Anyone else into pinball/arcade/other coin op stuff

Just curious - any other members into pinball/arcades or other coin op stuff.

It’s a recent return to collecting there for me - was into it more years ago on the vintage Coke machines and Jukebox side of things - lack of space and escalating prices got me out.

Started back up though when we got the new place - thought a pinball would be cool for rec room - so bought a relatively inexpensive modern stern. Now got another on order and looking at doing an arcade too.

Still want a vintage 60/early 70s juke - just as a conversation piece. They aren’t worth much - but would be cool I think. Pins on the other hand are getting out of control - new machines starting at 10k and some nearing 20 on the secondary market is crazy to me. Pandemic pricing of course - vintage KISS em pins are a great example…pre pandemic 2k was high water mark (they are popular - but also plentiful and older pins are notoriously failure prone and sometimes difficult to repair) - these days expect more than double that.

For 6k - you get a new “Pro” series (read - cheapest model, aimed at bars and arcades who care more about revenue and cost than fancy little extra toys…they just want it to eat you dollar bills as often and as quickly as possible). I’d much rather pay 6k for something new than a 45 year old beat up machine that spent 15 years in a dive bar before being regelated to the back of a garage for a decade before being “rediscovered”.

 

Subbing

 

My father in law is collecting pachinko machines.

 

Just those windows that come up for a few seconds and show the dancers before they drop again. But no. No video games.

 

I’ll get some photos up here someday if stuff I’ve got.

Debating a Gun’s and Roses or Zeppelin pin - the GnR looks fun - but price, product quality and simply the fact that it’s a freakin 80s hair band and what does that say about me owning one kind scare me.

Zeppelin is a personal fave band - but not really in love with the pin - it’s nice, but artwork wise - kinda ‘meh.

Personally love the look of Iron Maiden - it don’t see that flying with Mrs. Ditto the AC/DC…


When the day comes that they have a Motörhead machine - I highly suspect they will have my deposit.

Queen and Rush are supposedly in the works - but the prototype queen I saw was less than stellar - almost cartoonish.