Downsizing? Determined to get rid of stuff no longer needed? Cleaning out a home or an estate? Stop! Know Before You Throw.
He’s a pinball wizard… Remember the Pinball Wizard song written by Pete Townshend of The Who and featured in their 1969 rock opera album Tommy? The character Tommy played pinball by feeling the vibrations of the machine. Pete liked how that related to listeners picking up the vibrations of the music to feel the story.
The origins of pinball can be traced back to Western Europe in the 1700s. A table game on an inclined playing field with balls and a coiled-spring plunger called Billard Japonais was created. In the late 1800s, inventor Montague Redgrave patented improvements, and those improvements were acknowledged as the birth of modern pinball. While the modern pinball machine has gone through many changes since its inception, few remain given the advent of more portable and realistic electronic games. In fact, most of the major pinball manufacturers closed in the 1990s.
Despite that, you still can experience the thrill of feeling the vibrations of a vintage pinball machine. At the Pinball Hall of Fame, in Las Vegas, there are more than 150 carefully maintained machines, some dating back to the 1930s. They are all available to play in the family-friendly venue where all can enjoy arcade games from the past for mostly 25 cents a play—a far better return on fun than most casinos offer.
If you are fortunate to own a pinball machine, it may be worth more than you paid for it. For instance, a restored 1967 King of Diamonds Classic Car/Poker pinball machine, manufactured by Gottlieb, recently sold for $5,500. A fully restored 1975 Quick Draw machine, by Gottlieb, was spotted online for $4,500. What about the 1975 (Pinball) Wizard machine, made by Bally to commemorate that famous Who song? About 10,000 were produced, and a fully restored example recently was spotted online for $6,800.
If you ever have questions about your pinball machine or arcade game, have a trained eye determine if it has value. Call me today to help you. As always, give me a call and Know Before You Throw.
So, what’s in your game room?
Jon Englund has more than 30 years of experience in appraising and liquidating personal property, jewelry, art, collectibles, antiques, furniture, printed items and more, as well as more than 15 years of experience in real estate. A Midwest transplant, Jon trained at New York University in appraisal studies.
For more information, call (480) 699-1567. You also can send an email to Jon@KnowBeforeYouThrow.INFO.