Quoted from Dayhuff:

Still have my first pin which is a Harlem Globetrotters that I bought on August 10th, 1996 at a garage sale for $200. The lady wouldn't take any less for it because she claimed it was going to be a "collectors item"....LOL.....I just laughed and handed her the $200 and thought to myself, "who in the world collects pinball machines?"....
John

Quoted from noitbe1:

TOTAN was my first pin. Sold it without regrets and bought an AFM. After a while I regret it though and thought that it deserve a better software so I’ve bought a second TOTAN only for that. Working on it.

Quoted from Quadrat:

Star Wars DE got it around 25 years ago. Still have it at Mom & Dad gameroom.

Quoted from fabsj82:

Speak Easy. Recently started regretting getting rid of it. May be buying back from guy I sold it to.
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Quoted from Puffdanny:

I bought my first pin in 1986 when I was 12. I had saved up some money doing my paper route,cutting lawns,sitting for the neighbor kid....and every week i would look through the Trading Times for something cool to buy and one week I came across 2 pinball machines for sale in my city for $250 each.i called him up and we talked a little and then i went and told my dad what I had found.well my dad called the guy and we were on our way.when we get there i had the choice between Captain Fantastic or Playboy and I chose Captain Fantastic. It now resides in my own home between Flip Flop and Pharaoh and still gets it's fair share of play time. I have memories of playing against my dad and him yelling at me to not cheat because I was a nudger even at 12.what I wouldn't give for my dad to see my collection now.

Quoted from SDpinballer:

All that space next to her looks like an itch that just can’t be scratched...

Quoted from Jarbyjibbo:

NIB LOTR in '03 and yes I sure do. As a surprise Christmas present from my wife, it along with my SWLE for my 40th birthday present are never allowed to leave (wife's rules). If CCR ever gets released then that will probably be on the list as well since it's her favorite and I sold her previous favorite out from under her (Williams IJ) so I kind of owe her one.

Quoted from Cloud7:

First game was TSPP. Still have it, last to leave.

Quoted from Cloud7:

First game was TSPP. Still have it, last to leave.

Quoted from dmesserly:

Shadow was my first in 2003. When I got to four pins, I sold it to fund the next. I’ve been a pinball churner ever since and have had around 70 different titles, many multiple times. (The benefit of a walkout basement)
I’ve slowed down the last couple years and have a pretty firm group of pins. Shadow’s back for the third time to stay.

Quoted from Buckaroo:

My first game was Buckaroo and I purchased it in 1970 for $50 from my uncles friend Jukebox Joe. Jukebox Joe showed up one Saturday and had two pinball machines in his van. He told me to take my pick $50 each. One of them was a two player (I do not remember the name) and the other the one player Buckaroo. I kind of liked the two player model so friends could play together and I could not afford both. This was my hard earned paper route money so I asked Joe which one he would take and he pointed to the Buckaroo. The rest is history and after 50+ years I still have my first pinball and it still works. Since that summer day when I took ownership of my first pinball machine who knew it would lead to a life time hobby. I have gone through hundreds of pins but still have my first.

Quoted from ita47:

My first was actually two No Good Gofers that I bought for $1950 each. They were both routed but in pretty decent shape. I restored them and sold them for enough to buy a NIB Metallica Pro and a Nearly new Star Trek Pro with about 100 plays on it. I still have both of those in my collection.

Quoted from Jmckune:

Here’s my first one. Had to have it. Took it from dirty messy and having problems to a pretty damn good player. When I got it almost all of the GI didn’t work. Switch errors and the shooter rod was completely missing. Fixed all of that and it looks pretty good now. Doesn’t fix the playfield that didn’t have Mylar on it but it’s as good as it’s gonna get without a swap. I took it to Louisville Arcade Expo and everyone seemed to enjoy it a lot and had a lot of people asking to buy it so I guess I did something right. Now it’s sitting in my first home with some company. It’s special to me and would take some crazy offer that’s not likely to get it from me so I expect it to be with me forever or at least a very long time.
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Quoted from tbutler6:

DEJP-no intention to sell
Paid $2800 in 2015 no mods, just a nice example
Did NVAM, LED’s, Color DMD, mirrors, pinsound, flippers rebuilt, good cab and playfield, extra motors and parts because i was a noob....
I’m in it now for around 5 lol. Its not going anywhere.

Quoted from PNBLWZD:

A few categories of first pins for me:
First pin my dad bought for the family fun room: BK around 1984, long gone but I’ve had 2 others since and still have one
First pin purchased on my own in my first apt: BK2 around 1994, also gone but have owned 2 since and still have one
First DMD pin: STNG in 1997, still have it

Quoted from Pinbub:

Meteor, and no I don't. I was given my meteor for Christmas in 1982. I was 13 years old. It was SUPER clean. Where ever it was routed, it wasn't for long. We lived in Hawaii and I brought it back to the mainland in 1984. Around 1986 I stupidly traded it for a Space Duel. Space Duel got old pretty quickly and left after a year or so.
In 1996 I decided I wanted another pin and picked up Comet out of the San Jose Mercury News for $475. I ended up buying it from a guy I had sold a Dig Dug machine too. Comet is still here and if I ever think of selling it one of my four kids will steal it away in the night! In fact it's at a sons' house now. My three sons are all room mates and have my Comet and BK2K.

Quoted from John-Floyd:

LZ premium was my first. Still play it all the time - great game and plan on keeping it.

Quoted from Lhyrgoif:

My first was a RFM and I liked it a lot, great theme and really funny callouts. Added LEDs and the missing slingshot spotlights to get it in good shape.
I did sell it after a few years though but that wasn't because I was bored of it but rather that the pin2k form factor made the game stand out and look awkward in my wpc/95 collection.

Quoted from spikelou2:

My first pin was a roached out space shuttle… I did my best to get it fixed up .. but half the playfield was missing .. I eventually found a better example and bought that one .. space shuttle is bolted to the ground but always in search of a perfect one
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Quoted from ManyQuarters:

My first pin was Bally Atlantis in early 2018 for $2000.
When purchased, it looked neglected and needing some tlc: dusty, unwaxed, plastics loose, all original incandescent lighting, unplugged in the living room with stuff piled on it. Everything worked though, many new uninstalled parts, no battery damage or hacks, factory playfield mylar, with cabinet and translite both 9/10.
A working diamond in the rough, just what I was looking for in a first pin!
Turns out its' first two years were in a Montreal arcade, was coveted by a local player who purchased it and moved to Vancouver where it spent many years HUO, explaining the very good condition it was in. After cleaning it up, installing leds, a playfield protector, art blades, a new 3D printed sub and Fathom bumper caps, it has given me no issues or breakdowns.
I was lucky to acquire such a beautiful, reliable, unmolested pin for my first. This is a major reason for fueling my continued enthusiasm and quickly acquiring five more pins.
After giving me such a great, reliable and fun start to the hobby, Atlantis is never leaving! [quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from Jack8765:

First pin was a Black Knight my parents bought for the family in the early/mid 1980s. I wanted the Haunted House we saw at the shop because it had three levels! But BK won out. My folks still have it.
First pin I bought was a CV I got from a local dealer. Wasn’t in great shape, but I didn’t know any better. It recently came back from HEP, so it’s in pretty good shape now…and not leaving.
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Quoted from allsportdvd:

My first was DE Guns n Roses in 2007 and I still have it because I’m a massive fan of the band and I have memories playing it in 1994
I now have 22 machines and been restoring them but waited until I was satisfied with my abilities until touching my GNR
I now have and here are some pics[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from mbrave77:

My first game was deadpool premium. I traded it when I had less space but then got it back again last year when I expanded. Started my obsession. Now have 10 pins with 2 more coming.