Every title is different. It is impossible to predict if an LE will be more valuable or when it would peak. As far as NIB vs. modded, it's all about the individual byer.

The additional factor with Bond is the release of the 60th LE which will disrupt the market like no other.

LE's are investments. Keep them boxed.

I, personally, don't love mods. Everyone's taste is different. I've seen some HIGHLY modded pins that the seller is asking a huge premium for which, in my own view, actually makes me want to pay less as they go beyond "tasteful"

I keep all my LE's in the boxes, wrapped in bubble wrap in crates lined with lead and outsides with golf leaf in an underground bunker 40 stories below in a pool of radioactive waste surrounded by sharks with freaking laser beams.

It really depends.

A NIB Addams family Gold might go for $30,000 today if it were still boxed and sealed.

A really nice (minty) one with mods that someone swore had never been played would go for 20ish I'm guessing.

Something newish? Godzilla? Don't think it would make a difference.

Not everyone has the same taste in mods.

I would worry about battery damage, or any moisture damage rust etc in a 30+ year old game still sealed.
Proper storage helps but still you never know what may have happened over the years even if the box looks fine.
Could be a missing part or some other defect or flaw, warping raised inserts etc. also.

I think I'd buy the open one that looks never played. But that's just me...

This. Imagine buying a used pin...gross. I don't think I could live with that shame haunting me.

I leave my pins in the boxes and cut small holes so I can press the flipper buttons. The holes also allow me to sniff inside the box and smell my investment as it ripens.

If you have to ask, it shows you haven’t done your research

If you’re going to sell it as a NIB machine, then leave it boxed.

If not, then price should reflect it’s no longer new in box. Doesn’t matter what mods you put on it, as already mentioned, some people don’t care for mods. And what you think looks nice/horrible, will be viewed differently by someone else.

haha. Small step from "Showpiece" to "Shitshow."

First off there's zero guarantee that all LE's go up in value (Look at WWE, GNR, TS4, Mando, etc.) Also, as a buyer I'd rather see the games condition check out QC make sure there's no issues; you don't have that luxury if it's NIB.

Show off. I couldn't afford the sharks with freakin laser beams.

Don't mod the machine. LE's are collectable. Mods are shit.

As for boxing/unboxing, it depends. For a collector, you would NEVER want to unbox the game.

For a family, who wants a working game, I'd discuss it with the buyer first. Most Stern pinballs have problems right out of the box. A certain amount of them are completely unplayable, and it's a nasty surprise if the customer is expecting a working machine to deliver a not-yet-tested machine.

For NON-LE machines, I almost insist on delivering new out-of-the-box because of the high numbers of bad software, bad flash cards, bad cpu node boards, bad node board 8's bad, bad, bad. I like to get all that fixed before the customer sees it.

But LE's are a different animal.

They're also just games. You know, for playing?

I was a little worried about your games becoming radioactive, but then I realized the genius of the lead lining. This is someone who knows how to take care of their games.

how do I know you didn't switch the game out for a non working em?

You guys take delivery of your LEs? Pfft.

Cars drop 10k when you drive them off the lot right? So should pins

So I owe someone 3k just for opening my pro?

You are always going to have bears and bulls. The bulls should outweigh and offset the bears if you know what you're doing.

The answer is: it depends. On the pin, the buyer, the year and month, the mods. So really there is not an answer to your question.

Hi, I'm new and looking for some scalping advice. Which would you stupid assholes prefer, nib or if I open it and stick a bunch of expensive children's toys inside? Which would maximize my profit?

Don't buy pinballs for speculation. Speculators add zero value to the hobby and only drive up the costs for people who actually love and enjoy pinball.

Why not both?

MBIB — Modded, back in box

Isn't that basically what the pinball refinery does?

Touché!

Maybe split the difference and mod the box. Art blades on the box, shaker add on for the box, invisiglass window for the box, it could be like a cool fort and still retain the NIB value.

Maybe the box should come boxed in a larger box. That way you could unbox your pin and it will still be boxed, thereby protecting its box virginity. The inner box can be hermetically sealed to ensure it remains filled with genuine Stern factory air.

All “mods” decrease the initial price at which the negotiations start at for me.

I sold my boxed LE pins and bought Taylor Swift tickets.

I have long suspected that LE buyers had no interest in pinball, and this thread confirms it.

Lol that is GENIUS

Fucking for real? How to increase value, buy five and burn the other four. I'm trying to be nice, but shit man.

Ugh.. sad this has become part of the hobby now....

Huh. I never thought LEs were “intended” to increase in value as an investment. Never saw any marketing materials touting these an investment. I always saw it more as a way for pin manufacturers to make more money by offering some extra bling that they could sell at a premium compared to the added manufacturing cost.

Advice here for a flip job?
Good luck with that comrade.

Hey man, if you wanna collect boxes to look at I'll be happy sell you my bond LE box for 10k after I take the machine out of it, and you can enjoy your investment.

Don't be surprised when people who enjoy a hobby that is an activity they share with each other call you out on being a boring guy who just wants to say he has some things, stare at a box, and drive up prices on a hobby they enjoy I'm the name of an "investment." There's nothing wrong with trying to be smart and minimize losses, or angle for a little return in the long run - but if you're willing to stare at a box for a year to "max your investment," you aren't into pinball, you're into money. If you're suprised people call you out on screwing with the hobby they enjoy because you can't find a better place to put your money, you should have seen it coming. Have a tissue.

When I buy pinball machines, it's to play and enjoy them.
When I invest, it's in stocks, bonds, or mutual funds.

We need a good old-fashioned recession to slap this pinball investment nonsense out of people. The last couple years have sure been a shit show.
Unbox the fucking game and play it.

LE's IMO aren't worth it & are kinda overrated. It's basically a Premium with a lame ass certificate.

You guys are on a roll. I cracked up at these!!!

It sounds, though, like your actual question may have been "is an LE worth more with, or without, mods?" That's not an unreasonable question, but the question you asked was "will I get more for this LE of I don't open it, or if I take it out and mod it." You should clearly see the difference if that's the case, and why people would find the later question obnoxious.

The better answer to the first question though, is to improve the question again: how much value do YOU get out of modding your pins? I mod my stuff for me, and look at it as spent money, and always offer to take whatever back to stock if someone prefers when selling/trading later. Enjoy that wall color you like, but plan to paint the house beige when you move down the road.