I bought my Fathom for AUS$1500 + AUS$700 airfreight from Germany. That was expensive in 2004. I would need to check my records, but the Fathoms I brought in containers from Germany were around the $1000 Euros and I bought a Fathom from the USA for AUS$1750 when the AUS was at parity. Fathoms in collections in Australia were rare, but the only one offered to me was $3500, circa 2003. It was restored. You are referring to post 2016 prices and THEN Covid prices which are in some cases 300% what they were when Fathoms were around. I sold arguably the best restored Fathom in the country in 2012 ish for $7500. It was repainted, cleared playfield - absolutely perfect. That was considered "expensive" back then, and remains in pristine condition.

To your point of restorers working on games in Today's climate - MUCH different to what it was 10-15 years ago, as no-one was restoring games as a business, moreso a hobby (like I was).

I restore machines for a living and I've been around them, literally, all my life. I've NEVER seen the industry this good for sellers. The prices are outright ridiculous across the board. The standard of the workmanship has deteriorated UNLESS you buy from established businesses with competent restorers. So I understand your point, but the idea that reproducing a NEW game at that price point is better than the prices and availability of the original game demonstrates that the person making that claim is either new to the hobby, or has not done any homework.

Now this has gone a fair bit "off topic", but I want to state I wish all the best for anyone producing new games, or buying these new games for their collections. For the record, I would in all cases, choose the original restored, than a copy of the original. That's just the "purist" in me and nothing would change that.

Having trouble following all that mate. I'm not referring to post 2016 prices at all that i can see, just current pricing i don't know why you threw the word covid in there in capitals, but the current pricing is what it is....


I think you are getting the 'this is crazy pricing nowadays' argument mixed up with the 'what's this worth in today's market' argument.


I'm only talking about the present as a collector and the present is where i spend most of my time.


In reality a Fathom machine today (the time I and others are dealing with this decision) is as i pointed out above. (9k players Bally. 11.5 new Haggis)

I understand your point, but the idea that reproducing a NEW game at that price point is better than the prices and availability of the original game demonstrates that the person making that claim is either new to the hobby, or has not done any homework.

I'm having real problems trying to understand this sentence, but it seems like you are saying i cannot be right about the simple financial mathematics because i have not been collecting pinball machines for a long time?


I understand and respect that you are a purist and would rather pay much more for a restored game than a brand new reproduction. But i don't understand how i don't get to make a basic financial decision in todays market without being judged as not having a valid opinion seeing as i don't have any purist blinkers on. i just want the best, nicest pinball machine to play and own.


The market is here and now for those of us who have just fell in love with this beautiful gift to our lives and the people who fill this corner of the world. The market is not so much good for sellers, us buyers who don't haver established collections are in the same market mate, so spare a thought for us.
I have to buy new machines at the current prices. In order to buy the new machines i want i have to sell the ones i don't want as much. I have to sell the machines at the prices i have to buy them or I'd be going backward and people would buy them just to flip them. I don't do that.


Like it or not, remember 2013 as much as you want, but a players Tom is 10k and rising and a good Fathom is 9k and rising.


Hope CGC makes Theatre of Magic again, I'm in like Flynn.


Apologies for sidetracking the thread, quite enjoying the robust discussion and would be happy if one of you guys with the extra buttons could split the thread?