Kennewick, WA
I love a good story of when someone gets a great deal/find on a pinball machine(s) and share their story with us. My best story/find happen to me just this last week and I would like to share with you. I have been avidly collecting pinball machines since 2004. I mainly collect SS machines and usually keep the 90's Bally/Williams titles.
Here is my latest pinball quest: In 2010 I sold Joe (not his real name) a Williams Hurricane for $1500. He got the spark on loving/playing pinball after this sale. Shortly soon after this purchase, he located in Oregon and bought a Bally Theatre of Magic for around $4200. Fast forward to about 2015 he called me up and wanted to sell the machines. He no-longer wanted them and was looking to sell. At the time he called I did not have the cash to purchase them and he did want about what he paid for them, I passed on the buy, but still had his number from when I originally sold the Hurricane to him.
The last few months I have been saving some $ up for another title or two and just sold an X-Files. I remembered Joe and I decided to call him up and see if he still had the two machines. To my supersize he still did and wanted to still sell them. He asked me whats there value worth? I told him I was unsure as I would have to research them. He then said, tell you what, I'm' going to make you a deal. Take them both for $3500. I was a bit shocked, but said OK, let me make some arraignments and I will get back to you.
This call happened on Tuesday March 7th 2017 and I was booked out the rest of the week and was unable to pick them up until Saturday the 11th. Shortly after I hung up with Joe, my work that was scheduled for the next day, moved to the following week. You can guess what happened next, I changed from Saturday to Wednesday the 8th. Called Joe up and he was great with that.
I did research prices on both machines and found out their combined value was worth a lot more then the price offered. I talked to the wife later that night about what I was going to do the next day and the price offered. Was this bad karma to take his price offered? He did offer the $3500 price and was wanting to get rid of them, so I was doing him a favor, so I think. Anyhow I was going to make them a new home.
I traveled the next day 1-1/2 hours to his place and picked them up. Attached are some pictures of the process when I was unloading them into the garage. They are both in my game room now and look forward to playing them in the near future with my buds.
(Topic ID: 183571)
