Back to the Future pinball

[GameOver]

Saw this auction on Ebay - any comments on the value of this pin or if it's any good? 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Back-To-The-Future-Data-East-Pinball-Beautifull-N-R_W0QQitemZ120020862266QQihZ002QQcategoryZ13725QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[ChadTower]

I really like BTTF... great sound, great ruleset, great use of the displays.  I would drop a grand on that machine and laugh the whole way home.

[RayB]

I once dropped an ice cream cone and cried all the way home.

[GameOver]

I'm gonna go look at this pin tomorrow hopefully.  I got the address just need to set up a time with the seller.

I really don't know anything about pinballs - is there anyhting I should look for that would be a warning sign or a show stopper?  I plan to inspect/play the thing, but past that I really don't know what to check.

Any pointers?  And in english please!   

Would a pin like this have any test mode, or self diagnostic which would cycle through all the lights/sounds/mechanicals?

Thanks

[SithMaster]

check manual at klov.com but find the link there for pins not vids.

[Chris]

Don't forget to look at http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=bttf&searchtype=quick ; not only is there a manual there, but there's also a video of the game being played, so you can get an idea of the game and the action.  And of course you could always download the Visual Pinball version and test-play it...

[GameOver]

Hmmm...interesting chain of events....

I went to inspect this BTTF pin at the sellers shop on Monday.  The game looked great, very clean, and I played several games it seemed to work just fine.  I looked at all the lights, didn't see any 'mechanicals' i.e. moving parts on the playfield to inspect and the sounds seemed to all works.  But like I said I don't know much about these...

So I bid with max bid of $1750...but lost yesterday to a bidder of $2009 so I said ok that's cool maybe next time.  The seller sent me an ebay 'second chance' e-mail tonight saying the sale fell thru and he would sell the machine to me at my last bid of $1750.  I looked but haven't been able to find any other BTTF for sale anywhere to determine value.  The machine was very clean, played just fine, and appeared to be in good working order.  Is this pin worth $1750?  I know that's what I bid, but at this point I'm not obligated just looking for opinions on value before I reply to this guy.

[grantspain]

tell him you will give 1500 for it,take it or leave it(people should not mess around on deals),tell him its all you've got left

[ChadTower]

$1750 is too much... $1500 may be pushing its value but I'm not around to inspect the machine for what an expert would see.  Honestly, if this is your first pin, I'd advise you to just keep looking around.  Ebay is a terrible place to get a pin and so is a retail shop.  If you want to find one we can help you source out the local hobby market.

[GameOver]

Yeah I do want a pin!  Preferably one I'm somewhat familiar with - I have played and like Taxi, Pinbot, Bride of Pinbot, Funouse...any of these would be great.  I also like Addams Family but don't want to pay what those are selling for.

I'm big on 80's stuff, that is probably what appeals to me the most about this BTTF pin although MJ Fox's image was not used on it so that's a bummer.  But - it is also local for me, so I wouldn't have to worry about paying for shipping, nor would I have to drive 300 miles to go get it so that counts for something too.  Most of the pins I've priced in the pin classifieds are anywhere from $750 and way up depending on condition and what pin it is, so I thought $1,750 for a very clean 80's themed pin which a appears to be in good condition that is also local wasn't such a bad deal.  But I'll say it one more time - I don't know anything about them!

The Taxi's, Pinbots, Bride of, and Funhouse seem to go between $1,200 - $2,500 depending on condition not including shipping.  Whatca got?   

[Ifko]

 .......run as fast as you can away from this thing.

 Back to the future pins can easily be had,  and its not a fun playing pin by any means.  Sounds like someone/ or he himself was messing with the auction... that was a pretty quick responce back.

Value of this pin in collector quality... which this is not,  would be $1200-1400.

Offer him $1,000 for it, thats about its worth, depending on the condition..at the 1,000 price; I feel you are doing him a big favor.

The Pin Market for Non- A list pins is as soft as they come.  Even the top rated A list pins have been selling on the soft side.

FunHouse is the only 80's pin that might go for the 2,000 mark.
Pinbot and Taxi are a dime a dozen....  Pinbot has been having a tough time catching 1,000 lately.     There are a lot of Pins available in the Virginia area, take your time..learn a thing or two.
I have been collecting Pins for about 5 years,  I have been playing them for many more.

Good Luck
Scott
Detroit

[ChadTower]

There are more 80s pins that go for $2000+ than Funhouse.   Funhouse is a 1990 pin, BTW, as is Back to the Future.

Some machines from the 80s that routinely hit $2000+, some of them for beaten instances:

Fathom
Eight Ball Deluxe
Haunted House
Elvira and the Party Monsters
Rocky

Hell, some Fathoms go for $3k+ and I've seen really nice Rockys go as high as $5000+.

There are quite a few others that bounce around in the $1000+ range regularly too.

Back to the Future and Funhouse are the gateway pins to the DMD era.  They're the ones that came just after the first animated LED games like Phantom of the Opera and are the beginning of the expensive 90s games.  They're also the first ones to have really good sound systems in them. 

I do agree with your value assessment of BTTF but I think you're placing BTTF and Funhouse too far back into "early mid SS" range.

[GameOver]

Thanks for your feedback everyone.   I was questioning the legitimacy of the BTTF pin auction myself.  Talked to my wife about it she said she had seen some news shows about that type of thing (ppl jacking up bids on ebay).

I offered the seller $1400 for the pin back on Friday but haven't heard from them.  I'll keep looking...the right one will come along.

[Ifko]

I sometimes consider very early 90's games as 80's games--one thing they did not have today's DMD screens they used Alpha numeric scoring.

Back to the Future was designed in the year 1990.
Elvira and the party Monsters--1989---  any pin can sell for 3 grand most are flukes or it could of been one of Elvira's personal pins/autographed.  they are tough to sell--- Scared Stiff, different story

Funhouse-- again, designed in 1990-- this game routinely sells in the 2 grand price range in good shape--  Not a Fluke;  Cyclone will go for a lot cheaper.

Haunted House--1982-- nice game--  sells usually in the 1,000 -- 2,000 in real nice shape but you can find working ones sometimes for under a 1,000 without difficulty.

Rocky--Rare pin,  a true  Ultra collector pin, not a good game by any means but price commands its Rarity / and Rocky Theme...  but $5,000 I would have to question someone's common sense....   Now a KRULL  that would be totally a different story.

Eight Ball Deluxe / Fathom...... ?  you will always find outliners....  hell last year someone was willing to Pony up $13,000  for a Cactus Canyon,   He overpaid by at least $5,000.

To each his own,  it is a "Buyers Market" for pins.   They are still selling though,  I have bought 4 this year alone (late 1990's era) and have sold 3, and will be putting up my Lord of the Rings in the next few days probably to get a Pirates of the Caribean.   Nice Pin,  needs some better programming(Code)  but the plafield is laid out nice,  and the outlane posts need to be moved out to make it more difficult.

I would offer,  $1,000  for that back to the future--  and only if, you like the pin a lot.

Scott
Detroit

[str1der]

I'll give you a $1000 for that LOTR pin.