For many kids growing up in the arcade era, the idea of owning your own pinball machine was the ultimate sign of success.
Driving around Hawaii in Magnum PI’s racing red Ferrari was pure fantasy while owning a pinball machine seemed much more realistic.
And do own pinball machines and put them in their basement for personal amusement. Myself I’ve owned a 1993 Gottlieb WipeOut machine for almost twenty years, recently added an old EM pinball machine from the 1970s and my treasure, a Stern Lord of the Rings from 2003.
Back in the early 2000s we lived in a small house in Arlington, MA. I had a friend who owned a few pinball machines who had a large McMansion house and helped him shop for and move a few machines into his house. We went to a small used arcade machine business in the area and he picked up an Adams Family and Twilight Zone.
This got me itching for a pinball machine of my own but didn’t have room for one in the house, then we bought a little weekend getaway place up in North Conway and I found a ski-themed machine that was perfect for the basement up there. It would be about 18 years before I bought my next machine, meanwhile, my buddy would add about 12 old machines to his collection.
Let me answer some questions about owning a pinball machine, questions I get when people come over and see my small collection.
How much does a pinball machine cost?
Prices for pinball machines depend on age, condition, and desirability. Old electromechanical machines from the 60s and 70s are the most inexpensive while Williams machines from the mid-90s are the most desirable and expensive, as well as never Stern machines. You can spend $500 or easily over $10K for a new and highly collectible machine.
I bought Wipeout online from Jersey Jack back in the early 2000s for $650 and had it shipped via common carrier for $65. That machine now is worth $2 – $4 K.
My Bally Hang Glider EM pinball machine was a bargain at $240 in dirty, non-working condition with a cracked backglass. I bought it as a project machine and have probably put in another $250 in parts and supplies to bring it back to life. You can find working machines from this era for sale between $500 and $1500.
My Stern Lord of the Rings was a HUO or home use only machine that I bought through a friend of a friend. It was luck, just happened to be mentioned to me at the right time. That machine is highly collectible and it had a bunch of updates like LEDs and the color screen – I got it for $6,800.
Should I buy a new machine or a used machine?
In the old days, nearly every pinball machine in homes was a retired machine. Operators would put pinball machines on location at pizza places, at the arcade, in bars until they replaced them with new ones. Once the machines stopped producing, they’d cut the coin door wires and either junk the machines or sell them for home use.
These days the collector or home use market is probably half the market with much more “straight to the home” sales going on. People with a lot of income and a lot of space, are buying these machines new in the box (NIB) direct from the distributors.
Buying new has its attraction – the machines are clean, they are the newest on the market, and maybe they have no problems. You also guarantee that you can actually get the machine you want. With older machines, you have to actually find one for sale.
Rarity affects price. Many of the new Stern machines have an open edition. They are made to order and can offer additional runs of a popular machine if the market demands it. Some machines are limited edition or keep in very low numbers, like the machines from Spooky Pinball which aim at the collector market and limit runs to 500 or 1,000 machines per title.
The downsides of buying new are:
- Value – the value drops immediately. As soon as you open the box, the machine is used.
- Price – you are paying top dollar for a new machine – new machines from Stern start at $6K to $10K, other manufacturers such as Chicago Gaming, Spooky Pinball, American Pinball and Jersey Jack can be even higher for limited edition models.
- They might not be finished – The trend is to ship machines from the factory before the software coding is finished. Manufacturers will issue updates to the code but it might be months or years before the final code is issued.
- The game might suck. Buying early has the risk that the game might not be all that much fun.
- Upgrades might be need. When I bought my 17 year old Lord of hte Rings, it had a bunch of upgrades that I didn’t need to do – color screen, part protectors, upgraded flipper coils etc.
How heavy is a pinball machine?
Pinball machines are large and heavy, they can weight up to 300 pounds. You are going to need a few friends and a big vehicle to move them. Older EM machines come apart in sections – the head and the body can be separated. Newer machines come in one piece, the top folds down and they are made to move around using a hand truck or dolly. Legs come off on all.
How much maintenance is there with a pinball machine?
At a minimum, you should expect to take off the glass and clean and wax the playfield from time to time. Also, inspect and replace the pinballs if they start to develop pits. You don’t want old pinballs tearing up your playfield. And lightbulbs can burn out.
My older, shopped WipeOut had a loose switch wire that took me years to figure out. I ended up having to resolder the connection after monkeying around with replacement switches and new boards trying to figure out the problem.
My newer Lord of the Rings bought from a pinball expert has even had some issues. Had to resolder a switch, adjust a few switches, replace a cracked lane plastic, replace rubbers, replace a cracked plastic funnel twice!
On the old EM pinball I’ve installed a better set of plastics found on Ebay, rebuilt the flippers and jet bumpers, restored the playfield, replaced coils etc.
The good news is most of the parts are available from online suppliers such as Pinball Life, Pinball Resource and Marco.
Owning a pinball machine is a bit like owning a car. You have to perform a bit of maintenance from time to time.
Where can you buy a pinball machine?
Pinball machines are available you just need to start looking around. Basically you have three variables – location, price and condition. Old timers will tell you – pick two. Nearby, great price, terrible condition. Or great condition, great price but two states away. Part of the fun is the hunt.
- Want Ads/Classified Ads – Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
- Estate Auctions
- Ebay
- Local distributors
- Used arcade machine companies
- Antique shops / thrift stores