That was an awesome read, Jason - Well done mate !
Two things caught my attention ;
1 - You wife is into pins, and she was the "driving force" behind the MM purchase. the only place my Wife wants to "drive" - is my pins out of the house ! That is great to see that your wife is supportive of your hobby, and encourages the purchases.
2 - Collecting pins takes YEARS, especially if you are after A1 or older machines. In two months, you have the kind of collection I would expect a veteran collector to have. That's GREAT news for the hobby.