Sold Prices - Restored versus Original

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.

What's a "true" collectible? In any event, in my experience, the instances where restored items sell for more than otherwise identical originals in good condition (good condition meaning, say, 75 to 80% condition) far outnumber the reverse.

Some things don't lend themselves well to restoration though, like guns. Refinishing a gun usually ruins/softens the sharpness of the original lines/markings, thus reducing its value. However, there are some highly-skilled gun restorers out there who use e.g., welding, filing, stoning techniques to make an old pitted gun look brand new (as opposed to a typical sandblasting and rebluing job that a local gunsmith might do), without any visible signs that it has been refinished (Doug Turnbull is an example), and those will often sell for as much or more than a good condition original of the same make/model/age.
 
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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.

Have fun and tell Granny that I hope she enjoys her beautiful new table! :D
 
Have fun and tell Granny that I hope she enjoys her beautiful new table! :D

Granny loves her new table!

GrandMaFighter.jpg
 
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I think from what I've seen here on KLOV, that restored games definitely command more money than nice originals. I mean there are always a few exceptions, but restored seems to be bring the bigger bucks. People like minty looking games.
 
I thought about starting this same threat this morning because I'm so tired of hearing that restoration kills value. There are whole industries premised on people restoring and modding their cars. There are multiple TV shows on cable devoted to guys that make a living restoring old cars or modifying them into dream cars. People pay big money for this every day of the week. I was at the Petersen auto museum in LA last week and they had a whole display based on award-winning hot rods, i.e. heavily modified cars that amount to one-offs by specific builders. There are annual awards for the best cars.

The idea that keeping it original is the only way an old car (or an old game) is worth money is just false. A good restoration adds value to a worn out game, just like it does to most old cars.
 
I should prob sit back and enjoy some peoples logic...but I'm pretty sure my moms 74' gran torino (starsky n hutch theme) my dad and I fully restored down to the 8 track is worth way more now than how we pulled it out a barn sitting for 20 yrs with faded baby blue paint on it...but hey, if restorations were not a thing I'm pretty sure all the historical houses here in Macon, Ga would not be standing still from the civil war...prob should of been left alone to rot and fall down...some things are best left alone like 1 of a kind paintings, guns, ECT...but we talking about arcade games that were made in the thousands all the same except for like 4%...ppl want mass produced items you can find mint...I dont see rare cars being sold for 120 k+ un restored

Please forgive my sexy hip rolls (was a bad summer of beer drinking)

-Brian
 

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where are you getting your data? Who is buying?

What do you consider restored? Cheap sticker kits or people sourcing original parts. Don't confuse reproduced with restored.

So are your saying you would spend more for a game with repo art over an original that's as nice? That's the problem with your argument, people will pay more now for something that looks nice as they don't have the skills nor the desire to bring a game to like new.

You don't have an endless supply of perfect original games, so people don't have a choice. They buy what they want now. If you put both in front of the buyer and they could actually see the poor quality of the reproductions, most will take the unrestored option if its close.

its when you get farther out in time, that people will care. just look at cars. Old restored cars can be worth more the modern restorations as the older restored generally are using oem parts. But what is worth the most? unrestored original.
 
lol tufnel cracks me up... he just can NOT be wrong... in his mind...


This stuff is worth what people are willing to pay for it.

I do not collect vector, because in my mind, it is not worth my money.

It may be worth YOUR money, but I have better things to do with mine.


We had a debate on Serial numbers on JohnsArcade, where serial plates can be remade, and production numbers may not be accurate, or large distributors reordered machines and serial blocks were set aside...



It is all subjective.



I know this. I am not paying 4k for a roached out cab and some Glass.


That does not mean it is not worth that to someone else tho..... as we have seen.
 
I should prob sit back and enjoy some peoples logic...but I'm pretty sure my moms 74' gran torino (starsky n hutch theme) my dad and I fully restored down to the 8 track is worth way more now than how we pulled it out a barn sitting for 20 yrs with faded baby blue paint on it...but hey, if restorations were not a thing I'm pretty sure all the historical houses here in Macon, Ga would not be standing still from the civil war...prob should of been left alone to rot and fall down...some things are best left alone like 1 of a kind paintings, guns, ECT...but we talking about arcade games that were made in the thousands all the same except for like 4%...ppl want mass produced items you can find mint...I dont see rare cars being sold for 120 k+ un restored

Please forgive my sexy hip rolls (was a bad summer of beer drinking)

-Brian

If it was not for the recent starsky and hutch movie, your car might have been worth more in original color due the gran torino movie with clint eastwood.

http://mycarquest.com/2012/02/the-controversy-barn-find-original-versus-restored-classic-car.html

http://mycarquest.com/2014/01/now-t...re-are-a-few-questions-that-come-to-mind.html
 
If it was not for the recent starsky and hutch movie, your car might have been worth more in original color due the gran torino movie with clint eastwood.

http://mycarquest.com/2012/02/the-controversy-barn-find-original-versus-restored-classic-car.html

http://mycarquest.com/2014/01/now-t...re-are-a-few-questions-that-come-to-mind.html

That Gran Torino was a 72' in the movie, different body style and hood (though it looks badass)...that has nothing to do with 74' model....actually the best thing to happen for the 74' model was SnH using it...and what we dragged out the barn was like an arcade game sitting for 20+ years....it was rusty but thank god for old priming cars...fucker cranked up after few tries

Also you links are talking about almost 1 of a kind cars that you will never find again..lets not compare a 74' torino to a 65 shelby or a 330SL Benz ...like comparing my 1 of 25 19" centipede cocktail to a Nintendo DK......also the untouched benz was so close why not save 200k and restore it yourself...which i bet they did...million dollar cars are not like my maybe 8-15k car or a maybe 2k arcade machine lol... "hey, you restored an arcade machine and want 2K and this un restored sold for 1k, this idiot restored a rare 56' Benz and sold for 1.4 millions and the other un restored sold for 1.8 million"...obviously this is apples to apples

-Brian
 
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That Gran Torino was a 72' in the movie, different body style and hood (though it looks badass)...that has nothing to do with 74' model....actually the best thing to happen for the 74' model was SnH using it...and what we dragged out the barn was like an arcade game sitting for 20+ years....it was rusty but thank god for old priming cars...fucker cranked up after few tries

Also you links are talking about almost 1 of a kind cars that you will never find again..lets not compare a 74' torino to a 65 shelby or a 330SL Benz ...like comparing my 1 of 25 19" centipede cocktail to a Nintendo DK......also the untouched benz was so close why not save 200k and restore it yourself...which i bet they did...million dollar cars are not like my maybe 8-15k car or a maybe 2k arcade machine lol... "hey, you restored an arcade machine and want 2K and this un restored sold for 1k, this idiot restored a rare 56' Benz and sold for 1.4 millions and the other un restored sold for 1.8 million"...obviously this is apples to apples

-Brian


I don't that much about cars. But if you watch them sell at auction they talk about more common cars thunderbirds, el camino, bronco(At one time we had 3 broncos 69, 74, and 77), ect and they comment about unrestored vs restored car values. I can say my bothers '69 bronco looked cool (oversized wheels, roll bar, flared out fenders), but my mothers '77(disc brakes, factory ac, 100% original) sold for much more. Guy flew in from colorado to buy it and shipped it to florida.

Many/most arcade games are 1000 or less production. A video game does not survive as well as a car will in the barn. Plus not many gran torinos get converted into pintos. in the case of 65 shelby, they made 515 gt350's. thats about equal to MH and quantum. But then they made 1370 gt350's and 1000 gt350h's in 66. Yeah, its a different year, but if you wanted one, a 66 would not be something you would pass on. They did not make more MH or quantum.

Plus, people will bring back from the dead a car with just a serial number. I guess you can say that is sort of happening today with rare video games (quantum, reactor, ect). But are you going to spend $300k on a gt350 that was just a serial number brought back to life or are you going to spend $300k on an 100% original one?
 
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Deals are out there. you just have to look harder.

no video game is worth over a grand.



Williams pinballs from the 90s and up..... chaaa chinggg


I Came from the vintage car collector scene, most were fixing a car for themselves.

noone cares about numbers matching unless you are selling.


and quality NEW parts are better.


Hydraulic Disc Brakes ANY FKING DAY.
 
where are you getting your data? Who is buying?

What do you consider restored? Cheap sticker kits or people sourcing original parts. Don't confuse reproduced with restored.

So are your saying you would spend more for a game with repo art over an original that's as nice? That's the problem with your argument, people will pay more now for something that looks nice as they don't have the skills nor the desire to bring a game to like new.

You don't have an endless supply of perfect original games, so people don't have a choice. They buy what they want now. If you put both in front of the buyer and they could actually see the poor quality of the reproductions, most will take the unrestored option if its close.

its when you get farther out in time, that people will care. just look at cars. Old restored cars can be worth more the modern restorations as the older restored generally are using oem parts. But what is worth the most? unrestored original.

These were games sold on Klov. I found the best restores vs the best originals I could find.

And give me a break with thst NOS restore bull crap. Even in the car industry that doesn't fly.

There is NO possible way to "Restore" a car or a video game with your definition. You put body filler in it then it isn't "restored". You use paint that wasn't used by the company itself from the same batch, then it isn't "restored". You use thread to reupholster the seats that isn't NOS and it isn't factory. Etc, etc

And would I pay more for a restored game than an original that is as nice? I couldn't tell you, because I've never seen an original that looked 10/10. A restore looks showroom fresh, every original I have seen has dents/scrapes/rust/etc.
 
people always bring up cars even though the two things arent really comparable.

I would think more guitars which are similar in terms of market and cultural significance. Old guitars also had their time when they were undervalued and are now a heavily traded collectible thing. They are also modular with parts available to change them much like arcades so people did.. constantly.

basic thing on guitars and originality.. I couldnt cut and paste the one from the vintage guitar buyers guide which is better written but same gist.

Things like refinish, changed parts on a vintage guitar kill the value every time most collectors wont even touch those.

https://reverb.com/page/vintage-guitar-faq#conditionoriginality
 
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.

In those cases, the seller is passing along the labor costs they paid Bryan or Chris. That doesn't mean the pin is valued higher and you certainly can't keep passing that labor cost from owner to owner. I can see doing so if it was recently done, but eventually, it is just work that was done in the past, not part of the value. IMO, of course.
 
Restored on this forum means anything you want it to. LCDs, touched up stenciled sideart with a paintbrush, cheap inkjet sideart, replace original power supply with switcher, etc. using paint rollers, latex paint, wrong finishes, ........
 
For the two cabs I have, "restoring them" was the most fun part of the experience. If I just wanted a minty fresh, factory perfect game in my home I would just buy it. I have the money. The fun I get out of the restoration is the work I put into it. Plus, I can then say that the cabinet I have is "my" cab.

Now with regards to "restored is worth more than original" argument, that depends on the "collectable". Go ahead and try and sell a 'restored' coin, or comic book, or baseball card, or book. You'll get assaulted for destroying a collectible as well as perhaps have criminal charges filed if you try to defraud someone by saying it's original.

I will agree that restoration of functionally usable items does increase finish. (So things like cars, arcade cabinets, computers, etc.) That's mostly because there is still a desire to make use of that item. For things that are just collectible for the sake of display or e-peen dominance, restoration completely destroys them and can be considered a form of fraud unless it is explicitly stated that it is not original.
 
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