They also have 2 long-standing shows in PA: Allentown and York. Both are awesome. I think people in the area picked up on the scent

That's just where a good number of games happen to be.

I live in a pinball desert, so I usually have to go to the surrounding areas (including PA) to actually get games.

PA = pinball addicts

Plus in the Philadelphia area we have TNT Amusement and The Pinball Gallery, a little west we had Dan (The Pinball Man) a great restorer/collector whos selling off his machines and moving away... just to name a few.

Something about Pennsylvania. Hopefully, I’ll make it up to the next Pinfest.

People in PA are also a reasonable bunch and don't set prices while on crack.

Drove out to PA to get my MB. Fine group of guys back there.

LOL!

I do love this area. Feel very lucky. Originally from Kansas. Don’t think I would be able to flip my Pins there as quickly as I do here.

PA is a wonderful place to live and New Jersey is fortunate to have such great neighbors with lots of pins to flip!

Speaking of flipping, looking forward to your hopefully inevitable Pirates listing

The crazy thing is I live in Central PA and have for over 30 years and I buy more machines out of state then in PA. When I was buying off craig's list 6 or 7 years ago most of the great deals I got came out of Maryland or the Washington DC area.

I love having two of the best shows on earth within a couple hour drive time but rarely do I pick up machines in PA. I don't remember ever picking up a machine I didn't have to drive at least an hour each way for!

Dan has is referring to is Dan Heatherly for any of you guys that don't already know that. Dan's brother Bill is also a great restorer but he does mostly very early arcade stuff these days. Both of these guys are huge assets to the pinball community that seem to be hidden in the shadows most of the time. Another HUGE asset to the pinball community is Jim from JTamusements (Gott Lieb? over on RGP) - he helps more people in a day than most guys do in a month!

Don’t forget Cointaker and a PinballStar are based in PA!

That Pirates is sticking around for a little bit. DP is on market ready to go.

Pinball was more of a thing back in the day so there are many more pins kicking around. Look at the pinball owners map on pinside and you see the concentration.

You are all very lucky to live in that area!

And we also have the EAGLES but sometimes I wish we didn't. Phila sports teams always seem to choke when it comes to big games! Somehow the Eagles didn't last year but they are back to normal this year!

Living in PA and being into pins for 20 years I agree with Skip. Many of the games I have bought were outside of PA, partially MD. But PA has been a pinball hotspot with the Allentown and York shows. I have bought and sold many games at those shows. Have Lloyd just across the border helps too. Remember the PA Gameroom warehouse? Joe had a pile of games and parts I was lucky enough to root thru.

I wish I knew where all these DC and Maryland deals are - the last one I got was my FIRST ever machine, a good-not-great Addams I scored for $5400 or so. Wish I’d sold it for what it’s worth now..

If only they would teach PA drivers to keep right unless passing. Every PA driver seems to think it's their job to stay in the left lane until they are 50 feet from their exit!

"Deals" are something that happened in the past. This hobby has grown to the point over the past few years that the days of finding a GREAT DEAL are pretty much long gone. From time to time you can get an OK deal if you work your ass off at it but for the most part deals are in the rear view mirror.

That is why I have a hard time understanding all the negativity here on Pinside when someone offers machines for sale at fair prices? No one is buying dozens of machines a year at 50 cents on a dollar except for someone like Lloyd at Coinopwarehouse. But even Lloyd has started paying crazy high prices for pins just to keep his international customers happy. I know guys that have sold Lloyd machines for more then they could have sold them for here or on RGP so Lloyd isn't even buying pins like in the past.

7 or 8 years ago you could still get a deal on a pin from Lloyd from time to time. Now he is paying close to average selling prices for better titles.

Passing on the shoulder also seems to have become a new sport on some of the PA Interstates. But if you don't like PA drivers try spending a few days in Miami, Florida. Last time I was their I told my wife all the New York drivers that didn't know how to drive when they lived in NY retire in Miami and now they can't see or hear so it is really interesting driving their. I made a 75 mile trip past Miami and passed 11 accidents in an hour and a half. And that was the good trip - on the way home I sat in traffic almost 4 hours while they cleaned one up!

Seriously? Have you even driven in your home state of NJ? I get paid to drive and NJ drivers are the worst in the 7 states I drive regularly. And don't get me started to your "circles"...

Well, it's not only pinball...
PA about has it all - from scrapple and dippy eggs, to steel to history, to beer, and about every decent snack and food manufacturer known to man ... LOL.

Sorta like this:

I think NY is worse then NJ but North Jersey might as well be NY. I grew up in Central Jersey and moved to Central PA about 30 years ago. These days I hate to go anywhere East of Harrisburg PA. It seems the further East you go the worse it gets. NY, NJ or Eastern PA are all about the same in my eyes. But at least in PA the rest areas are still open!

I live somewhat near PA, so lots of the traffic here is formed behind those left lane lurkers that live in PA and drive here for work. 99% of the time I see a backup, it's a PA plate I cut off to get even for making me pass them on the right!

NY is worse with the lane thing. I live outside Scranton and it is a desert here but drive an hour or so in various directions and you are a kid in a candy store. PA is a diverse State, part Midwest part NJ/NY, part southern(Mason Dixon line .

Thanks for proving my point. Passing on the right is unsafe, especially if it's 40 ton tractor trailer that may not see you. I watched on I-80 as some idiot did that near Denville got crushed in a buzz bomb VW Jetta to meet his maker.

I think I saw that one. Yeah, that was a winky face after my comment while it may be unsafe to come up the middle Lane to get around people, if they kept to the right, it would be a non issue. If you're in a tractor, you wouldn't be in the left lane to begin with

I just drove to Florida and back. Only way I could keep my speed above 80 was to pass in the right lane. Most of the hundred or so people I had to pass to the right were not from pa. If their gonna start handing out driving lessons it is (imo) they should start in our neighboring states.

Can I call dibs on the Munstersin late February ? The Premium not the pro, load it up with lots of mods like the others please!

So where are these deals in PA?

Wouldn't you like to know .....

improper passing on the right is a PA driving law violation and carries a 3 point penalty on your PA license, it seems kinda vague, but I believe passing a slower moving vehicle on the right falls under that category. I travel I-81 to Wilkes Barre at least 5 times a week and see droves of people do this daily, the aggressive driving is absolutely amazing.

It is also a driving violation to drive in the left lane when not passing. Some states say trucks aren't allowed in the left lane but there they are all the time.
2wrongs do make a right, passing to the right that is.
Stretch between scranton and wb gotta be worst stretch in pa. However despite our roads being in rough shape it's much friendlier to drive than our traffic congested neighbors imo.

You've got a friend in Pennsylvania.

The State Police!

The Autobahn has no speed limit and is the safest road in the world. Why? Because they strictly enforce one rule, and one rule only: left lane is only for passing.

I live in Texas, and people drive slow in the left/passing lane all of the time. It’s not just a Pennsylvania thing. Many times, they are texting or talking on the phone. The rest are just ignorant. It doesn’t matter if they think “I’m doing the speed limit, so if you don’t like it, tough” because signs in many places say “slower traffic keep left.” If you are going the speed limit and have a line of cars stacked up behind you, then you are “slower traffic” and need to get in the right lane.

Seems like this Topic has gotten way off topic.

In all honesty I think the reason you see so many machines in this area is pretty simply. Within about 200 miles I can be in New York City, Phila, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington DC & Allentown, PA. Probably one of the most populated areas in the country from 1940 to around 2000 when pinball was at its peak. So it stands to reason more machines would end up here then anywhere else in the world.

The problem we have here now is there are a ton of pinball collectors & hobbyist in the area fighting over those machines. So you might see a good deal on a machine in a local ad but in 15 minutes a dozen people have already contacted the seller.

Bottom line is PA is a great place to live if you are in the pinball hobby but it still isn't easy scoring a deal here in PA these days!

My answer is because our state was the last to have any gambling regulation. Operators would buy toys ie pins for locations to get a gambling device put in.

I would definitely say Pennsylvania is the pinball mecca of the US. I don't know why but tons of pinheads, bars, distributors, etc. make Pennsylvania the dominant pinball location. If you look at Craigslist and the number of pinball ads it is always a top contender. The other thing I have noticed about people in PA is everyone seems to trade pinball machines like baseball cards, there seems to be no hoarders in PA. I would say Chicago is second followed by NY and other NE regions.

It's not just because of the pinball shows. There is a long record of having great locations. Please keep the maps updated!
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinnsylvania-updates-needed-lancaster-county-pa
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinnsylvania-updates-needed-northeastern-pa
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinnsylvania-updates-needed-pittsburgh-area

Historically, we can go back to major operators like Stan Harris.
.................David Marston

Think I have a pin with a Stan Harris sticker on it!!

The problem with PA is that every Tom, Dick and Harry here is a pinball picker now. When an ad goes up for a reasonable price, you better be in during the first 2-3 minutes.

been covered b/4
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ok-all-you-pennsylvanians#post-2086836

Being in SE. Pa. we have the tri-state area of Pa., NJ. & De. to pick from also.

them Pa guys buy all the good stuff

What makes matters worse is many of our highways (besides the turnpike) are only 2 lanes so you are fucked when the person in the left is driving with their head up their ass. The drivers here suck and if you get too close they will do a brake check instead of driving faster. It's the total opposite when I go to Chicago and I have never seen anyone do a brake check on my visits there.

I swear some of them flag the ads for removal too so you cannot contact the buyer. I seen some ads all of sudden are flagged for removal instead of deleted by seller when they seemed legit and not like a scam.