The only good thing about this is that it makes the ones left more valuable - no, wait a second, that is a bad thing.
What we should be grateful for are the guys that kept there machines post Operation. Then we need to thanks the guys that are actively looking for these machines - because most of them are overseas.
The industry is run by hobbyists like US... It is our duty to buy the machines, restore, maintain and fill our gamesrooms with more !
Here's a story for you (sign of the times) - I went to a private secondary school, and every year we had a School Carnival. Dad would fill the truck up a couple of time with EMs. At the end of the night - they were raffled off, or donated to the school for fund raisers. Yep - they were given away at every opportunity.. He did the same for local sports clubs..
Every now and again I see a game that I recognize as Dad's from the "old days"... I once saw a "Seven Up" at a dealer's about 8 years ago. I knew it was Dad's as it had his hand writing on the score card. The number "7" had a line through it - typical of his handwriting (European)...
Don't get me started on the Bally Bingos (50's Machines)....