up, must come down" economic theory is equally contradicted among prewar games, which have existed decades longer in the marketplace. For example, a 1935 Rockola's Army Navy won't be available for a few hundred dollars anytime soon, as it was 30 years ago. If you could find an Army Navy today, you would have to offer to trade your BBB because that's the going rate, and that game continues to appreciate in value.

When I first entered the hobby, people would give you $25 to remove a pinball machine from their suburban basement! There are threads on pinside dedicated to price trends, so I'll refrain from commenting any further here on that topic.

As for your characterization as Beat Time as a "turd," I would be glad to have a polished one in my line-up. Many Williams EM games are underrated, in my view. In fact, it's the Williams EMs which have arguably appreciated in value more than any other pinball category in the last five years. Irrespective of pricing prognostications, we do agree, that pinball machines are meant to be played.

Irrespective of the eBay bid, the seller can still sell you the game and simply cancel the auction. The seller can mark the item as no longer available. Any bidders will be automatically notified of the auction's premature termination.

Alternatively, you can bid. If you win the auction, the seller is likely to permit you to personally pick up the game. The shipping charge is almost never automatic. Cash at pick up is better security for the seller because it eliminates Paypal recourse on the part of the buyer. Moreover, the seller saves Ebay and Paypal fees.

This is a Big Daddy auction. The seller originally described the machine as having been made in the forties or fifties and later added a correction indicating 1963 as the date of manufacture. Apart from the evident failure of the seller to conduct even a mere internet search of the game, prior to posting, the seller didn't even bother to place the game's title in the eBay auction title. I think that outside of the hobby, people view all pinball machines as essentially fungible goods.

Can you imagine listing a car for sale on eBay by simply describing it as "motor vehicle" or "blue car" or some other generic description? Sheesh!

Bally Surfers in Florida for $2,222.

ebay.com link: 1967 Bally Surfers Pinball Machine Beach Water Sports Theme You ship 499 NAVL

The LEDs are sacrilegious on Surfers. They adulterate the perfectly balanced color palette of the first rate art package.

Depends. . .no pun intended.

Indeed, a Strange World sold a month ago to an Australian collector for $4K (or $4,500) USD.

The Strange World listed on eBay looks like a very nice example of an early production sample.

Pricing aside, it's a phenomenal game. .
endlessly challenging and a magnificent art package. . .John Osborne's best design, in my opinion.

The seller is asking $15K. This Gemini has only 8,000 plays on the meter. It was part of the Stan Harris estate.

Stan was a major operator in the northeast USA, particularly in the Philadelphia area. My family had several routed Harris games back in the sixties and seventies. My late father knew Stan.

I always wondered what became of the Harris collection.

That Spot-a-Card example is in overall good shape. I value it in the $750+ range. With the cost of a repro backglass, it would still be a decent value.

It has the much preferred traditional playfield, as opposed to the painted particle board style.

I previously owned this title for many years. I sold it to a local friend so that I could continue to enjoy it. While the Parker backglass art is anemic, the gameplay is excellent on this title.

Nice $650 Bally Hokus Pokus in Ohio.

ebay.com link: 0

Looks good.
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