Author Topic: Where have you ever stumbled across a dream pinball find?  (Read 475 times)

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Offline spacejam0

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Where have you ever stumbled across a dream pinball find?
« on: June 26, 2013, 09:17:31 PM »
I've always dreamed of stumbling across my dream pinball find when I least expected it like for example going to a random garage sale and finding a Paragon sitting in the corner for a couple of hundred bucks or deceased estate auction or whatever for that matter. I guess a little like the games room find on that old ship someone posted on this forum a week or so back.
While its never actually come true for me I did get as close as I'm probably ever going to get last weekend. I went down to Portland tuna fishing and we stayed in a run down old caravan about 10 minutes outside of town. There was an old closed down games room there from many years gone by and through the window I could see what looked like a very nice solar city sitting in the corner. Because we left so early in the morning and came back so late at night from fishing I didn't get the chance to ask the owners about it but I bet if I had I probably could have got it for the right price....I'm kinda kicking myself a little.
Anyway got me thinking what others people's most unexpected pinball finds have been?

Offline studley67

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I awoke one morning from my drunken haze,to find my house had 40 pinballs in it.lol. %.% %.% %.%
Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you

Offline ddstoys

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Ninos storage building  %.% &&

Offline 4_amusement_only

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I'd love to spend a day or two in there!

Offline Pop Bumper Pete

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I'll tell you on Sunday

Offline Strangeways

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Ninos storage building  %.% &&

You should see it now !

In 1987 my Father's Amusement Company stopped operating SS and EM Pinballs. They were all picked up over time and put into a much larger storage building than we presently have. Only a handful remained on site. Picture the scene out of Indiana Jones's Movie with the crate being stored in a storage building. That was the scene in the late 80's except there were over 500 games placed in rows. Not only pinballs, but Videos, EM Gun games, EM arcade games, Juke Boxes. They sat there until the early 90's when this building was rented out to a Business. All the "good stuff" was moved to the current storage building and over 400 games were given away to Fete's, Social Clubs, Sports Clubs, friends, relatives - I think just about everyone in my school had one ! They were given away - some were refurbished and sold to other operators. You might not want to read this bit - ALL the SYS4/6 games and SYS1 games were throw into the tip. Over 90 Bally Bingos = tip...  @@^

In 2004, Dad gave me the keys to the small storage building - KISS', Playboys, Paragon were the highlights - then there were several Sterns - Meteor, Hot Hand  and Galaxy's, lesser Ballys like $6 Million Man, Supersonic, Star Trek. There was around 40 Video games (all gone now), 100+ Gameboards (sold around half on eBay). I actually almost emptied it until I started importing !

There ARE "Dream pinball finds" in Australia and also overseas. I'm not talking about the imported ex route games supplied out of Europe. I know of two large unused factories in Europe full of games. There is a factory in Australia full of pinballs that only a few people know about (older generation). I'm hoping to get my filthy little hands on them..

They are still out there. I hear lots of stories of games found at the back of a property. Rob found those possum hotels out in FNQ - they are out there - you just need to look !
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Offline ddstoys

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I love fishing for Strangeways stories got a ripper today.

  Always good to hear.  I know of a couple way out whoop whoop ;)

Offline Strangeways

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I love fishing for Strangeways stories got a ripper today.

  Always good to hear.  I know of a couple way out whoop whoop ;)

I've always got a story to share, but I enjoy listening to other people's  "Warehouse finds". I've heard some rippers over the journey.
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Offline Retropin

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I only caught a few words out of the original post..

EM gun games... Give away... everyone in school... 500... tip.

It didn't end well for me!

Offline robm

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Yep, see this thread for the possum find http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=9757.msg126624#msg126624

There is also another load somewhere around these parts that i am trying to secure, although its not easy.  Definitely will post if i get onto it.  Just keep your eyes peeled, and talk to people that get around heaps

Offline pinoffski

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Picked up a XeXon through a mate.
It was siting out on the deck.

Offline Ant68

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Nice storie Nino , sorry it wasn't good for you Gavin .
I've collect a few from 1950-55 that have been in storages since about 56-60 (so I have been told)  one from an estate auction and another the bloke bought when he was in his  teens , it was packed away (in Nova Scotia ) when he joint the Navy in Canada and spent his life there ,and recently pulled out of storage and sold to me .
It was held up at the Canadian border for about 3-4 months , until homeland security was satisfied with all the documents , it had to clear customs etc etc ( big headaches)
at the border well I sat at this end and tried my hardest to make it happen , I must of sent 50 emails I recon.

Offline Mr Pinbologist

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I guess a little like the games room find on that old ship someone posted on this forum a week or so back.


How did i not see that thread??  ^&^

I've been having a think since first seeing this thread, trying to remember if any of my pinball finds over the years fit the bill of a dream pinball find. well two come to mind;

Walking into Cam's (big dog) garage at his home and his place of work is one which was pretty cool, and is how i found my Pinball Pool. Especially his garage, games and parts of games everywhere  :D he had one or two others i'd like to try to con out of him  &&

The other was finding a Wms Super Star and Klondike in a guys house when he asked me to come & fix a Solar City he had. I bought both wms games, got them really cheap too (this was at the time when no one wanted pins and they could be had for next to nothing, over 20 yrs ago). Well most of you would know that Klondike has since been fully restored, and been sold recently to Andy (greenechidna), and Super star ended up being parted out after the BG was broken.

The Solar City i repaired for the guy was ROUGH! it had been rethemed into a Harley Davidson pin, by scraping the BG and sticking harley posters behind it, and all over the PF.. they were stuck down with sticky tape  ::) The cab had been painted black with gold skull & crossbones stencilled on it. I was offered this game too but i didnt want it.  *.* *.*

« Last Edit: June 30, 2013, 11:00:24 AM by Mr Pinbologist »