Pinball Stories #21 – A grail game from a special place!

I’m a firm believer of being patient in the pinball hunt. I’ve always wanted a Bally Wizard EM. It’s such a great game and has such beautiful artwork. They made a bunch of them so why has it taken so long? Because they’re an A-list game and often command A-list prices and I wanted a good deal. I waited and got more than what I wanted…

Here’s a video I did when I first picked the game up: https://youtu.be/kXVg88WqMIo

Should You Buy A Pinball Machine? A guide for beginners.

Lately I’ve been putting some of my games up for sale, and I get a lot of people who have never owned pinball machines contacting me. They have a romantic idea of setting up a game room for their kids and remember pinball machines fondly and want to have one at home. Sounds great right? I agree it can be very rewarding… but you have to know what you’re potentially getting yourself into. A pinball machine is not like a regular modern amusement device. Let’s go over the pros, cons and pitfalls of owning pinball machines, and while you think your kids will enjoy it, are you sure? Let’s dive in and talk about it!

Pinball Stories #17 – Random phone call and random pickup

This just happened yesterday so it’s a timely addition to pinball stories. Got a call from a friend who had a bead on a retired guy who had two games in his garage. We’d each take one of the machines. What does he have? We don’t know – mystery game time!!

Pinball Stories #7: Amazing top 5 pinball pickup!

This is one of those pinball pickups that we all dream about. It took me awhile but I finally had one of those experiences. A top-5 grail game, in HUO condition? Way below market value? Sign me up!!

This is also one of those games I’ve toyed with selling on and off because it’s so beautiful and desirable, but so far, we’ve kept it.

Here are some pictures of the game showing its condition:

Pinball Stories #5 – Theater of Magic – “Pinball Karma is real”

We all have our stories of good deals, as well as the deals that get away. This story is a parable about people doing the right thing and why it’s so important and meaningful. Some people believe, “a deal is not a deal until money changes hands”, and other people believe “your word is your bond.” If you’ve been in the pinball community long enough, you’ve run into both types of sellers and buyers. I am a firm believer in choosing honor over profit, and I believe if you treat people well, it comes back around to you. This is one of those deals that landed in my lap that I like to think is the result of all the times I treated others fairly. And it’s a pretty cool story of a very ethical seller.