I'm new to this hobby, so feel free to ignore what's sure to be an uninformed and unpopular opinion :

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That's the problem. $8500 is cheap.

Adjusted for inflation, that's comparable to what they were getting for arcade machines in the 80s. Nowadays, the machines are more complicated, and produced at lower volume. ... but the buyers expect a museum piece instead of a banger to go in a bowling alley.

I'm sure it's been rough transitioning from selling to business people, to selling to individuals.

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Well, pinball as a hobby attracts new enthusiasts by being proudly on display in the neighborhood arcade.

...so ...uh ... the math checks out.

And you could get a cup of coffee for less than a dollar!

That was the early 90s. Twenty-five years ago. A quarter century!

Oh, fair enough.

Sorry. You mentioned Data East and Sega, so I assumed you were talking about the olden days.