(Topic ID: 282684)

Stolen Pin Alert - California - Folsom area

By Eric_S

3 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 36 posts
  • 26 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by davidpizon
  • Topic is favorited by 6 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    IMG_1813 (resized).JPG
    IMG_1812 (resized).JPG
    IMG_1793 (resized).JPG

    #1 3 years ago

    A buddy of mine just had a number of his pinball machines stolen. He is in El Dorado Hills, near Folsom, CA. Stolen were an Addams Family, Flight 2000, Incredible Hulk and the head of a Fireball. I wanted to post here in case they pop up for sale to locals.

    #2 3 years ago

    From his house?

    #3 3 years ago

    Wow. Pretty difficult to steal 3 pinball machines I would think. Takes some time to prep and load them. And it's not easy to hide the rollout to the van or truck from the neighbors either. Did they take anything else or just focused on the pinballs?

    I wonder if his homeowner's insurance covers it?

    #4 3 years ago
    Quoted from Eric_S:

    A buddy of mine just had a number of his pinball machines stolen. He is in El Dorado Hills, near Folsom, CA. Stolen were an Addams Family, Flight 2000, Incredible Hulk and the head of a Fireball. I wanted to post here in case they pop up for sale to locals.

    Wow, sorry to hear.
    Hope he’s covered or they turn up soon.
    Linked this topic to the CA threads.

    #5 3 years ago

    They were being stored in his garage at his apartment. I don't have much more detail at this time. The F2K was one of my old pins that I had sold to him.

    #6 3 years ago

    I live nearby and will keep a look out. Nice of you to post. Any old pictures, serial numbers or defects to help detect the pins?

    #7 3 years ago

    I live very close. The word has been put out to the local community. Everyone is watching for those games to show up on fb market place, cl etc.
    Here’s hoping the owner gets them back soon.

    #8 3 years ago

    I will watch the usual sales ads as well . That really sucks !

    #9 3 years ago

    I work in EDH. I am willing to help however . I will keep my eyes open as well.

    #10 3 years ago

    Is he on here?

    #11 3 years ago
    Quoted from sudsy7:

    Wow. Pretty difficult to steal 3 pinball machines I would think. Takes some time to prep and load them. And it's not easy to hide the rollout to the van or truck from the neighbors either. Did they take anything else or just focused on the pinballs?
    I wonder if his homeowner's insurance covers it?

    I was wondering the same thing.

    #12 3 years ago

    Hopefully we catch this guy! Pinside is much larger now than back in the day!
    Good luck to your buddy. Crazy someone stole them like that. Landlord? Local crackheads?
    Seems ridiculous to steal in the sense that, unless it was someone who is moderately familiar with the hobby, they usually have no friggin’ clue what they’re worth!

    #13 3 years ago

    I'll be vigilant as well.

    #14 3 years ago

    Not accusing anyone ( sometimes sellers can unknowing buy a machine from someone that was stolen) but this came up on FB from a seller who does advertise quite a bit of pins and not too far away from Folsom (2 hour drive maybe), just worth putting an eyeball on to see if it matches missing unit with mods etc..

    https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/849086515852062/?ref=share_attachment

    #15 3 years ago

    I realize this isn't much to go on. It's a long shot but...

    All of the machines have thumb locks.

    “The Addams Family”
    Has clear plastic ramps instead of factory "smoke grey” like the cloud topper. The three magnets under the playfield each have an inline fuse holder added. Shooter rod knob is clear red plastic.

    “The Incredible Hulk”
    Contains a “Ni-Wumpf” CPU board instead of the standard factory board. I added green grounding wire with screw hole terminals across all boards including “chime” board. The "Extra Ball" insert is very saucered.

    “Flight 2000”
    My friend, Eric Strangeway, from whom I bought this machine from told me he wrote his initials and the date when it was serviced on the filter capacitor on the driver board.

    “Fireball” (head stolen)
    This has been repainted in newer brighter colors. The overspray from the original factory paint can still be seen if the head is opened. I still have the matching lower cabinet with a matching repaint job.

    IMG_1793 (resized).JPGIMG_1793 (resized).JPGIMG_1812 (resized).JPGIMG_1812 (resized).JPGIMG_1813 (resized).JPGIMG_1813 (resized).JPG Added over 3 years ago:

    I forgot to mention that the apron on the "Addams Family" had been spray painted black. The artwork on the apron is a decal instead of the factory screen printing.

    #16 3 years ago

    Other garages in the apartment complex were hit. It was a planned operation. I suspect they had a master lock for my apartment complex to disengage my garage door and lift it manually but they fouled up the garage door in the process. Obviously had a moving van or something. Everything in the garage was nicely stored in tubs for them. Pinball machines were packed to move. They even took my moving dolly.

    Before anyone asks - yes I filed a police report immediately and yes I have renters insurance.
    I expect insurance *should* take care of the “fair market value” when I call them. But of the items taken were things with no significant monetary value such as items from my late brother, my late grandfather, and many sentimental artifacts.

    I’m still trying to compile a list.

    #17 3 years ago

    This is terrible. I hope they catch the crooks and you get your stuff back. I live very close to Folsom and will keep an eye out.

    #18 3 years ago

    Ouch, very sorry to hear about this.
    Any ring doorbells in the area catch details of the truck/s ?

    #19 3 years ago
    Quoted from DeathHimself:

    Not accusing anyone ( sometimes sellers can unknowing buy a machine from someone that was stolen) but this came up on FB from a seller who does advertise quite a bit of pins and not too far away from Folsom (2 hour drive maybe), just worth putting an eyeball on to see if it matches missing unit with mods etc..
    https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/849086515852062/?ref=share_attachment

    Not sure if this was taken down or the link just doesn't work?

    #20 3 years ago

    So sorry to hear this happened to you! I hope they turn up!

    #21 3 years ago

    Most apartment complexes have cameras usually on all entrances and exits, hopefully the garage was also covered/recorded, also hoping you can get a look at either the vehicle or license plate.

    #22 3 years ago
    Quoted from davidpizon:

    Before anyone asks - yes I filed a police report immediately and yes I have renters insurance.

    Be sure to let the police know the value of the games. They might not realize their monetary value, which could affect how the case is handled.

    #23 3 years ago

    So sorry to hear this. I'll keep a lookout in the SF bay area. Suggest doing a search
    on craigslist for all of CA and adjacent states. Thanks for providing details as that
    will help identify them.

    #24 3 years ago
    Quoted from PinballPat:

    Not sure if this was taken down or the link just doesn't work?

    I'm glad to know most likely this wasn't the machine that was taken and sad to hear they are all still missing. However this appears to be a nice Addams if anyone local is interested.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/Pinball.for.Sale.Classifieds/permalink/1776354929195728/?sale_post_id=1776354929195728

    #25 3 years ago
    Quoted from DeathHimself:

    Not accusing anyone ( sometimes sellers can unknowing buy a machine from someone that was stolen) but this came up on FB from a seller who does advertise quite a bit of pins and not too far away from Folsom (2 hour drive maybe), just worth putting an eyeball on to see if it matches missing unit with mods etc..
    https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/849086515852062/?ref=share_attachment

    Thanks for the tip. I contacted the seller for additional photos. This is not one of mine.

    #26 3 years ago

    Will Keep my eye out if he sells them on Craigslist, hope u get these back, I hate thieves

    #27 3 years ago

    My condolences to you. Hope your games are retrieved by the authorities and you get them back.

    #28 3 years ago

    Put a wanted list out for those games. Most crooks are stupid and may think they could make a quick sale.

    #29 3 years ago

    Careful with the accusations. Load of games a state away came up as stolen a number of years back. Lots of people owned them or had. They ended up being legit but so many amature sleuths harassed people to no end. Put a number of people off the hobby.

    #30 3 years ago
    Quoted from fiberdude120:

    Put a wanted list out for those games. Most crooks are stupid and may think they could make a quick sale.

    Plenty of my friends have WTB ads and they all know what titles to watch for. Someone had posted a notice stating what was stolen and I asked for it to be taken down. If the thieves think the pins are too hot to sell they’ll destroy them along with my hopes of recovering anything else.

    It’s easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar.

    #31 3 years ago
    Quoted from davidpizon:

    Plenty of my friends have WTB ads and they all know what titles to watch for. Someone had posted a notice stating what was stolen and I asked for it to be taken down. If the thieves think the pins are too hot to sell they’ll destroy them along with my hopes of recovering anything else.
    It’s easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar.

    David dont forget to check local recyling yards, antique stores and the like. There are 2 stores in old sac that have pins fairly regularly you want to give a heads up to. Unlike pawn shops, antique stores dont take information.

    Really hope these turn up. This isnt the first time a local has had pins stolen.

    #32 3 years ago
    Quoted from davidpizon:

    I realize this isn't much to go on. It's a long shot but...
    All of the machines have thumb locks.
    “The Addams Family”
    Has clear plastic ramps instead of factory "smoke grey” like the cloud topper. The three magnets under the playfield each have an inline fuse holder added. Shooter rod knob is clear red plastic.

    “The Incredible Hulk”
    Contains a “Ni-Wumpf” CPU board instead of the standard factory board. I added green grounding wire with screw hole terminals across all boards including “chime” board. The "Extra Ball" insert is very saucered.

    “Flight 2000”
    My friend, Eric Strangeway, from whom I bought this machine from told me he wrote his initials and the date when it was serviced on the filter capacitor on the driver board.
    “Fireball” (head stolen)
    This has been repainted in newer brighter colors. The overspray from the original factory paint can still be seen if the head is opened. I still have the matching lower cabinet with a matching repaint job.
    [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

    Added 2 days ago: I forgot to mention that the apron on the "Addams Family" had been spray painted black. The artwork on the apron is a decal instead of the factory screen printing.

    With this info, Now they have everything they need to change and to sell the machines without issue. This should have been held back until a machine was brought forward to identify.

    2 months later
    #33 3 years ago

    Still searching...

    4 months later
    #34 2 years ago

    Bump - keep an eye out for these pins stolen near Folsom, CA - Addams Family, Flight 2000, the Incredible Hulk and Fireball head.

    Quoted from davidpizon:

    I realize this isn't much to go on. It's a long shot but...
    All of the machines have thumb locks.
    “The Addams Family”
    Has clear plastic ramps instead of factory "smoke grey” like the cloud topper. The three magnets under the playfield each have an inline fuse holder added. Shooter rod knob is clear red plastic.

    “The Incredible Hulk”
    Contains a “Ni-Wumpf” CPU board instead of the standard factory board. I added green grounding wire with screw hole terminals across all boards including “chime” board. The "Extra Ball" insert is very saucered.

    “Flight 2000”
    My friend, Eric Strangeway, from whom I bought this machine from told me he wrote his initials and the date when it was serviced on the filter capacitor on the driver board.
    “Fireball” (head stolen)
    This has been repainted in newer brighter colors. The overspray from the original factory paint can still be seen if the head is opened. I still have the matching lower cabinet with a matching repaint job.
    [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

    Added 7 months ago: I forgot to mention that the apron on the "Addams Family" had been spray painted black. The artwork on the apron is a decal instead of the factory screen printing.

    2 months later
    #35 2 years ago

    Bump -- Still searching

    5 months later
    #36 2 years ago

    I have been getting notifications from folks on Pinside regarding listings that might be my stolen machines. Though mine have not turned up yet, it warms my heart to know that we’re watching each other’s backs.

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stolen-pin-alert-california-folsom-area?hl=nevadanutjob and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.