Author Topic: Story for everyone  (Read 646 times)

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Offline Retropin

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Story for everyone
« on: June 25, 2011, 04:31:20 PM »
I received this email this morning. Its from my friend Michael Weaver in USA. I have never met Michael.. we exchange restoration tips and often thrill of the chase stories as well as regular updates as to what each has picked up lately.
This is such a great read, i thought id share it with all of you... enjoy.




Gavin...On Wednesday evening around 10 pm I was looking at the local craigslist for pinball machines and I spotted a Captain Kidd pinball machine….I remembered this game from when I was a kid because of the neat backglass.  The ad read:
1960 Captain Kidd pinball machine - $160 (Baltimore)
Pinball machine is excellent condition haven't played in 20 years but it's stuck on tilt

Call mike at 410 636 10XX. Thanks
 
I felt that it was pretty late to be calling someone about a pinball machine at 10:15 pm, but I took a chance and gave Mike a call…he answered and said that his nephew had just put the game on the net a couple of hours ago and that I was the first caller.  He said that his father-in-law had bought the game almost 50 years ago and he needed to sell it because he was downsizing to a small apartment.  Mike mentioned that the game was in excellent shape but didn’t work because when they powered the game on, it always said TILT.  Even though there were no pictures of the game on the craigslist ad, I told him I would buy the game sight unseen.  He said that Saturday morning would probably be the best time to come and get the game.  He said that the game was mine as far as he was concerned (I have heard this line many times in the past only to show up and not find the game for one reason or another).  I got his cell number and told him that I would contact him on Friday evening to arrange pickup of the machine.
 
All day Thursday I thought about the game and decided to call him and leave a message on his cell phone that I was available to pick the game up Thursday evening.  To my surprise, he said some time had freed up and to meet him around 7 pm at his father-in-laws house in Baltimore.  Being a little leery about going into certain parts of Baltimore as night approaches on the whim of a craigslist ad, I ask a friend of mine to come along and cover my back if needed.  I plugged in the GPS and traversed a series of narrow streets in Baltimore and found the address….it was a neatly cared for  row house where everyone  was sitting out on their front stoops.  The road was just wide enough to get the car up…cars were parked on both sides of the road with no parking spaces in sight.  Sitting on the front steps of the row house were Mike and his father-in-law Bill.  They said to just pull into the alley entrance across the street and park our van there.  I was concerned about getting a ticket or worse yet, getting towed (although I don’t think a tow truck could possibly maneuver the narrow street).  Mike said that the neighbors will look out for the meter maid and let me know in time if the van needs moved. 
So we entered the narrow row house (I could almost touch the opposite walls with my arms extended) and Mike said that the game was down stairs.  He opened a stairway door and the steps were almost a vertical drop…I felt that there should have been a pair of hand rails so I could just slide down the steps like on some ships.  As I descended the steps, a large tapestry of Elvis stared me in the face.  Seems Bill was an Elvis fan and he had Elvis memorabilia all over the basement.  As we turned the corner, I spotted the pinball machine beside the steps where it had been parked for almost 50 years.  I was afraid that my eyes were going to pop out of my head.  What I saw was the nicest original game that I ever ran across in my 5 short years of collecting games.  To say the least, it was awe inspiring.  The game was original except where Bill had redone the natural wooden rails and head frame.  The backglass was perfect, the playfield was almost as nice (although a little dirty) and the case had the original paint which was in beautiful shape.  The legs even had the original paint and they looked great.  All the original paperwork came with the machines, along with the original keys and locks.  It even had a little metal plate on the upper part of the playfield from when it was licensed last in Baltimore in 1964.  Needless to say, I couldn’t pay Bill fast enough.
 
Getting the game up the steep steps proved a lot of work but was well worth the effort.   It just goes to show that beautiful games are still out there waiting to be found.  To me, it is the enjoyment of the hunt that is so exciting.  I have found some real POS machines over the years, but this is a beautiful original  keeper. 
 
See pictures of the find at:  http://ssamx.com/Captain%20Kidd.htm

Offline Caveoftreasures

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2011, 04:47:33 PM »
Everyone loves a pinny hunt. What a EXCELLENT score.  Pins are so much cheaper in the USA.  ^^^
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Offline Pintoxicated

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2011, 04:50:36 PM »
Sensational, I love hearing tales like this although I wish they were involving me.

Scoring a machine like that would be a dream come true for all of us I'd say.
Addicted to pins.

Offline Homepin

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2011, 04:56:13 PM »
Great story indeed!  ^^^
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Marty Machine

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2011, 05:02:03 PM »
Awww, it's everyone's dream come true, a bargain beyond all bargains, and a price to certainly scream & shout about.

well scored by Michael.

MM

Offline Bayview

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2011, 05:22:59 PM »
Yes, certainly a great score.
And Cavey, yes you are right, pinnies are sooooooo cheap in US.
I wish I was there sometimes. !!!
Ya just gotta luv an EM.

Offline ktm450

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2011, 06:00:25 PM »
Great story, The pin looks amazing, great find  *%*

Offline Ant68

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2011, 06:27:08 PM »
Great Story , thanks for sharing  ^^^

Offline pinnies4me

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2011, 07:11:19 PM »
Oh my, looking at those pictures I felt like I was in a time machine, extraordinary to see such an old game in virtually mint condition, absolutely beautiful.
“If you wanna escape, go up to a pinball machine. There’s a magic button on the front that takes you to a world under the glass and makes the the rest of the universe disappear.”

Offline Strangeways

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #9 on: June 25, 2011, 07:41:48 PM »

WOW - Love the stories - what a GREAT find !
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Offline ajlaird

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #10 on: June 25, 2011, 08:40:33 PM »
Awesome!

What a great find, sounds like a once in a lifetime story.

Offline Retropin

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2011, 08:47:17 PM »
Michael also picked up one of these recently... he wanted the "Golf" one.... seller had the Football and Golf machines for sale.
Apparently the Golf machine had a US$20,000 price tag on it.
The Football one it seems was more affordable.




he picks up some lovely games including my much coveted "Flying Turns"

Offline ddstoys

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #12 on: June 26, 2011, 12:37:41 AM »
Thanks for sharing Gav. What a story and what a machine beautiful and original man I can't imagine the feeling he got when he first seen it I got goose bumps looking at the photos and it's not even in my country. Lol

Offline Steevsee

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #13 on: June 26, 2011, 08:39:42 AM »
That backglass looks amazing.

Thanks for sharing Gav. ^^^

Offline multiball3

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Re: Story for everyone
« Reply #14 on: June 26, 2011, 10:16:55 AM »
Great story - Ahh the thrill of the hunt. It's a bit harder for us Aussies sometimes we get lucky.  $#$