This information provided via the courtesy of Vintage Slots of Colorado, Inc.

If you have an antique coin machine and want to sell it, please send me an email. If I am not interested in it, I will forward your email to a collector who probably is.


The following information is the web version of Coin Op on CD which was a book all about antique coin machines and it was distributed on a CD-ROM. This book was written in 1995 and sold in 1996. Please take this into consideration when reading the articles. There are no plans to come out with version 2. However, we do plan on periodically updating the information on the web version.
The CD version of the book has pricing information as well as a dealer directory. Since the prices are out of date and many of the dealers/collectors may no longer be collecting the machine we have purposely left this information out of the web version. However, we do keep in contact with many dealers and collectors who are actively buying and selling machines and would be happy to put you in touch with one if you have a machine you are looking to sell.

If you are looking to purchase an antique coin machine you may also send me an email and I will put you in touch with a reputable dealer. Odds are, I will not be selling the machine you are looking for (since I rarely sell any machines).


Shows Add Excitement To Coin-Op Collecting
By Dick Bueschel

With the coming of the fall and winter months the field of collectible coin machines takes a new turn: exhilaration. The recurring driver for this rebirth of enthusiasm and finding, trading, buying and selling is the advent of the annual vintage coin-op shows. This is not to say that coin-op shows are necessarily restricted to the later months of the year as such shows have now become almost a monthly event somewhere in the United States and, for that matter, the world. But there are two world class shows that stand out and garner greater than average attention and attendance. And that's what makes the after-the-summer months events so exciting to the vintage coin-op enthusiast.
Both of them take place in the midwest, in the Chicago area. The first show of this dynamic pair took place in the middle of September. It was the Pinball EXPO '93, celebrating the 9th year of this fabulous pinball extravaganza. Normally run sometime in the middle or late November, the 1993 show took place at the Ramada Inn/Rosemont on September 9-12, 1993 in a break with tradition. For four packed days Pinball EXPO '93 provided seminars about learning how to play power pinball to an always packed presentation of how to design a pinball machine. In attendance at the EXPO are the actual professional pinball designers of the industry, showing off their new games and mixing with the collector and player crowd.
Other presentations included "The Evolution of pinball Design" by vintage pinball designers Norm Clark (of Bally in the 70s), Steve Kordek (of Genco in the 30s and 40s, and still at it currently with Williams Electronics) and Wayne Neyens (designer for Gottlieb in its glory years in the 50s and 60s), "56 Things You Need To Know To Fix Your Pinball Machine," by expert maintainer Tim Arnold, and a quite cerebral presentation of "Pinball: History, Art and Technology" by yours truly carrying history, supported by Wayne Morgan of Toronto, Steve Young of LaGrangeville, New York and Gordon Hasse Jr. of New York City. The purpose of these latter segments was to validate pinball as an American popular culture ikon. Other events for the weekend of Pinball EXPO '93 were an exhibit hall of vintage to modern machines, all for sale, as well as parts and other hard to find supplies to keep collector pinballs in order and playing condition. The show even included a tour of the pinball manufacturing facility of Alvin G. & Company to be topped by a banquet dinner Saturday night. And throughout the show the Flip Out '93 pinball playing tournament took place, with the winner claiming the ownership of a brand new pinball machine.
If you like pinball, two things will interest you. First, the next Pinball EXPO '94 promises to be the bash of all pinball bashes as it will be the 10th anniversary of this event. The show will take place at the Ramada Inn/Rosemont in middle November 1994. For more information for next year's show, contact Robert Berk, Chairman, Pinball EXPO Headquarters, 2671 Youngstown Road, S.E., Warren, OH 44484, or call 800-323-3547. Ask to be placed on the Pinball EXPO '94 mailing list so that you will receive all of the show information in time to plan to visit the event.
The other significant thing is the availability of pinball maintenance manuals and replacement parts to keep your vintage pinball games in working condition, from the early flipper games of the 50s up to the present. The prime source for this help is The Pinball Resource, 37 Velie Road, LaGrangeville, NY 12540-5512, tel.: 914-223-5613, FAX: 914-223-7365. Call and write and ask for their catalog. Proprietor Steve Young says that they are "Dedicated to keeping pinball affordable (with) almost everything pinball related."
The second world class show is one that brings in more dealers and attendees than any other event related to vintage coin-ops. Called the Chicagoland Antique Advertising, Slot-Machine & Jukebox Show, it is conducted twice a year, with the fall show usually the most attended in terms of dealers, buyers, rubberneckers and coin-op enthusiasts. There is nothing like it. The whole world brings their machines to exhibit at the Chicagoland Show, with over 400 booths of top quality coin-ops and other vintage and 50s collectibles. It is the premier event of its kind for domestic as well as international dealers. It is a virtual wonderworld of music and color and entertainment for those interested in the classic amusements of our era and the past.
For instance, if you are interested in neat rec room and game room items such as Coke machines, gas pumps, Whizzer motor bikes, 45 records, movie posters, neon clocks, barber poles, beer signs and lights, vintage advertising, fifties collectibles, slot machines, pinball games, vending machines and jukeboxes plus thousands of other things, the Chicagoland Show is the place to both look and buy. You may even have a machine or artifact that you want to sell, or get an estimate of its value. If it's small enough bring it along, or at least bring pictures and talk to some of the dealers. Some may even give you an offer.
One of the compelling features of the Chicagoland Show is that its pricing tends to be below market, making it a dealer buying show, with price advantages for collectors willing to wade through dozens of aisles and thousands of antique coin machines and collectibles to find what they are looking for. The seemingly unending array of coin machines and allied collectibles assures knowledgeable buyers and novices alike of finding something to fit their wants and budgets.
The weatherproof show is conducted underroof in two buildings at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois. The upcoming show times are 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday, November 20 and 11 am to 4 pm on Sunday, November 21 at the Pheasant Run Mega Center and Pavilion building located on Route 64 North Avenue 2-1/2 miles west of Route 59 in St. Charles, Illinois. Admission per day is $5, including tax, which provides access to both buildings. Free buses run every ten minutes between the two show buildings. A special Dealer Preview showing is on Friday, November 19, from 8 am to 5 pm. Preview is $50. For a show flyer and map send a SASE to R & S Promotions Inc., RR 7, Bateman Circle South, Barrington Hills, IL 60010, or call the promoter Steve Gronowski at 708-381-1234. You'll have the time of your collectible life.
Q. - We bought an old pinball game called BIG BROADCAST. Since our first love is radios we were delighted to see a 1920s carbon mike and radio tower motif. But it is missing the whole coin mechanism. What is this game worth, and can we get the missing parts? E. A., San Antonio, TX.
A. - Your BIG BROADCAST game is a classic machine from the early days of pinball. It was made by the D. Gottlieb & Company and introduced in January 1933. Network radio was in its infancy, and the game reflects the high technology of its age. It was based on the many "Big Broadcasts" emanating out of Chicago, at the time a media center. Gottlieb made it in 3 versions; a tabletop version called BIG BROADCAST (later called "Junior"), a larger version on legs called BIG BROADCAST SENIOR, which is what you have, and a later model called the BIG BROADCAST SPECIAL. These early games, without electricity or flippers, aren't particularly valuable, although collectors love them. They generally trade in the area of $175-$325 depending on the model and condition.
As for the missing coin mechanism and front panel, it can probably be found. Try the Pinball Resource, 37 Velie Road, LaGrangeville, NY 12540, Tel. 914.223.5613, FAX 914.223.7365.
Q. - My pinball BIG BERTHA plays 10 balls for 5›, although an old label says 10 balls for 1›. There are a couple of electric coils under the cannons but I don't have the old 6 volt batteries. What's a ball park price? R. B., Allegany, NY.
A. - Your pinball game is the Daval BIG BERTHA "Junior" introduced in June 1936. It has an early electric pinball kicker. Sadly, vintage pinball games aren't worth much. At a show this would sell in the $125-$175 range, although a dealer with a restored machine might ask about twice that. As for the battery, the old telephone batteries used in pinball games in the 30s are no longer available, but the newer square camper flashlight batteries will do the job nicely.

Q. - I have a Gottlieb KEWPIE DOLL pinball. I would like to know its rarity and value. P. G., Windsor, IL.
A. - Your KEWPIE DOLL pinball game is a classic Gottlieb "Wedgehead" introduced in October 1960, and in top prime condition it will sell for about $300. But you didn't send a picture so I don't know its condition. As a non-working junker with a poor backglass it isn't worth $30. So condition has a lot to do with value. And it isn't particularly rare. You can expect to get about half these prices if you're selling.
Q. - Any information about my GOLDEN GLOVES pinball game and its value would be appreciated. J. H., Valparaiso, IN.
A. - Your GOLDEN GLOVES pinball game is a classic sports themed game from the 40s. It was brought out by the Chicago Coin Manufacturing Company in July 1949, soon after the flipper was developed by Gottlieb. It is classed as a "woodrail" due to the wooden frame for the top glass. In good cosmetic condition, which means a nice undamaged and clear backglass and an original cabinet paint, which yours looks to be, it would retail for about $450 after it was shopped and tuned up. If you're selling expect to get about half that.
(c) Richard M. Bueschel, 1993