The Games That Got Away - Tell your stories!

I was 2nd in line for a Tapper in SoCal. I told the seller to tell Kalan that David in AZ says "Hi!" Sure as shit, I get a text from Kalan later with pics of the Tapper. Hahahahah! I called it.

Kalan's a badass and one of my favorite dudes in the hobby, so it was all good. If it couldn't be mine, I'm glad it was his.
 
I think I may know what happened to that arcade...how far are you from grand blanc MI?

Yeah, we are right on Lake Michigan, Very close to the Indiana Border. Cabinet had been painted black. It was for sale on here at least once by the person who got it. So it could be the same one. I know that they had it all running.
 
I found a lot not too far away, maybe 150 miles.

10 games or so, mostly classics.
Included a Donkey Kong, Star Wars (NW) w Amplifone, Qbert, etc.

Had some duplicates that I would sell to a friend and the lot was priced around $1500 if I recall.

I hee-hawed around too long, worrying about logistics and storage.

I kept seeing that scene from Die Hard where Bruce Willis is kicking Jon Amos off the wing of the plane- (paraphrasing) "I've got ENOUGH games!"
 
At least two stories, one old one new... Found the retired operator who supplied the actual classics I played locally 40 years ago, and he still had a couple hundred of them packed away for decades in an old warehouse. These were literally the actual games I myself had played at my favorite pizza joint, movie theater, bowling alley, skating rink, etc in my hometown when I was a teenager. He took me in to see them, I tagged several I wanted, we shook on it, but it was winter and the inactive building had been blocked by plowed snow banks. He said I'd just have to wait until spring when the snow was gone, which I did and started calling him weekly..., but he always had some reason we'd have to wait a bit longer. The last time I called, by some incredible coincidence he was at the warehouse, as his wife told me. So I rushed down there only to find him watching the games all being loaded onto a tractor trailer. He had just sold everything to someone else. I was stunned, because I had been in steady contact with him, offered to pay ahead of time, and he seemed like a genuinely good guy. He wouldn't explain what happened, and just said to ask the new owned if he'd sell me the meager few I wanted. There were duplicates of most if not all, Tempest, Galaga, BattleZone, PacMan, Centipede, Space Invaders, Gyruss, Flash pinball... But alas, the new guy replied with the equivalent of "Get lost." Felt like it was all a set-up to intentionally wound me for life..., before I had any found any of those titles elsewhere, didn't know if I ever would, and I'd had months to savor the thought that I'd found my whole dream collection all at once along with the actual buttons my 13-year-old fingers had tapped away at... (sigh)

New story just happened the day before yesterday. Found immaculate, fully working, all original Asteroids Deluxe cocktail table on eBay. Had been hardly touched in same homeowner's game room for nearly 30 years, located less than an hour drive away from me, bidding starts at 399, still no bids the morning of the end date, and it's got "Make an offer". So, like an average human living in a capitalist society, my first offer is low, 350, figuring I can always bid that night when the auction's ending around 9pm. Big mistake. Decades using eBay and I was still too dumb to realize that any accepted offer would end the auction early. Around noon, the seller sends me a very nice counter-offer of 399, which I would've very happily accepted if only I knew about it, but I was out doing my workin'-stiff day job without a computer on hand and thinking I had until 9pm to get back to it. I checked-in about 6pm and the heartbreak hit... They had ended the auction and sold it to the first bidder for 399. ARRGH..., could've just bid instead of making a stupid offer..., although if I couldn't stare at my computer all day and the seller seems to have offered to a bidder, might not've mattered. I keep telling myself it's no big deal, I've had a stand-up Asteroids Deluxe for years, but man, it's way harder to stop grieving than it should be... (sigh) :)
 
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2005, went to dude's house to see about a sweet Paperboy. I hadn't seen/played one since the arcade in 1987. Played one game and wasn't feeling it. The $350 ask seemed steep at the time.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda...
 
$100 Battlezone on CL. Actually sent several emails until they took the ad down, just to be sure. Same CL had a lot of nearly $1000 in Sega CD/Genesis/rare 32X games and hardware all boxed mint for $50, and I offered $100 but it was already long gone. There still are people out there that do zero homework and give stuff away if you are lucky to find them.
 
I had bid on and "won" a Midway Demolition Derby cocktail at a live auction. The auctioneer even said sold but right after he said that a big local operator walked back into the room and asked what was bid on. The auctioneer tells him and the op wanted to a chance to bid so the auctioneer opens bidding back up. At the time I was just in shock that it happened. Looking back on it now I wish I would have done something. Right after he started to auction the machine again, other bidders yelled to the auctioneer "You said it was sold!" so I wasn't alone feeling that I had been screwed. To be honest it was probably for the best, because when I saw gameplay footage of Demolition Derby I was underwhelmed. Still sucks to have something taken from you by shady auction practices.
 
When I started collecting in the early 90's I used to frequent New Orleans Novelty, the biggest distributor in the New Orleans area, and got to be pretty good friends with the parts manager. Whenever I needed a PC board for one of my games he'd usually hook me up. The way it worked was that for every so many games New Orleans Novelty would buy, the manufacturer would send them an 'incentive' brand new pc board. They had a room full of brand new motherboards, probably around 200 or so, all boxed and labeled. Well, one day I called the parts manager looking for something and he says "oh, by the way, we just loaded up both dumpsters with the PC boards that were in that room. Owner wanted to make room for other things." All I could say was "Darren, please put a sign on the dumpsters, for them to not pick up. I'll be there in 20 minutes. I'll even pay you." Needless to say, he called me 5 minutes later and said, "they already came and emptied the dumpsters'.
 
Went to pick up a busted centipede cabinet, show up and this guy is just emptying his house, just complete junk/trash/damaged items everywhere. He says everything needs to be out by 1100 or he has to split half with his wife. He helps me load the cab, then asks if I like Mortal Kombat. I'm like sure, can't imagine what condition it's in considering the rest of the junk, but he takes me inside and there is sitting a near-pristine original Mortal Kombat. It's complete, just missing the monitor. He's says he'll take $75 for it since it's missing the monitor. I'm like 'deal of the year' right here, let me drop the centipede off and I'll come back to get it since I'm only 10 minutes away.

I get the centipede dropped off, about half the drive back his son calls me saying his dad made a mistake and can't sell the MK. I can hear the dad in the background tellin the kid he made a deal and wants it gone but the son isn't having it. Kicked myself in the ass for days regretting not taking the MK first, I was so bitter about the deal I didn't even want the centipede to remind me of it. Learned a valuable lesson: always load up the better deal first.
 
They've been a handful over the 15 years I've been collecting, so I'll go with the most recent story.
I came across a $100 Space Zap on FB Marketplace the first or second week of March. I messaged the guy, but lost out by 20 minutes!
 
Environmental Discs of Tron

Back in the late '90s I had a friend who owned a comic book store, and he got his op to bring in an EDOT. He knew it was my favorite and offered to get me a deal on it for $350. I passed on it because I lived in an apartment at the time and knew I'd never be able to fit in through the doors.

Some pain is unavoidable especially when it comes to lack of space, but an EDOT - yes that hurts
 
Although I didn't have room for either, I always kind of regret not grabbing a working Vindicators for $50 and somewhere else a Donkey Kong 3 that just needed a cap kit also for $50.
 
Here's mine. I got a call from a friend about a game at a garage sale. I went to look at it, it was a Gaplus in a converted Stern Cabinet. No picture, but could hear the game come up. Cabinet was solid. They wanted $50.00. I had just picked up a galaxian cocktail the night before that needed work. I also was unsure of the value, in a converted cab and all. I asked how firm they were on the price. The lady's friend reminded her that it was the first day so they said firm. I told them I might come back. Later that day I was kicking myself for being cheap, and went back the next morning. Someone had bought it the day before. I would have loaded it in my truck when I was there on Friday, but I got cheap, I was trying to get it for $40.00. I was also somewhat hew to the hobby, but that's really not an excuse for being cheap and stupid...

I think I know where this ended up... sweetwater bar and grill grand Blanc,MI
 
I think I know where this ended up... sweetwater bar and grill grand Blanc,MI

I sold a Scramble cabinet that was painted black on eBay in 2005 and someone local picked it up At just the right angle in the light, you could see the STERN on the sides showing through the black paint. When I sold it, it had a Super Cobra bezel, some funky Time Pilot sticker marquee, and a TP board in it. I'm only 30 miles away from Grand Blanc, wonder if that might have been mine? A few pics I could find of it...

TP02.jpg TP06.jpg
 
I sold a Scramble cabinet that was painted black on eBay in 2005 and someone local picked it up At just the right angle in the light, you could see the STERN on the sides showing through the black paint. When I sold it, it had a Super Cobra bezel, some funky Time Pilot sticker marquee, and a TP board in it. I'm only 30 miles away from Grand Blanc, wonder if that might have been mine? A few pics I could find of it...

View attachment 462987 View attachment 462988
It's quite possible! Wish I took a pic of the gaplus when I was there but I didn't. :(. But you can head there and see...I won't be up that way for awhile
 
Told this story in another recent thread, but in short - Found a nice Tron about an hour and a half from me for $550 about a year ago and was the first to make an offer. We talked on the phone, nice enough guy, just wanted it gone from his place of business. I offered to come after work, and he said please come the next day (Saturday) at 3:00 instead. That next morning, he texts me to say he's leaving early, and I need to be there by 1:30. Hadn't picked up the truck I was using yet. Texted back just to ask if someone else would be there in case I didn't make it on time. 30 minutes later: "Sorry, I offered it to the next guy in line. He's on his way. Take care". It wasn't even noon yet. Needless to say it was a frustrating experience.
 
I lost out on an Omega Race cocktail earlier this year. I messaged the seller that I was interested in it and that I would figure out shipping but they offered to bring it down my way if I covered the gas etc. I said sure. The day before he said he tested the game and decided to keep it instead (it was on sale here for like multiple months).

Later on I got messaged about another Omega Race, however it was the start of Covid and I wasn't very mobile because of it (still am not, goddamn "necessary worker designation") but we worked out a deal where I would meet up with em down here. But then Covid shit really started to hit the fan and I had to call it off.
 
Over 20 years ago I did a bulk buy from a guy in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Still remember his name --- Reginald. He was renting a building that had a bunch of stuff in the back that he told the landlord he would dispose of. Nothing but Nintendo coin op stuff. The roof had been leaking and many were in bad shape, but I hauled out 15 dual monitor play choice machines, and probably 20-30 of the VS packs in the black plastic boxes with roms and art. The stuff was fairly difficult to get out and it was a nasty environment. In the very back, along with alot of trash, were 7-8 red tents. Every machine I pulled out of there was $50 each. The truck was fairly full by the time I get to the red tents and I was tired. I could have gone back for the red tents, but never did because who the heck would want those ugly boat anchors? Back then, you couldn't hardly give away a red tent. I had a hard time getting rid of all those Playchoice machines, even took some to auction and watched them sell for $200-$250

Sometime I wonder if those red tents are still in there.
 
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Wow. Nothing like these stories. Mine are mostly tossing out a bid, and someone else grabbing it.

There is a Robotron Cocktail on eBay for $2500. It's worth $1000 to me - no more, so I pitched an offer. Rejected.

Apparently this guy saw the NIB Robotron go for big bucks, and thinks theirs is worth that. I'll drive an extra hour for the upright in Missouri instead if I can get my wife aligned.
 
I missed out on a Defender and an Atari XO Football, priced at about $250 each, within a month of each other about 15 years ago. Still pisses me off, especially the Football...
 
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