The prices have no reflection on the quality of the machines at all, rather people needing to sell in a hury due to unforseen circumstances by the looks of it, or people just wanting to change titles, either way, a few people only out of at least 2 hundred is peanuts. People have been buying n selling all makes of pinball machines for fifty years and losing a bit here n there on the changeover, so its no big deal at all. It seems to only be a big deal to some if its a recent Stern.
And IMO there is no such thing as a Stern Pro half a pin. The Pro models are fully featured and can hold their own compared to any pinball machine before it. The Pros have sold very very well because they are such a great machine, full of features, so the half a pin bit doesnt make any sense to me at all. Anyone who has played the latest Sterns would know that the LE machines only have a few different bits n pieces on the playfield compared to a Pro. If anything, its the lighting and the bling which sets them apart.
If u look at the last AC/DC Pro that went for $4,000, the bidder actually bidded 4 x more times over n above the $4,000 but only because no one else bid, did he get a decent score. How much were his subsequent 4 x more bids, could be one hundred each, could be two hundred each, who knows, but his additional unused bids show he was definately prepared to pay more.
The recent Avengers LE sold for $6400 cause the owner decided to list a machine at a auction start instead of a buy it now, with a offer advertisement, which clearly would have got him alot more, because the machine was resold within a week for $8200 plus. Therefore, brand new is $8950, 2nd hand out of box, not brand new in box is $8250, a $700 adrop, which sounds about right.
There is a Tron for sale on Ebay at the moment for $4300, thats a good deal as well. Some people dont mind buying at $6200 and selling a few grand cheaper after a few years of usage. Others would hold their price high and wait and not suffer the loss.
It all shows one thing, if u have the cash, and your timing is right, u can sometimes pick up bargains. Nothing unusual here for the pinball industry. One mans financial difficulty is another mans windfall.
