Pre-internet you just wrecked decent machines to keep your better ones going, it didnt really matter because pins were in garage sales/sat paper's for-sales column every weekend. We had a shed full of machines in the 80's, 12-15 to play, and 10 or more wrecked to keep them going. Good pin could be purchased for 50 fair to 200 bucks for near mint one back then. I dont have dads collection, but I have great memories of it!
Greg,
Do you have any photos from those times?
I dont think so Tony, and at that time I was the only person in my family taking photos (on my B&W polariod instamatic camera), and I dont remember taking any. Dad would never have called himself a collector (he was a tinkerer of many things), there wouldnt be photos because there was no one who would be interested in them I guess (at the time). Reminds me, one wog EM gave him hell trying to fix, so he attached a ball plunger through the side of the cabinet, so it tripped a relay to start the game. Now I wish I had a photo of that! Ya miss ya dad heaps when they go, those memories are really special though.
