Sold Prices - Restored versus Original

hailrazer

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So I've read on many threads how restoring a game kills it's value. That an excellent condition original game is worth more than a fully restored game.

Well let's put this to rest shall we? These are all prices of sold games on this forum in the last 2 years.

First example:

1: Simpson's
Fully Restored Sold for $2000, $1850, $2000
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=393466&highlight=simpsons+restored
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=395236&highlight=simpsons+restored
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=416071&highlight=simpsons+restored

Original good condition sold for - $895,
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=394850&highlight=simpsons

Listed but not sold yet -- $1200, $1100
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=403930&highlight=simpsons
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=416738&highlight=simpsons

2: Galaxian
Fully Restored - $1200, $1050
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=417884&highlight=restored+galaxian
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=376310&highlight=restored+galaxian

Original good condition - $400, $500,
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=417327&highlight=galaxian
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=402787&highlight=galaxian

3: Black Widow
Fully Restored Sold For - $3000, $2500
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=396972&highlight=black+widow+restored
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=379587&highlight=black+widow+restored

Original good condition - $1500, $2000
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=414658&highlight=black+widow
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=409188&highlight=black+widow

4: Ms. Pac-Man
Fully Restored Sold For - $1200, $1100
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=369228&highlight=restored+pacman
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=414217&highlight=restored+pac-man

Original Good Condition - $400, $700, $850
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=408539&highlight=pac-man
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=412232&highlight=pacman


5: Bubbles
Fully Restored - $1800
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=408912&highlight=restored+bubbles

Original Good Condition - $825
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=370055&highlight=bubbles


6: Qbert
Fully Restored - $2200
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=404341&highlight=restored+qbert

Original Good Condition - $1100, $1500
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=415924&highlight=qbert
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=414464&highlight=qbert
And the list goes on and on .

So can we please stop with the whole "Restoring a game ruins it's value". :D
 
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oh shit not another one of these threads..

The hobby is not mature enough and these are not considered a true collectible yet.

Should that ever happen then originality will be worth way more then anything restored like any other collectible antique.
 
oh shit not another one of these threads..

The hobby is not mature enough and these are not considered a true collectible yet.

Should that ever happen then originality will be worth way more then anything restored like any other collectible antique.

Really? A 30-40 year old hobby is "not mature enough yet"?

And enough with the woulda, coulda, shoulda stuff. These are the facts now. Live with it.
 
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Really? A 30-40 year old hobby is "not mature enough yet"?

And enough with the woulda, coulda, shoulda stuff. These are the facts now. Live with it.

Obviously not if you can still get complete games for a few hundred bucks.

When and if real collectors start getting involved with real collector money the whole thing will flip on its head. It may never happen...

Im sure in the 70s people thought they were being smart refinishing the paint on their shitty old 50s fender strat no one cared about also.. thats a 20k mistake in 2018 money.
 
Obviously not if you can still get complete games for a few hundred bucks.

When and if real collectors start getting involved with real collector money the whole thing will flip on its head. It may never happen...

Im sure in the 70s people thought they were being smart refinishing the paint on their shitty old 50s fender strat no one cared about also.. thats a 20k mistake in 2018 money.

So with this logic, you should leave all your games "original". Which is nearly impossible, change the leg levelers, new t-molding, cap kit, repair the linear power supply, replace the switcher, etc. Not original anymore.

But let's say you leave it original, throw it in a storage unit. And then what.....hope and pray that the hobby takes off and is not just another Hot Wheels, Beany Baby, Pet Rock fad. Hope that the 2 or 3 dozen games you picked to hoard are the ones that become popular and go up in value like that rare 50's Fender.

Or.... Restore the game and have a beautiful show piece that you play the heck out of, show off and love for another 20-30 years. Or even sell it (gasp) to someone else and they get to love it for 20-30 more years.

I think I'll restore them :D
 
I'll admit, every game I buy, i buy used and in decent to crap shape so that I can afford them initially yet still be able to restore them and retain my investment if I ever need to cash in. I am kinda OCD when it comes to my cabs condition as well. I will still always prefer and hold dearest in my collection, all original cabs and depending on what they are, keep them in that condition and not touch them (as difficult as that is for me lol). I had my star wars cockpit that was in great condition, but would've looked better with fresh art and plastics and such, however being the rare cab it is, I fought back the urge to do so and i kept it all original (Not that the art was readily available anyhow).
 
Restored items almost always sell for more than good condition originals, and that doesn't just apply to arcade machines. People like stuff that looks shiny new, regardless of how it got that way. An NOS or mint condition original can be expected to sell for more than even the best restorations, but with regard to arcade machines, those hardly ever come along.

The market for arcade machines doesn't largely consist of the type of people who frequent Sotheby's auctions and such. A large percentage of them are the "Ooh, shiny!" type.

Personally, I'd much rather have an untouched original that's in at least good condition than most restorations, but "restored" is a term that people play fast and loose with, so you can't really make a hard and fast rule about it. There's a big difference between something that's been restored with all NOS or excellent-condition original-manufacturer parts and something that's been rattle-canned, ink-jetted, and LCD'd.
 
So with this logic, you should leave all your games "original". Which is nearly impossible, change the leg levelers, new t-molding, cap kit, repair the linear power supply, replace the switcher, etc. Not original anymore.

But let's say you leave it original, throw it in a storage unit. And then what.....hope and pray that the hobby takes off and is not just another Hot Wheels, Beany Baby, Pet Rock fad. Hope that the 2 or 3 dozen games you picked to hoard are the ones that become popular and go up in value like that rare 50's Fender.

Or.... Restore the game and have a beautiful show piece that you play the heck out of, show off and love for another 20-30 years. Or even sell it (gasp) to someone else and they get to love it for 20-30 more years.

I think I'll restore them :D

Its not rocket science..

Games are still relatively cheap but parts, artwork and the time to do restores is expensive so that's why restored games generally go for more.

will that always be the case? who knows.
 
Restored items almost always sell for more than good condition originals, and that doesn't just apply to arcade machines. People like stuff that looks shiny new, regardless of how it got that way.

that is true zero percent of the time for antiques and other true collectibles.
 
My experience largely has been that many peoples idea of what a "good quality" game should be is often very different than mine. I grew up in collectibles my entire life and deal in collectibles as an adult and set the bar pretty high when quality is concerned.
A mint home use only arcade game is a very different animal than a "good quality" machine.

The difference is already there with pinball machines. Mint as hell home use only machines command a larger premium then restored. The difference with arcades is the the survival rate of machines in such condition is really minimal. Most arcade games were on route and by nature are rarely what one would consider "mint condition" in most fields of collectibles.

I tend to pay pretty strong prices for games I really want and would pay more money for something original and mint as hell, then I would for something restored. The problem is many tittles you will never fine in a 10 out of 10 condition, which is what you should be receiving with a fully restored game. I.E. something where it was a nuts and bolts down to the smallest detail restore.
 
that is true zero percent of the time for antiques and other true collectibles.

Not necessarily. In many fields of collectibles its price point sensitive.
Take classic cars for example.
Lower level classic cars can be worth more fully restored than a nice all original survivor.
This is not the case with a truly rare car like a Bugatti or something like that where the buyers would prefer an all original survivor.

I think the same can be said with some (not all) arcade games.
Take a cheap and relatively common game like Ms. PacMan for example.
A very nice quality unrestored Ms. PacMan (not HUO, but nice) is probably worth less than a fully restored one. That being said, its also probably not being bought by an arcade collector.

Oh, and good luck finding a honest to god HUO Ms. PacMan thats a 10 out of 10 :D
When you do, let me know I'm a buyer at double what a "nice example" sells for.
 
The difference is already there with pinball machines. Mint as hell home use only machines command a larger premium then restored. The difference with arcades is the the survival rate of machines in such condition is really minimal. Most arcade games were on route and by nature are rarely what one would consider "mint condition" in most fields of collectibles.

Hmm from what I've seen on Pinside ,pins restored by Brian Kelly and Chris and others go for more than the best HUO. Unless they are 10/10

But I do get your point.

And you're right, you aren't likely to find many if any 9.5 or 10/10 HUO arcade games.
 
Umm yea it is true a lot of the time.

he said "Restored items almost always sell for more than good condition originals"

ask any antique dealer in the country if that is a true statement.
 
that is true zero percent of the time for antiques and other true collectibles.

It happens all the time with old cars. A fully-restored car that looks like it just drove off the showroom floor will almost always sell for more than a "survivor" car of the same make/model/options in good condition.
 
Hmm from what I've seen on Pinside ,pins restored by Brian Kelly and Chris and others go for more than the best HUO. Unless they are 10/10

But I do get your point.

And you're right, you aren't likely to find many if any 9.5 or 10/10 HUO arcade games.

Yeah, let me reword the statement about HOU pins.
That term gets thrown around very loosely in my opinion.
In fact some HOU stuff really takes a beating.
Im talking more about a pin that is truly a 10 out of 10 fully pristine, well taken care of and probably most important low plays.
I think that exists way more with pins then it does with arcade games.
 
he said "Restored items almost always sell for more than good condition originals"

ask any antique dealer in the country if that is a true statement.

I've been buying/selling antiques with my wife for over 30 years. Yes it is true.

Items like cash registers, pedal cars, bikes, motor cycles, etc etc

Most of the time the professionally restored item will sell for a lot more than the original. There are exceptions for those super rare items.
 
I've been buying/selling antiques with my wife for over 30 years. Yes it is true.

Items like cash registers, pedal cars, bikes, motor cycles, etc etc

Most of the time the professionally restored item will sell for a lot more than the original. There are exceptions for those super rare items.

If you say so...

You cant watch antiques roadshow for 20 minutes without them telling someone their item is worth less because its been repaired, repainted or has non original parts.

I guess Ill go repaint my grandmas table from the 1800s so I can make it worth way more.
 
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