Own Magic, Star Gazer, Batman Forever, STTNG, Mystery Castle (project)
Gone Fairy, Secret Service, Meteor x3, Title Fight, Eight Ball Deluxe, Bone Busters Inc., Seawitch, Starship Troopers, Strange Science, Arena, Hook, Pin*Bot x2, Time Warp, Motordome, Robocop, Black hole, Jurassic Park , Wipe-Out, Pinball Pro: Challenger I, Swords of Fury, Stargate, Party Zone
How much would you pay for a MINT or high end restoration game?
It cost more than book value to restore a WH20.
Great point, Poolman. Not all collectors appreciate an exceptional quality of game and most of those folks like to piss on the value others assign to a game.
For example, try finding a nice WH20 for under $2K (minor playfield wear, no cabinet fade, no breaks on the ramps, minor plastic breaks) or a nice GetAway for $1,800 (no playfield wear, no cabinet fade). I've been looking and haven't seen them. Yet if you asked the group for prices of these two games, I bet they would say less than the prices I have stated.
I have bought "deals" before only to be disappointed with the quality of the game. Then I play it for awhile, fix it up (deals always have issues), and sell to recoup my money later. But they aren't keepers. I've been collecting for over 10 years, I want nice games. That's the evolution of my collection. By now, I've pretty much owned every game I've wanted. Now I want NICE examples, perfect if I can find and afford them.
Like some members who assign realistic values, I appreciate quality and will assign a fair price for a quality game.
As Adam has pointed out, Whitewater is the most expensive game to mint out. You have to really love the game to go the path of a complete restore. The ramps alone are crazy money. Many collectors do, but it's not for the faint of wallet