(Topic ID: 45350)

Taxi : Marilyn vs. Lola

By dmklunk

11 years ago


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  • 54 posts
  • 31 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 9 years ago by wayout440
  • Topic is favorited by 4 Pinsiders

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  • Taxi Williams, 1988

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There are 54 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
#1 11 years ago

Just looking to get some more information on the Williams Taxi machines and Marilyn vs. Lola. (For anyone without background on the subject, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_(pinball)#Marilyn_passenger .) I'm considering a Taxi in good, working shape but unshopped and I'm going to look at it early next week and it is a Marilyn. So, are Marilyns truly worth more? Does anyone REALLY know how many Marilyns vs. Lolas were actually produced? How much would you suggest I pay for this Marilyn in good, working, but unshopped condition?

I'm going to look at it early next week, so I'll post later with how things go

Thanks for the help!

Derek

#2 11 years ago

I wouldn't be surprised if lola was more rare. i've seen more Marilyn

#3 11 years ago

look at the info on the pinball serial number database. Approx the first 1600 number report as Marilyn. Then another possible batch near the end in the exported serial numbers.

#4 11 years ago

Lola is more rare as far as I've seen.

#5 11 years ago

It was my understanding most of the Marilyns (reportedly around 200) were exported to avoid legal ramifications.

#6 11 years ago

I've seen wayyy more Marilyns then Lola's. However, people always seem to be disappointed when they ask me which one I have and I tell them Lola of course. When I was looking for a Taxi I didn't care which version I got....I just wanted a Taxi and now with the new playfields coming out I'm really glad that I got a Lola version.

John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, Mi.
269-979-3836

-1
#7 11 years ago

The "200" marilyn story is totally williams CYA. I doubt they threw out the untold number of playfields undoubtedly allready printed by that point.

#8 11 years ago

According to Mr Pinball:

~6300 Lola's
~1000 Marilyn's

#9 11 years ago
Quoted from Kneissl:

I wouldn't be surprised if lola was more rare. i've seen more Marilyn

That was my thought as well but the rest of the pinball community says otherwise!

#10 11 years ago
Quoted from TheBigShow:

It was my understanding most of the Marilyns (reportedly around 200) were exported to avoid legal ramifications.

I know the issues were due to legal ramifications, but I never heard of them being exported. I guess that's possible too!

#11 11 years ago
Quoted from Dayhuff:

I didn't care which version I got....I just wanted a Taxi and now with the new playfields coming out I'm really glad that I got a Lola version.
John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, Mi.
269-979-3836

I agree! I really didn't care either, but when I found out that the one that I'm looking at is a Marilyn it piqued my curiousity. That is one of the things that I am worried about... If I ever need to replace anything major with the game (playfield, translite) it's going to take some work to find the Marilyn parts.

#12 11 years ago
Quoted from Kneissl:

The "200" marilyn story is totally williams CYA. I doubt they threw out the untold number of playfields undoubtedly allready printed by that point.

Yeah, it's all Williams crap.

They would simply re-screen the playfields before they took them to the dump.

Anytime I look at a show, Taxi is always Marilyn. All the ones I used to route were Marilyn. Any I have repaired over the years except 2, were Marilyn.

#13 11 years ago
Quoted from Kneissl:

The "200" marilyn story is totally williams CYA. I doubt they threw out the untold number of playfields undoubtedly allready printed by that point.

Quoted from vid1900:

Yeah, it's all Williams crap.
They would simply re-screen the playfields before they took them to the dump.
Anytime I look at a show, Taxi is always Marilyn. All the ones I used to route were Marilyn. Any I have repaired over the years except 2, were Marilyn.

You are both right, IMO. Of course Williams said 200, they wanted to minimize the situation as much as possible. That's business! Honestly though, if there were only 200 Marilyns, all the Pinsiders combined would have probably seen every single one by now. They're everywhere!

Derek

#14 11 years ago

I think a Marilyn is worth maybe $200 more.

2 weeks later
#15 10 years ago

I wonder how many Lola's have had gender reassignment?

#16 10 years ago

Mine is even more goofy. Must've ended up mid-production. It has a Marilyn PF and a Lola TL. Talk about taking a walk on the wild side LOL.

#17 10 years ago

Anyone have a Taxi for sale in Michigan?

#18 10 years ago
Quoted from wxforecaster:

Mine is even more goofy. Must've ended up mid-production. It has a Marilyn PF and a Lola TL. Talk about taking a walk on the wild side LOL.

I'm thinking the translite may not be original... A previous owner could have replaced the translite... Still pretty weird though!

#19 10 years ago

i got a Marilyn that looks like it was thrown off a building. It's totally worthless and on a trailer for the dump... so that makes 999 Marilyn :/

(no, no worthy parts left, they were all sold last year)

#20 10 years ago

I don't think they are worth any more than lola.

#21 10 years ago

Marilyn, past 15 years its always her and Lola nowhere to be found. Just my 3 cents~SpOoKy

#22 10 years ago

Lola may be more rare by Marilyn is more sought after BY FAR. Everyone loves Marilyn.

#23 10 years ago
Quoted from shacklersrevenge:

that makes 999 Marilyn

Sorry to hear that but I liked the 999 joke

#24 10 years ago
Quoted from jonogo:

Lola may be more rare by Marilyn is more sought after BY FAR. Everyone loves Marilyn.

EXACTLY. I think I've come to the conclusion that the Lola's are more rare but that the Marilyn is still worth more since, as you said, it's so sought after.

9 months later
#25 10 years ago
Quoted from kbliznick:

look at the info on the pinball serial number database. Approx the first 1600 number report as Marilyn. Then another possible batch near the end in the exported serial numbers.

I agree with this, based on the serial # database http://www.ipsnd.net/view.aspx?id=2505 . Maybe 1600-1700 Marilyns at first, then roughly 6000 Lolas. My theory would be that once they were Lolas, domestic sales fell off, as everyone loves Marilyn here, like someone mentioned. This is evident by a few domestic Lolas in the database, just after the Marilyns drop off. Then the bulk of the Lolas were sold internationally. Mostly to European countries. This explains why it looks like Lolas are rarer in the USA. Because they are. But worldwide there are many more Lolas then Marilyns.

#26 10 years ago

Ironically, just yesterday (2/10/2014) a used Marilyn translite sold on eBay for almost $350. Bidding was very active toward the end of the auction!

ebay.com link: itm

There has been a NOS Lola translite on eBay for quite a while for $130:

ebay.com link: TAXI By WILLIAMS 1988 ORIGINAL NOS PINBALL MACHINE TRANSLITE BACKGLASS ART SHEET

#27 10 years ago
Quoted from scubadiver6:

Ironically, just yesterday (2/10/2014) a used Marilyn translite sold on eBay for almost $350. Bidding was very active toward the end of the auction!
ebay.com link
There has been a NOS Lola translite on eBay for quite a while for $130:
ebay.com link » Taxi By Williams 1988 Original Nos Pinball Machine Translite Backglass Art Sheet

well sure. easy way to add $200 to the sell price of a game by adding a common part. kinda silly.

#28 10 years ago

As anyone who has looked for a Taxi can attest, everyone has the "rare" Marilyn version. It's around 5x more common than Lola in my estimation. Also, changing the translite wouldn't convert the game to a Marilyn.

#29 10 years ago

Yeah I was in for 212 and at the last few seconds lost it and it went crazy high. I'm working on making something for people to add to there Lola translites to make them a Marilyn to match all the CPR playfields.

-Jim

#30 10 years ago

Just don't too TOO good a job. Might depreciate my restored Marilyn

#31 10 years ago
Quoted from cranie:

Just don't too TOO good a job. Might depreciate my restored Marilyn

I'll hide your name in the detail lines of her hair to set it off as not original

#32 10 years ago

Marilyn is the more common one. There is a lot more than 200 and way more than 1000. I've seen 20 taxi's, and we've had 4 of them. All of them were original marilyns except 2. There are a ton of Taxi's out there. By the time the legal ramifications started taking place, most of the games were done already, so the Lola's were the end of the line. Taxi is a 800-1100 game anyway. So if either would increase the value say 10% either way, it would only add on $80-110 anyway. Prices have been the same for either.

#33 10 years ago

As long as I own mine, it will remain a Lola

btw, It has the original spinout, no cracks noted.

#34 10 years ago

Don't matter to me either way, both are fine. All I am saying is WORLDWIDE their are thousands more Lolas then Marilyns. I encourage anyone to analyse the serial # data and see for yourselves. http://www.ipsnd.net/view.aspx?id=2505

#35 10 years ago

Seems like most Marilyn versions are beat up, because they were the first initial runs.. If you can find a nice Marilyn for around $1,500 buy it..

#36 10 years ago

i would rather have the lola actually, has to be at least 5 to 1 and maybe a 10 ratio between the 2---- im not buying the marilyn is so rare line......

#37 10 years ago

Given that CPR's playfield is Marilyn, expect even more of them. I'm converting my Lola to Marilyn. I am hoping that CPR does a real backglass with Marilyn for the game. There's only three components for conversion. The playfield, the chip, and the backglass. Easy to get the chip, I think the playfields are still at some distributors, but there's no translites/backglasses out there really.

#38 10 years ago

I came upon my Marilyn fairly easy, so I don't believe it as rare as the public would like the unwary buyer believe.

I do believe it's slight increase in price is because, like a KISS pinball, the celebrity status represented in the art. In some cases, both of these pins may be bought by fans of the celebrity represented by the art and less concern about it being a pinball machine. It could be a toy or a lunch box and the price might go up just because of the celebrity depicted...but I really hate it when the price is over the top and lines such as "LOOK! RARE MARILYN TAXI!' is used.

#39 10 years ago

This same thing happened to another Williams pin years before. The first ones made were called "Beelzebub" and were a big hit, but the devil got POed and made them change it to "Gorgar". I think we can all agree that Gorgars are more common.

#40 10 years ago

Just an observation, but could it be that when the Marilyn's first came out, they were more privately collected either after a short route life, if at all, and the Lola's were routed more, leading to more parted out Lola games, and now the Marilyn's are rearing their heads because people feel they are "rare"? Don't think I've ever seen a Lola on location, my favorite bar in FL had a new Marilyn back in 1989. It was supplied/serviced to the bar by an amusement/distributing company, and not owned by the bar.

#41 10 years ago
Quoted from wayout440:

I came upon my Marilyn fairly easy

#43 10 years ago

There obviously was a transition too. I had an original that had a Marilyn PF and a Lola translite. Take a walk on the wild side.

#44 10 years ago

At pinball expo we were told by one of the designers , forget who , that more Marilyns were made than Lolas. However the Marilyns will bring a little extra $

#45 10 years ago
Quoted from Astill:

At pinball expo we were told by one of the designers , forget who , NUDGE NUDGE WINK WINK

#46 10 years ago

I'm a little bummed that cpr did Marilyn, I think Lola fits better with the translite art and the crazy bunch of characters.

#47 10 years ago
Quoted from Kneissl:

I'm a little bummed that cpr did Marilyn, I think Lola fits better with the translite art and the crazy bunch of characters.

I disagree, everyone knows who Santa and Marilyn is, who the heck is Lola?

#48 10 years ago
Quoted from wayout440:

who the heck is Lola?

"She walked up to me and she asked me to dance, I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola"

That explains the man arms anyway.

#49 10 years ago

Thinking the ending verse explains it more directly: "But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man---And so is Lola"

#50 10 years ago

Glad to see you guys dug up this old thread.
I sold this Taxi long ago but I would agree with what many have said about Lola being more rare and Marilyn being the more common one.

Quoted from wayout440:

I came upon my Marilyn fairly easy

I'm assuming this was a "no pun intended"? If it was intentional it was very very clever.

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