Excellent point... I completely agree. A pinhead will know this is a BBB. A stupid / uneducated thief would market it as "Big Bang" pinball.

I sent my State Farm Insurance agent an email. Here is his response;

Hi Kerry,

I understand your concerns. My understanding of your homeowners insurance is that we will pay the replacement cost of an item in the event of a covered loss, subject to the named perils
& conditions set forth in the policy.

That means in regards to your collectable pinball machines that we would use a way to determine the value at the time of loss. That would be a negotiation between you & State Farm.

The adjuster would utilize information to arrive at a replacement cost at the time of the loss. You would be able to have input and give facts to the adjuster to arrive at a fair price. This
Would benefit you because you are an expert in pinball machines. The claims adjuster isn’t an expert on pinball machines, their job will be to determine coverage and pay a fair settlement

You wouldn’t get what I call “Blue Sky” pricing, or what 1 in 1,000,000 might pay just because they had to have that machine. You would get the fair market value that MANY
Would agree would be a fair price. I hope that makes sense. In my opinion after 30 plus years of seeing State Farm settle claims, State Farm always treats customers fair and looks
For ways to do the right thing.

I will confirm this info with claims & underwriting next week and get back to you.

Be careful when talking with friends. Insurance policies are legal documents. When I read what you wrote below it tells me that the people talking don’t fully understand.
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“A couple guys mentioned they have "content replacement value". While others have chimed in and said they have full replacement coverage, at no additional cost.”

Because insurance are legal documents and most people don’t deal with the legal system, they see things more black & white, the legal system is more grey, meaning you really don’t know exactly how it will play out until you actually go through it. I know that’s probably not what you want to hear, however it’s the truth.

Trust is a big part of the entire concept of insurance. State Farm is trustworthy. They seem to do what is right.

You are doing the right thing by educating yourself, asking me questions and making sure you are protected.

At this point I feel pretty comfortable with your situation.

As I said, I will verify this info with company experts, claims adjusters & underwriters.

I hope otherwise all is well, have a great week end!

Take Care,

Rich

I don't / didn't want to derail the seriousness of the stolen BBB. However, I had a BBB #111 and sold it for $15,000 about 2 years ago, and know his value is much higher. I am most concerned with the OP's insurance value of $3600. That's BS! That game is worth every penny of high teens, to as much as $20,000.

For those of us who have pinball's... we should understand what our insurance companies cover. Whether you have 1 game at $1,000 or 50 at $150,000, you should not have to back peddle trying to justify what you think you think they are worth.

Personally, I have spoken to my SF agent numerous times on this subject. My collection is of 30+ late model pinballs. I'm not boasting and there are many who have collections much higher. I love the hobby and I love pinball. I just don't want to be shorted in the event of some bastard stealing my game(s) or if they are destroyed in a fire. I think this topic (stealing / loss) is one we all need to look into carefully.

Thanks for all your input / comments.

Back on track... hopefully they find the bastards who stole his game and it gets returned in good condition.

My Insurance Agent's response to my question; "Are my games covered"?

BTW: I too would like to hear an update from the OP on his BBB game. I also think this "insurance" discussion is appropriate to this BBB thread... as the OP indicated he has only been offered $3600 for his BBB by his insurance company.
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Hi Kerry,

All the pinball machines will be covered by your personal property
Portion of your homeowners.

State Farm will be the replacement cost coverage at the time of the loss in the future.

That would be a negotiation between you & the claims adjuster. I feel that you
Would get the fair market value at the time of the loss.

I hope that answers your question.

Congrats on the insurance $$$ without issues. Hopefully your game will show up in the future... I'm sure this thread will ignite when it does.