It's good day to be working outside. Adams Family Pinball

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It's good day to be working outside. Adams Family Pinball

It's going to be a good day when you are working on your games outside with the garage door open and a truck pulls up and the guy says he has a pinball machine in his garage and if I know anyone who would want it.

Well turns out guy just down the street had a Addams Family pinball that was taking up too much space. We talked for a bit and went to check it out and it was nice! Very clean machine from what I could tell. I'm a complete pinball noob by the way. The playfield did have a spot on it by the cannon thing in the middle where it looks like it got hot and discolored. He said it wouldn't save the settings (needs battery I figured, hope no acid damage). Powered it upand everything looked good until the first shot got hung on an insert on the far lower left side. Couldn't get it to shake loose. (things were going good for me. What are the odds that the ball would get stuck I that one place on the very first shot.)

So after talking about how it won't save settings, the playfield discolored spot, and the ball getting jammed up, I asked him what he wanted for it. He said he had no idea. So I just threw out an offer of $1500 just to try to see where he was really at. He said he needed more like $2500. Deal!

It was a good day!

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Great pickup. I would have started a hell of a lot lower myself though. Noncollectors aren't always 100 percent up on the fact that there can be up to a 1000 percent price difference on the various digital pinballs depending on title.

Plus I always subtract a ton if I am not getting it from a pin person, as random home owner games always seem to have a bunch of broken stuff.
 
Got it home and checked out the batteries. Two had started to leak. It looks like it only got on the actual battery holder and not very bad. It will need to be replaced, but I think the board is fine.

I looked at the insert where the ball got hung and it is raised slightly. What is the correct way to get the inserts flush again. I played several games and never got the ball stuck again.

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Here is the "burn mark"
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Great pickup. I would have started a hell of a lot lower myself though. Noncollectors aren't always 100 percent up on the fact that there can be up to a 1000 percent price difference on the various digital pinballs depending on title.

Plus I always subtract a ton if I am not getting it from a pin person, as random home owner games always seem to have a bunch of broken stuff.

I didn't want to completely rip him off. He is my neighbor. He also said that he had seen them on EBay for like $8000. To wich I replied that those sit there forever unsold. I did tell home that he could probably get more if he pushed it but then he would have to deal with strangers coming to his house and I would get it out right then.
 
I usually try to talk rather honestly to the people, particularly when they bring up ebay asking prices

I say that the $8000 machines sit there unsold forever, just waiting for a rube. While the $3000-$4000 machines that do sell have been completely gone over by a technician for both electronics and cosmetics and they probably have showroom space to pay for to boot. While their machine hasn't been serviced or even waxed in 10 years. It is the difference between a survivor 66' Mustang and a restoration.

Of course the prices get changed around depending on what I am talking about (usually vids, so way lower prices).

Still, good price for that pin.

Plus I got spoiled when my buddy and I picked up a "broken' Doctor Who Prototype pin for $200 and I fixed it 5 minutes after we got it back to the apartment. It eventually broke on him years later (time expander stopped working) and a local dealer (one of those greasy types that most collectors don't want to deal with) still gave him $2000 for it.
 
It's going to be a good day when you are working on your games outside with the garage door open and a truck pulls up and the guy says he has a pinball machine in his garage and if I know anyone who would want it.

Well turns out guy just down the street had a Adams Family pinball that was taking up too much space. We talked for a bit and went to check it out and it was nice! Very clean machine from what I could tell. I'm a complete pinball noob by the way. The playfield did have a spot on it by the cannon thing in the middle where it looks like it got hot and discolored. He said it wouldn't save the settings (needs battery I figured, hope no acid damage). Powered it upand everything looked good until the first shot got hung on an insert on the far lower left side. Couldn't get it to shake loose. (things were going good for me. What are the odds that the ball would get stuck I that one place on the very first shot.)

So after talking about how it won't save settings, the playfield discolored spot, and the ball getting jammed up, I asked him what he wanted for it. He said he had no idea. So I just threw out an offer of $1500 just to try to see where he was really at. He said he needed more like $2500. Deal!

It was a good day!

8143670091_361e9fcde7.jpg

He must have gotten it from someone who is into pinball, cause that Uncle Fester sitting in the chair is an aftermarket mod as is the custom score cards on the apron. If he didn't know enough about a pinball machine to change the batteries, he wouldn't have known enough to install the Uncle Fester mod. It looks like a re-import pin since it has the single slot coin door. Probably came back from Italy at some point in time.
 
should have pointed out it was a reimport hence the single slot coin door, those sell for less than usa domestic versions and are more hectic to work on bcuz fuse ratings, holders, etc r different.
plus, they r usually damaged form sea salt while in containers...during shipment in either direction.
 
Congratz, I'm going to work on my games in the garage now with the door open. It's about 30 degrees but maybe worth it.
 
There's an overlay at there to cover up the magnet burn. Definately get the magnet fuse protection kit for it.

What is the general concensus on the overlays? Is it going to be looked at as more of hit with or without the overlay. It looks like I may be able to get away with just the upper left section and not have to doo the main center graphic. Do the overlays affect the ball much (slowing it down, movement)?

Thanks
 
I see you have a "Re-Import" machine because of the single coin slot door. If you want to get a better resale value later, I would suggest purchasing a brand new domestic USA coin/bill door to replace the single slot door. Money well worth investing in this machine, IMO.
 
What is the general concensus on the overlays? Is it going to be looked at as more of hit with or without the overlay. It looks like I may be able to get away with just the upper left section and not have to doo the main center graphic. Do the overlays affect the ball much (slowing it down, movement)?

Thanks

If you do the overlay right, very few people will even realize you have one on there.
 
Overlays can actually do very well. I installed this mansion overlay directly over existing artwork in a machine over 8 years ago.

- Don

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That looks great. I need to go look at mine again and see if I will need the entire orange circle part or just the left section.
 
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