Ball 1 of 3
Know what you
are looking at
Most pinball writing online exists to tell you a machine is worth a number. This site exists to tell you what it is, what shape it is in, and what will break next. Start with whichever of these is true right now.
- I want to buy oneBudgets, eras, what to inspect, and how not to overpay for a project.
- I have one alreadyWork out what it is, roughly when it was built, and what condition it is really in.
- Mine is brokenCommon faults, what they mean, and which repairs are worth doing yourself.
- I just want to lookThe most wanted machines, the great licences, and the ones from your arcade.
Six things that decide everything
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IdentificationFour eras, four different machines
Electromechanical, early solid state, dot matrix and modern play differently, break differently and cost differently. Knowing which one you are looking at is the first move.
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ConditionPlayfield wear is the whole ballgame
Cabinet scratches are cosmetic. Worn clearcoat, ghosting inserts and planking are not. Here is what separates honest wear from a machine you should walk away from.
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MechanicsIt is a machine, not an appliance
Coils, switch stacks and a wiring harness. Almost every fault traces to something mechanical you can see, test and replace.
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ArtworkBackglass or translite, and why it matters
Silkscreened glass flakes. Printed translites do not. Which one a machine has tells you something about when it was built and what a replacement will cost.
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SourcingWhere machines actually come from
Route operators, estates, auctions, collectors thinning a lineup. Each source has its own pricing logic and its own risks.
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LogisticsThe part nobody plans for
A machine weighs 250 to 350 pounds, comes apart into two pieces, and will not go round a tight stair turn assembled. Measure before you buy, not after.
See what is actually on the market
The honest answer to "what is this worth" is never a number somebody typed. It is what comparable machines in comparable condition are selling for this week. Start with live listings, then filter to sold ones — that is the only price data that means anything.
Links to eBay are affiliate links. If you buy through one we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we tell you. Full disclosure.
What we will not do
This niche is full of sites that invent numbers because invented numbers get clicks. The audience here knows better, so we hold to four rules.
- No invented valuesWe will never tell you a machine is worth a figure. We will show you how to read completed sales and what to adjust for.
- No invented production numbersProduction runs are researchable. If we cannot verify one against a real source, we leave it out rather than guess.
- No invented authentication tellsA wrong identification tell costs you money in both directions. Where we cannot confirm a detail, we teach you the check instead.
- Photography is labelledAtmospheric images on this site are illustrative and marked as such. Nothing decorative is ever presented as a reference specimen.