Sold Prices - Restored versus Original

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.

This .

Without a doubt the overwhelming majority of fully restored games are worth more than nice originals in this hobby currently and it's almost entirely due to the two factors mentioned above: Buyers not having the skill or time to freshen up nice examples (eg. applying a true NOS cpo to an already extremely nice survivor) and the scarcity of true 9/9.5 out of 10 originals. If you put a perfect high end repro Quantam next to a 9 out 10 original I bet a lot of buyers would be comfortable spending a bit more on a near perfect original. It's just that there are so few huo type gems for sale that it's not really possible to compare pricing data.

Down the road I believe there will definitely be a premium on high end survivors (like early American furniture, early corvettes, etc.) over 'perfect' repros, but at the moment people do to seem to be paying up for said repros and IMO it's largely due to lack of skills and the belief that a perfect repro will be more reliable than a near perfect survivor.
 
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

I agree that comparing the collectible car market to the arcade market doesn't really work, they are too dissimilar. Not only is the collectible car market driven by the ultra-rich in a way that arcade collectibles is not, but cars and arcade games were different types of products when introduced. Almost all cars are purchased by individuals for individual use, and because people develop an emotional attachment to cars, they were often kept even after the original owner stopped using them. So there actually are Corvettes out there in barns that were purchased and then barely driven, and look as good today as they did when they were brand new, without restoration of any kind.

On the other hand, almost all arcade games were purchased in bulk for commercial use, and probably 99.9% of them saw heavy use almost immediately and many were disposed of or heavily altered when they stopped being useful to the operator. And so the arcade equivalent of the 1,000 mile Corvette doesn't really exist, at least not in great enough numbers or high enough demand to create its own niche in the market. A better comparison would probably be arcade games to taxi cabs, and the taxi cab collecting community, while I'm sure it exists, is nothing like the classic car collecting community.

But that also separates arcade games from vintage guitars, too. Again, unlike arcade games, guitars were purchased by individuals who kept them and loved them and cherished them. So there actually ARE vintage Les Pauls in people's closets that are basically exactly as they were when new, and so there's a market for guitars in that condition. That really doesn't apply to arcade games... if you want one that looks brand new, you pretty much have to get a restored one.

The arcade collecting market is not driven by the ultra-wealthy in the way the collectible car market is, and there are far fewer examples of truly 10/10 unrestored arcade games that would attract the ultra-wealthy buyer anyway. Both classic cars and guitars are bad comparisons IMO. The bottom line with arcade games is the same with most collectibles: the nicer it looks and the better it works, the more it will sell for, unrestored or not.
 
Last edited:
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.

^^^^This. Find a original game that is in the same CONDITION as a resto and it is worth plenty of money, way more than any bondo box with new stickers and paint.
 
^^^^This. Find a original game that is in the same CONDITION as a resto and it is worth plenty of money, way more than any bondo box with new stickers and paint.

Ok back it up. Show me an example.
 
Last edited:
^^^^This. Find a original game that is in the same CONDITION as a resto and it is worth plenty of money, way more than any bondo box with new stickers and paint.

Not sure you really need examples to accept the validity of this statement. With two games of the same quality (function and appearance), the original is a much rarer find, and is absolutely going to be much more coveted than the resto, and naturally will command a higher price.
 
Not sure you really need examples to accept the validity of this statement. With two games of the same quality (function and appearance), the original is a much rarer find, and is absolutely going to be much more coveted than the resto, and naturally will command a higher price.

Still waiting for examples. Talk is cheap :)
 
Ok back it up. Show me an example.


I think Ms Pac is probably a bad example, as it has a stronger draw outside the collector community (which boosts the demand). I'd be interested to see the difference with a "collectible" game...(nearly) perfect, all original vs. a similar condition restoration.
 
Still waiting for examples. Talk is cheap :)


I guess that's the rub...there aren't a lot of examples of "mint" originals to which we can compare. I think someone cited that arcade games have been collected for over 30 years, so IS a mature hobby. I'm not convinced of that. In a mature hobby, collectors understand the value of rarity, and discern between original and restored. More restorations can be produced...mint originals are what they are. There are certainly a LOT people here that ARE true collectors, but I also I think there are enough people in this hobby, that are more interested in "appearance", than substance, that pay a premium for half-assed restorations, and challenge the notion that it has yet become a mature hobby.

With that said, I will note that I've seen some really conscientious and talented restorers here that go out of their way, and spare NO expense to return games to their former glory. I will distinguish THOSE restorations from the general repro'ed side are restorations, when discussing value. As with other types of collectibles, a true restoration is about art, not money, and often costs more than the item is even worth.
 
Last edited:
I guess that's the rub...there aren't a lot of examples of "mint" originals to which we can compare. I think someone cited that arcade games have been collected for over 30 years, so IS a mature hobby. I'm not convinced of that. In a mature hobby, collectors understand the value of rarity, and discern between original and restored. More restorations can be produced...mint originals are what they are. There are certainly a LOT people here that ARE true collectors, but I also I think there are enough people in this hobby, that are more interested in "appearance", than substance, that pay a premium for half-assed restorations, and challenge the notion that it has yet become a mature hobby.

With that said, I will note that I've seen some really conscientious and talented restorers here that go out of their way, and spare NO expense to return games to their former glory. I will distinguish THOSE restorations from the general repro'ed side are restorations, when discussing value. As with other types of collectibles, a true restoration is about art, not money, and often costs more than the item is even worth.
Amen brother.
f1ff5b7b980797ded839a19d2080fb80.jpg
954b5d53bafbdc694e8b0cf3c8bd3777.jpg
 
Still waiting for examples. Talk is cheap :)

I think a lot of people are talking past each other on this subject.

In my mind, a "good" original is not going to command anywhere near the value of a near mint 100% survivor. Really nice survivors are super-scarce and that drives up value a lot in many cases.

Also, a "good" original is not anywhere near the condition of a restored game. Comparing "good" original to a decent restore is not comparing apples to apples. A good original would probably be more akin to an obviously flawed restoration.

Trying to use HEP or Bryan Kelly as an example is also flawed because those guys are at the top of the restoration universe. I've seen very few arcade games restored in the way those guys do it.

So anyway, to respond to your post here's a recent example. I picked up a non-working, red TKG2 Donkey Kong last year. The game was 99.9% original (only the joystick ball was missing) and in very nice shape, plus it still had the stickers from the Time Tunnel Arcade where it was in service. So, it was nice and had a "story".

Knowing that its getting harder and harder to find red DKs (when I got my first one in 2009 they would come up 4 or 5 times a year), and knowing that I've never seen one this type of condition (except for maybe BrokenToken's red TKG3), I offered what I thought was a CRAZY high price of $2,000.00. I honestly thought I was overpaying for the game but justified it in my mind because it was only about an hour from me (no shipping cost or long drive) and, like I said, they just don't show up in this condition.

Within a few days of scooping the cab and taking it home I already had offers as high as $2,500.

There are lots of "red" restored DKs out there and they go for around $1000.00. They're usually blue cabs repainted and they don't have that nice Japanese hard coat finish like the originals. They look good in a photo but when you look at them up close, that's when you start to see they're not professional restorations. They're never going to command the same price in the true collector markets as a near mint survivor.
 
Funny thread...

An arcade machine is worth what the buyer is willing to pay for it. We all know the cost of an 1n60 pcb but yet we see those things sell for way too much..

So simple market research can be flawed.

Not all arcade customers are willing to pay xxx for LCD 1n60.
 
Funny thread...

An arcade machine is worth what the buyer is willing to pay for it. We all know the cost of an 1n60 pcb but yet we see those things sell for way too much..

So simple market research can be flawed.

Not all arcade customers are willing to pay xxx for LCD 1n60.
THIS all day long.....

I also collect vintage guitars and it's the same thing. I've seen garbage sell at auctions for crazy money because people have gotten into bidding wars. And I've seen original examples that are very nice go for way less than poorly restored or recreations. Any collectible is only worth what people will pay for it.
 
THIS all day long.....

I also collect vintage guitars and it's the same thing. I've seen garbage sell at auctions for crazy money because people have gotten into bidding wars. And I've seen original examples that are very nice go for way less than poorly restored or recreations. Any collectible is only worth what people will pay for it.

I think you are using "cost" and "value" synonymously, but they are slightly different. People overpay/underpay for stuff all the time, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's the new "value" of that item. What someone pays may be what the item is worth to THEM (at that moment), but not necessarily what the item is generally worth to the general (knowledgeable) population. One buyer does not a market make. :) That's part of the frustration with some of the exchanges here on the forum...one game sells for way more than it's "worth", and suddenly everyone thinks that's the new value.
 
I don't trust any of you doofuses to actually restore a game properly. If I see restored, I think brushed on latex semi gloss pant full of orange peel and brush lines. /cringe


I love you all.
 
Last edited:
LOL back before I was in the position to able to collect arcade games, I never would have realized how much the automotive hobby and game hobby have in common.
 
Like anything that people collect, the closer to perfect original specimen is always going to be the goal. But, not everyone that has arcade games is really a collector. You can be an enthusiast and own some things but to be a collector is a different level of seriousness about it all. As much as I love a restored machine and i've restored many the great shape original is always going to draw me in. A quantum with basically everything new just really isn't a quantum, it just looks like one and to me is worth the sum of it's parts plus some labor. It didn't come from the Atari factory. In my mind, the best restorations are the ones that do as much as possible to preserve the original game the best it can be. Always more impressive. It's super easy to just send paypal and get all new parts, anyone can do it. It takes time, patience and dedication to go for the originals.
 
Like anything that people collect, the closer to perfect original specimen is always going to be the goal. But, not everyone that has arcade games is really a collector. You can be an enthusiast and own some things but to be a collector is a different level of seriousness about it all. As much as I love a restored machine and i've restored many the great shape original is always going to draw me in. A quantum with basically everything new just really isn't a quantum, it just looks like one and to me is worth the sum of it's parts plus some labor. It didn't come from the Atari factory. In my mind, the best restorations are the ones that do as much as possible to preserve the original game the best it can be. Always more impressive. It's super easy to just send paypal and get all new parts, anyone can do it. It takes time, patience and dedication to go for the originals.

It's worth at least $4,000.
 
Like anything that people collect, the closer to perfect original specimen is always going to be the goal. But, not everyone that has arcade games is really a collector. You can be an enthusiast and own some things but to be a collector is a different level of seriousness about it all. As much as I love a restored machine and i've restored many the great shape original is always going to draw me in. A quantum with basically everything new just really isn't a quantum, it just looks like one and to me is worth the sum of it's parts plus some labor. It didn't come from the Atari factory. In my mind, the best restorations are the ones that do as much as possible to preserve the original game the best it can be. Always more impressive. It's super easy to just send paypal and get all new parts, anyone can do it. It takes time, patience and dedication to go for the originals.


This sums it up for me. (And I feel the same.)

The real question is, regardless of how things have been in the past, and are now, is will more collectors feel the same as above, as time goes on. Personally, I think that will happen, and this hobby will follow the same trajectory as many/most other antique collectibles. I see little reason for it not to. But that's, like, just my opinion man.

However since there is no way for any of us to see into the future, it's all really just speculation, and there isn't really much point in debating it, IMO. Just believe what you believe.
 
Back
Top Bottom