wildwest3163
Active member
another wasted trip..sigh, some people shouldnt reproduce
I had to go to Ky last week, and My brother in law told me he knew where a Buck Rogers pinball was that I could get for about $500. I checked out the lead, it was in a local flea market there, and listed on CL for $1000.
I went to look at it, 1st impression as I was walking up was "Ok, not a bad looking machine" then I saw the playfield. It was VERY worn, missing about 1/3rd of the color, plastics brittle, ect. Ok, needs some work. Then I open the coin door, and the smell of mold about knocks me down. I look in and 1/4 inch of green growth covers everything. Now Im getting disgusted.
at this point I ask for the keys to the backbox, and after some effort, manage to get the lock open, only to find a completely empty box, all boards are gone!
at this point the owner asks me what I think and I tell her to get it appraised
. I tell her that a working Buck Rogers in average condition sells for $600-$1000 (which she interrupts at this point to tell me HER research indicates the price is closer to $3000). I tell her that anyone can ask anything the want, but the prices that count are what are actually paid. Furthermore with the missing boards, and what it would cost to get it back to acceptable shape would cost more than the games worth.
I know what happened was she bought it on what someone told her it was worth, and she told me it came out of a basement, and that she had to clean the game up (Id say the whole thing was green like the inside of the playfield box) and that she was afraid to plug it in.
The kicker was that I changed my plans so I could view this machine, leaving home a day early so I could get there during thier business hours.
I had to go to Ky last week, and My brother in law told me he knew where a Buck Rogers pinball was that I could get for about $500. I checked out the lead, it was in a local flea market there, and listed on CL for $1000.
I went to look at it, 1st impression as I was walking up was "Ok, not a bad looking machine" then I saw the playfield. It was VERY worn, missing about 1/3rd of the color, plastics brittle, ect. Ok, needs some work. Then I open the coin door, and the smell of mold about knocks me down. I look in and 1/4 inch of green growth covers everything. Now Im getting disgusted.
at this point I ask for the keys to the backbox, and after some effort, manage to get the lock open, only to find a completely empty box, all boards are gone!
at this point the owner asks me what I think and I tell her to get it appraised
I know what happened was she bought it on what someone told her it was worth, and she told me it came out of a basement, and that she had to clean the game up (Id say the whole thing was green like the inside of the playfield box) and that she was afraid to plug it in.
The kicker was that I changed my plans so I could view this machine, leaving home a day early so I could get there during thier business hours.