My search for an AFM- ugh!

khabbi

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Well, I've been looking for an AFM throughout the eastern coast, and no luck so far.. Anyone have one for sale or know where one is? Would prefer a nice condition one if possible.

This has been a frustrating search, but I know one is out there somewhere! Surely someone wants to sell theirs for a Tron LE! :)

:)
 
There were two AFM for sale just last month at the Allentown Spring Pinfest:

#1 - Nice playing condition - $6995

#2 - Totally blinged out - custom cabinet decals, LEDs, chromed everything, yadda, yadda - $10995

#1 sold on Saturday, don't know about #2.

Too much freakin' money.

RM
 
There were two AFM for sale just last month at the Allentown Spring Pinfest:

#1 - Nice playing condition - $6995

#2 - Totally blinged out - custom cabinet decals, LEDs, chromed everything, yadda, yadda - $10995

#1 sold on Saturday, don't know about #2.

Too much freakin' money.

RM

I do believe those prices, but that's not the norm. I passed on a decent AFM with a little insert wear, cab fade, and needed a little work/cleaning for $3700. Several have sold locally in decent shape for $4500. Nice ones have been selling here for $5-$6K.

Now I know where a $13K HEP AFM is, as well as a blinged out one for around $8K, and just like everything else, there's extremes. :)
 
Wait long enough and one will pop up.

I got mine in a trade which basically made it free. I looked for a MB (Monster Bash) for many years and finally found one. A week later I found a second MB for a steal of a price so I had two.
 
The real question is how much you're willing to pay. Shipping on a pin is cheap so you shouldn't limit yourself to just your area. I play a friend of mines quite a lot and it's fun but man I surely don't get the price tag. Seriously it's not that fun. In fact you can list any title and I think NO PIN should break the $4500 mark. Pin prices have seriously gotten out of control and I blame IPDB and the gawd awful pinball hand book prices.
Unfortunately people use these resources as a holy grail which causes pinflation. (yea that's my coined phrase)

Sorry for the rant and good luck on your search.
 
In fact you can list any title and I think NO PIN should break the $4500 mark. Pin prices have seriously gotten out of control and I blame IPDB and the gawd awful pinball hand book prices.
Unfortunately people use these resources as a holy grail which causes pinflation. (yea that's my coined phrase)

What prices pins is the supply and demand. Unlike video games a lot less of pinball machines where made.

How many Pacman games were made compared to an Attack from Mars?

No pin should break the $4500 mark? If that was true do you feel that no video game should be over $500? There are several grail video games that people will pay top dollar for. I just saw an EDOT on eBay hit the $4k mark. How much did the last Cosmic Chasm or an Aztarac sell for. It's all about supply and demand of a game title.

AFM, MM, CC, etc are in low supply for the people demanding that title. That is what sets the price.
 
A routed AFM sold here a few months ago for $3200. Looked like it just needed a general cleaning.
 
When I bought mine about a year ago at auction I't was a really good price. Not to make the deal sound better than it was, but it did have playfield wear in 2 places with insert wear. It wasn't working, but for the price I was willing to take a chance. It turned out to be just a diode and up and running. It still needs a strobe light and some minor details, but the cab is in decent shape. It was well under $3K but with taxes and auction fees add a few hundred bucks.

$3500 sounds like the range you will find a machine needing a shop and minor work, I would think you could find a nice example for $4500.00. Good Luck with your search!
 
The $6995 AFM at Allentown didn't sell for near that.
Other than a small ding in the front of the cabinet, it was in near perfect condition. I wouldn't call it just nice playing condition.
Granted it had a lot of nickel and dime stuff not working. all simple fixes.
 
What prices pins is the supply and demand. Unlike video games a lot less of pinball machines where made.

How many Pacman games were made compared to an Attack from Mars?

No pin should break the $4500 mark? If that was true do you feel that no video game should be over $500? There are several grail video games that people will pay top dollar for. I just saw an EDOT on eBay hit the $4k mark. How much did the last Cosmic Chasm or an Aztarac sell for. It's all about supply and demand of a game title.

AFM, MM, CC, etc are in low supply for the people demanding that title. That is what sets the price.

Yes I firmly believe there is NO pin that is more than $4500 worth of fun and even that is a huge stretch for me personally. I used the word "I" and the words "I think". This makes it an opinionated statement not a factual statement so your need to refute was unnecessary. But if you want to debate I'm always game for that. If a person can afford and feel good about spending that much money on one machine that's awesome for them.

As far as supply and demand it's IMHO not THE #1 factor. It's an effect not cause. I've seen (Hype-inflation) happen on this forum for years and the same for RGP (pin-flation). Hype of any game causes a feeding frenzy which then supply and demand becomes the result. I won't call it a fact but there's a hell of allot of threads on games that also produce WTB ads in the same time period if anyone cares to look. Coincidence? Maybe. Ever been watching TV and a Whopper commercial comes on and you all of sudden you are now hungry as hell? Yep - same damn thing with these forums and such. Get a group of high statistic people talking about a title (the whopper) and the hunger frenzy starts. Power of suggestion. Now please look at IPDB ratings and notice of the top 20 only 4 machines are still reasonably priced (under NIB value I believe) while the other 16 have increased in value considerably. My so called argument isn't about supply and demand. It's about HYPE. I believe HYPE is the #1 cause not supply and demand. Also, comparing video game production numbers to pins isn't exactly a level play field for comparison IMHO. Most people can more easily afford a $600 video game verses a $6500+ game. Production numbers are typically way too different as well.

FWIW I have a Radarscope DK and do you think that would bring any extra money? Today not hardly. 6+ years ago absolutely. Does it matter that my machine was sported as a centerfold in a global gaming magazine? Nahhhh. Why can a game go from hot to cold that fast? Hype would be a safe assumption. It sure as hell was well before the latest Donkey Kong craze created from the King of Kong movie. Another great example of Hype - inflation.

Bottom line is it is what it is. I'm not one of those turds that piss and moan about the price of a game because I want (insert title here) and can't afford it. I just personally feel it's ludicrous to spend that much money on ONE game. Two games .... absolutely.
 
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I agree with Deadly. There were, what, 20000 Addam's Familys? I think a lot of the price also has to do with the fact that a lot of young people like myself have fond memories of jamming on that pin as teens. So there's also nostalg-inflation. That said, I've seen Addams here in LA for $3500. Shiiping via NAVL was only $450 from east coast to west coast a couple months. Given the service they provide, that's an amazing deal!
 
I'll never get the infatuation with this machine. I remember it well from my childhood arcades. I don't remember it, or Twilight Zone as being fun as much as utterly frustrating. :p magnets go down the draaaaaain......
 
A routed AFM sold here a few months ago for $3200. Looked like it just needed a general cleaning.

That certainly could not be said for the AFM that is currently on location at Lake Alice Trading Co. That thing is beat up pretty badly.
 
Yes I firmly believe there is NO pin that is more than $4500 worth of fun and even that is a huge stretch for me personally. I used the word "I" and the words "I think". This makes it an opinionated statement not a factual statement so your need to refute was unnecessary. But if you want to debate I'm always game for that. If a person can afford and feel good about spending that much money on one machine that's awesome for them.

As far as supply and demand it's IMHO not THE #1 factor. It's an effect not cause. I've seen (Hype-inflation) happen on this forum for years and the same for RGP (pin-flation). Hype of any game causes a feeding frenzy which then supply and demand becomes the result. I won't call it a fact but there's a hell of allot of threads on games that also produce WTB ads in the same time period if anyone cares to look. Coincidence? Maybe. Ever been watching TV and a Whopper commercial comes on and you all of sudden you are now hungry as hell? Yep - same damn thing with these forums and such. Get a group of high statistic people talking about a title (the whopper) and the hunger frenzy starts. Power of suggestion. Now please look at IPDB ratings and notice of the top 20 only 4 machines are still reasonably priced (under NIB value I believe) while the other 16 have increased in value considerably. My so called argument isn't about supply and demand. It's about HYPE. I believe HYPE is the #1 cause not supply and demand. Also, comparing video game production numbers to pins isn't exactly a level play field for comparison IMHO. Most people can more easily afford a $600 video game verses a $6500+ game. Production numbers are typically way too different as well.

FWIW I have a Radarscope DK and do you think that would bring any extra money? Today not hardly. 6+ years ago absolutely. Does it matter that my machine was sported as a centerfold in a global gaming magazine? Nahhhh. Why can a game go from hot to cold that fast? Hype would be a safe assumption. It sure as hell was well before the latest Donkey Kong craze created from the King of Kong movie. Another great example of Hype - inflation.

Bottom line is it is what it is. I'm not one of those turds that piss and moan about the price of a game because I want (insert title here) and can't afford it. I just personally feel it's ludicrous to spend that much money on ONE game. Two games .... absolutely.

First off, I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with anyone having the opinion that no pin is worth more than $4500.00 (to them). Actually, I tend to agree with that sentiment myself. However, I have paid more than that for a pin, mostly based on the theory (hope) that I can recover the vast majority of the price I paid for it (it's an AFM).

Beyond that though, I think you are attempting to make a difference/distinction between "hype-inflation" or "pinflation" as you call it, and "supply and demand" when there is no distinction to be made.

You state "As far as supply and demand it's IMHO not THE #1 factor". But it is. In fact, it is the *only* factor!

Whatever role "hype" or rgp threads or pricing guides have on the prices of pins, it is all part of the "supply and demand" theory. Hype and other things mentioned simply create more demand, which in turn (get ready for it) increases prices!

You also say "Hype of any game causes a feeding frenzy which then supply and demand becomes the result".

Huh?

Whether or not there is a HUGE amount of "hype" or none at all, supply and demand is *always* the "result" of whatever price pins go for.
 
AFM is my grail. It is all about the shots for me. They are even and there. The sounds on the game and the work it takes to rule the universe just sucks you in. I cannot imagine a better layout for shots. I will never pay what folks think it is worth, but will have one one day. It pretty much is the only item on my bucket list. Lets be frank. We are folks who could do anything and prob do anyways, we actually own pins. We are a very lucky bunch of folks.
 
We are folks who could do anything and prob do anyways, we actually own pins. We are a very lucky bunch of folks.

Hoping to join that club on friday (Or at least knock on the door, lol..)...just keep the Addams Family to yourself. :p
 
I agree with Deadly. There were, what, 20000 Addam's Familys? I think a lot of the price also has to do with the fact that a lot of young people like myself have fond memories of jamming on that pin as teens. So there's also nostalg-inflation. That said, I've seen Addams here in LA for $3500. Shiiping via NAVL was only $450 from east coast to west coast a couple months. Given the service they provide, that's an amazing deal!


Addams Family was the highest production game made. You need to remember that the USA was not the #1 market of pinball machines. I have several friends who worked for WMS (Williams) and approx 60% of pins were shipped outside the USA.

Attack from Mars, approx 3500 games were produced and if 40% stayed in the USA that only leaves about 1400 AFM's in the USA. I know some get re-imported back in the USA but also some get parted out since the game is 16 years old now.
 
Addams Family was the highest production game made. You need to remember that the USA was not the #1 market of pinball machines. I have several friends who worked for WMS (Williams) and approx 60% of pins were shipped outside the USA.

Attack from Mars, approx 3500 games were produced and if 40% stayed in the USA that only leaves about 1400 AFM's in the USA. I know some get re-imported back in the USA but also some get parted out since the game is 16 years old now.

It's funny though how difficult it is to find an Addams family, especially a nice one.. to date, I really wouldn't have had a good opportunity to pick one up. And honestly, I've had a few opportunities to pick up an AFM, it's just that the timing was off. Go figure!
 
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