Overpriced or worth their cost/value?

NotreCaine

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There are several pins out there that seem to demand used car prices. For those of you who own any of the listed titles, is the market price inflated or spot on?

Medevil Madness
Cirqus Voltaire
Monster Bash
Cactus Canyon


To be fair, it seems that CC would be the only one due to its low run number.


There are other pins that get gouged but i've seen most of them found at reasonable prices. Examples are the IJ just sold here on KLOV and the TOTAN that Phet just bought. Addams and TZ can be found for less than market value, if you search hard enough.

Thoughts?
 
There are several pins out there that seem to demand used car prices. For those of you who own any of the listed titles, is the market price inflated or spot on?

Medevil Madness
Cirqus Voltaire
Monster Bash
Cactus Canyon


To be fair, it seems that CC would be the only one due to its low run number.


There are other pins that get gouged but i've seen most of them found at reasonable prices. Examples are the IJ just sold here on KLOV and the TOTAN that Phet just bought. Addams and TZ can be found for less than market value, if you search hard enough.

Thoughts?

Here's my $.02. The market price is what it is and it is definitely inflated for those games. The prices of the pins you list are what they are do to lower production runs, basic fun factor and people holding on to those games. Those games do sell for that unless you get lucky. The bigger question is, are the games worth that much. My answer to that would be absolutely not. For most of these games, it is more of a "look at me, see what I have" reason to have them. Is Cactus Canyon's gameplay 5x better than Star Trek: Next Generation. Not even close, if anything it is 1/5th as good as it as it was never finished. But it was the last "real" WMS pinball produced, so there you go. Monster Bash, Medieval and Cirqus were all later runs in production, coming out in the mid to late 90's. They are all fun games, not super difficult, but are mainly seen as collector status pieces to most players.
 
Is Cactus Canyon's gameplay 5x better than Star Trek: Next Generation. Not even close, if anything it is 1/5th as good as it as it was never finished. But it was the last "real" WMS pinball produced, so there you go. Monster Bash, Medieval and Cirqus were all later runs in production, coming out in the mid to late 90's. They are all fun games, not super difficult, but are mainly seen as collector status pieces to most players.

Good point. That's what I figured. Cirqus was actually a flop in the field, correct?

I've never played MM or MB. I didnt know if they are good games or just status symbols.
 
I love playng MM on PS3. I would consider it if I could find one in the 4-5k range, but not at the prices people are asking for them. There's just too much other great stuff out there to enjoy when that money can go to 3 other top end pins, or something new in box.
 
Good point. That's what I figured. Cirqus was actually a flop in the field, correct?

I've never played MM or MB. I didnt know if they are good games or just status symbols.

They are both fun games and have some neat rules and things going on, but for the money, they are not worth it IMHO. I guess if you compare them to the ridiculous prices that NIB Sterns are going for, then they would be though. ;)
 
There are several pins out there that seem to demand used car prices. For those of you who own any of the listed titles, is the market price inflated or spot on?

Medevil Madness
Cirqus Voltaire
Monster Bash
Cactus Canyon


To be fair, it seems that CC would be the only one due to its low run number.


There are other pins that get gouged but i've seen most of them found at reasonable prices. Examples are the IJ just sold here on KLOV and the TOTAN that Phet just bought. Addams and TZ can be found for less than market value, if you search hard enough.

Thoughts?

I'm not sure I'd include CV in that list, unless the price has shot way up. I bought mine for 4k a few years ago...never thought I'd spend that much on a pin, but I really loved the game and said "fuck it" and bought it. I can't quite pull the "fuck it" trigger on a 8k MM, 7k MB, or 10k CC. They're cool but not THAT cool. I'm fine with being patient and waiting for a reasonably priced one, whether it happens or not. I don't want those games THAT bad.
 
Worth it? Well, not for most people. They aren't expensive because they are the "best" pinball machines ever made, they are collectibles, so just keep that in mind. If you just want a fun, neat looking, cool sounding pin, then no way are they worth it. They are all fun games but not really more fun than <insert your favoriate B title pin here>.

I like both MB and MM but MM was always a disappointment to me, never could get over it being an average game after hearing and reading so much hype prior to playing it. MB I liked better but again, for the price it sells for? You can get a beater MB or several really nice "other games". Unless you're really limited on space or just have money you need to burn, hard to justify it.

CV isn't that high, but it's overpriced for what it is. (Very pretty game but not much fun in my opinion. And I've TRIED hard to like that game.)

Wade
 
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It's funny, I was a little shocked when RareHero told me CV had been a commercial flop when it was originally released. I remember when we got it in our arcade back in the day, and it was played pretty heavily throughout its lifespan iirc.
 
Wait a few years; you may see the prices drop - or not. I remember when STNG's were the hot pin, and the prices were inflated compared to other stuff. At that time, MM's were going for around 5k at the high end, and people (including myself) thought that was just a crazy price. If you could snap them up at that price now however, you'd be able to turn a pretty sweet profit - they are listed at from 8k to 10k in my parts when they do show up (rarely) - not sure if they sell, but they don't stick around for long regardless.

Definitely part of the "collectors" market vs. the "players" market in my opinion, and having played them all, not worth the price in my personal opinion.

When I see a price like that for ONE pin, I just think about how many other, very good, and very fun pins (IE 3 or 4 or more) I could buy instead, providing equal fun, and more variety...
 
I've seen this topic many times on many boards, my response is always the same, things are worth whatever people are willing to pay for them...

Am I willing to pay 10k for a MM? No, actually, hell no...

There are tons of pins out there that are great playing machines for much less money, I am a big fan of "B" pins, but thats just me... and hey if you can afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a couple of "A" titles, good for you, me, not so much unfortunately :)
 
Great comments men. For the record, i will never own any of those. I was just curious to see what you hard core guys though.

For what it's worth, I'd like to get a TOTAN.
 
The only 'A' titles I ever owned were RFM and Scared Stiff...And they certainly arent the CRAZY A titles from a cost standpoint.

They were/are fun pins. But sometimes I dont play for a week, hell, if I'm busy, two weeks. And to have 5-6K sitting there, unused just ate me up. I'd rather have a few B titles and then a stash of cash ready for whatever I want to buy.

I can absolutely see the allure of having a row of A titles. I just cant justify it.
 
I always find it interesting to see about justifying a hobby as an investment...sounds good to the wife anyway.

putting some numbers to it though considering that cultural interests roughly work on 20yr cycles due to growing up and getting money to buy toys.

let's say in 1995 most of us were 25-30 and we like MM because it was the height of a pinball craze we first experienced in the 70s and early 80s.

that means by 2015 most of us are 45-50 and in prime age to buy high end toys because the grandkids haven't come along and the job career is at full stride.

by 2035 we are 65-70 it is time to sell toys.
--the kids of these MM owners are the only ones that know that specific title intimately and personally enough to make their emotions pay big bucks for the title.
--the buying crowd is small.
--mainly because the large group of folks that are 40 and starting to buy expensive toys were just born in 1995 and never heard of MM. they were emotionally impressionable in 2005 to 2010 which means they are wanting to buy up games like Wii and xbox's and vintage ipods.

so really if you own A list pins because they are worth lots of money, you have to sell before 2035 to hopefully get the high end moneys.
and that is assuming that something more exciting hasn't come into this new global economy to take the $$$ for toys.

the only way this could pan out beyond 2035 then, is if every one of the MM's was accounted for in collector hands, a majority went to high end museum quality collectors (like the vintage guitar market going overseas to places like hong kong)

and i just don't see the mass social interest in pinball by the time the collectors wish to cash out, since it effectively died in the mid 1990s from a cultural phenomena perception. it'll be forgotten history in the minds of the movers and shakers of 2035.

so for me, it means pinball should be an affordable hobby in my budget.
leaving the stock market mentality to the stock market.
 
so for me, it means pinball should be an affordable hobby in my budget.
leaving the stock market mentality to the stock market.


Your assumption is that someone with a $10K pin is buying something outside of their budget that they cannot afford....

Honestly, I dont know anyone personally that thinks Pinballs are an alternate savings vehicle. So I think most would agree with you. Dont buy what you cant afford and dont look at them as an investment.
 
Repeat after me: If you are buying pinballs as an investment, you're doing it wrong.

If you want an investment, buy some land. You can probably get 5-10+ acres for the price of a MM or BBB and I guarantee you that its value will go up (Note that I said "land", not "a house in Detroit").

If you insist on throwing money away on the premise that you'll get some pleasure now and be able to sell your thing at a profit later, cut to the chase and learn the most abrupt way of learning that lesson: buy a boat.
 
Repeat after me: If you are buying pinballs as an investment, you're doing it wrong.

If you want an investment, buy some land. You can probably get 5-10+ acres for the price of a MM or BBB and I guarantee you that its value will go up (Note that I said "land", not "a house in Detroit").

If you insist on throwing money away on the premise that you'll get some pleasure now and be able to sell your thing at a profit later, cut to the chase and learn the most abrupt way of learning that lesson: buy a boat.

So strange how every thread about prices goes to this place.

Is anyone here really thinking pins are a good investment? I've never met a collector that does. And I know I'dont.

And if all you do with Pin money (money you get from selling pins) if buying other pins, well, then its all relative. Sell a MM for $2K vs. the 8K you bought it for, and other pins should have dropped substantially as well allowing you to buy alot more for the $2K you sold the MM for.

A $10K pin 'hurts' some budgets as much as a $1K pin hurts another persons budget. Live and let live.
 
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