Happiest pin purchase you ever made & why ?

[Caveoftreasures]

What's your happiest pin purchase & why ?

My answer,

Out of the dozens of different titles I have purchased from new games to my oldest being a 1978 model,
The happiest pin purchase for me is split between 2 x unusual deals I did.

I was able to buy a 1978 Williams Phoenix from Blair one of our members as this was the first pin I ever played brand new back In 1978.

And

Buying a pair of rare Bugs Bunny Birthday Bash pinballs that had been sitting unused for many many years that I saved from extinction & I am now restoring them & they are a very cool pair of great looking games u rarely see. These aren't my most favourite or best games in my collection but they hold a soft spot for sentimental reasons. (I grew up on Bugs Bunny & Looney Tunes). A mate also bought me a Godzilla as a gift from Japan which also gives me happy memories but that's another story too. What stories can u guys share ?

What are your two or three most favourite pin purchases of all time & why ?

Love to hear your hunt & chase & pickup stories !  

[delarge]

AC/DC Pro. Loved my restoration projects, but was fun getting a game that needed no work to get going. Still enjoy playing it to this day. Playing pinball to 12 different AC/DC tracks is an awesome feeling!

[Pop Bumper Pete]

since I cannot read the OP, I will answer the thread title

My first game, Sure Shot
I know own a pinball machine!

[4_amusement_only]

A GTB's Rack Em Up was for me my favourite purchase. Mostly because nobody was willing to outbid me and I got it for a song. That isn't the best part - opening it up had all of its original documentation, an unused factory mylar sheet that the Op didn't install (would've saved the PF wear) and just really well looked after and solid base to begin resto work. Turns out it is my favourite game to play also.

[Cow Corner]

Buying another Spiderman.
Because it is a farking killer game and I really missed it.
Happy Days indeed.
 

[oldskool1969]

VE? and also nice rack em up 

mine was Gilligan's Island! still have it and I smile all the time   

[Cow Corner]

VE? and also nice rack em up 

mine was Gilligan's Island! still have it and I smile all the time   

Nah original red spidey, I can't stand the SMVE art.

[Mr Pinbologist]

Mine was the day i picked up my holy grail pin, 1979 Bally Kiss.

I had been wanting one for over 20 yrs so when one came up near my home town i grabbed it, even though it was a mess and had to pay $3k to get it.

Best part of all is that it is the very same one i used to play in the amusement arcade in Laurieton where i bought it, and it now has pride of place in my lounge room 

[pinball god]

Mine was the day i picked up my holy grail pin, 1979 Bally Kiss.

I had been wanting one for over 20 yrs so when one came up near my home town i grabbed it, even though it was a mess and had to pay $3k to get it.

Best part of all is that it is the very same one i used to play in the amusement arcade in Laurieton where i bought it, and it now has pride of place in my lounge room 

you don't have a lounge room. I think a better term for your place is an arcade 

[Caveoftreasures]

Thank you to the people who posted on the thread.
More fun stories always welcomed.

[Mr Pinbologist]

Mine was the day i picked up my holy grail pin, 1979 Bally Kiss.

I had been wanting one for over 20 yrs so when one came up near my home town i grabbed it, even though it was a mess and had to pay $3k to get it.

Best part of all is that it is the very same one i used to play in the amusement arcade in Laurieton where i bought it, and it now has pride of place in my lounge room 

you don't have a lounge room. I think a better term for your place is an arcade 

Yes i do Rob, its the room you saw that has Kiss, 6m$m, Stellar Wars and Zac Time Machine crammed in there.. AND a lounge and table and chairs so that qualifies it as the lounge room

[robm]

This adventure http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=9757.msg126624#msg126624was my favourite for a few reasons:
1. The anticipation of getting or not getting the deal was great
2. Finding out what machines i actually bought (as in the link, some machines were completely hidden, so i had no idea what titles some were)
3. Knowing i had a heap of restoration fun
4. Saving a heap of machines that many would have (and some said) left to rot away completely

This one was a close second  http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=10992.msg143925#msg143925

[pinsanity]

Can't reduce it down to just one pin, but for me it was the very first container load of pins I imported back a few years ago. I had been through the process before with luxury vehicles but used pinball machines comes with its own unique set of complexities.

Lot of paperwork involved and even more sweating it out waiting for them to arrive and to ensure they were in the condition they were advertised (thankfully they mostly were).

Why? It was great to find an alternative to some of the overpriced dealers we have here in Australia and it gave a great insight into the profit margins that are involved with said dealers considering what I typically concluded firsthand as being superficial labour (e.g. wiping off the easy to reach places on a playfield without actually removing any topside components and then advertising it as shopped).

Have boosted my collection exponentially with subsequent container imports and even single machines to avoid domestic NIB price gouging, now I just need to allocate more time to get them all up to my own exacting standards.

[GORGAR 1]

ACDC LE my first NIB purchase and a game I still love playing to this day-close 2nd was my CFTBL purchased about 13 years ago it was mint and included a brand new spare creature hologram, really miss that game wish I'd never sold it.

[Blktgr74]

The first pin I ever bought cactus jacks wish I still had it.
Why? I honestly didn't think I could buy a pinball machine and cuctus jacks started the roller coaster of a pinball journey