Episode 1190: "Trade You My Pokemon For Your Winchester For Your Beetlejuice!"
Pokemon Pinball LE speculation creates unprecedented secondary market; Kaneda analyzes pricing dynamics and 2025 affordability crisis.
The pinball market place is going INSANE!!!!! WOOHOOO!!!! LET'S F#$KING GO!!!!!!!
Synopsis
Kaneda analyzes the unprecedented secondary market frenzy around Pokemon Pinball LE following its announcement, comparing speculative trading behavior to Pokemon cards and discussing price stability of recent Stern LEs. He provides market valuations for hot games (Pokemon LE $20-24K, Winchester $20K, Beetlejuice $13.2K), cautions collectors about FOMO-driven purchases, and warns about affordability of the 2025 game glut ($41K for three LE games). He also announces plans to distribute five Beetlejuice games at MSRP via random drawing for club members.
Highlights
- Pokemon LE currently trading at $20,000-$24,000 on secondary market, up to $25,000 in some cases
- Metallica Remastered LE ($13K MSRP) has held value better than other recent Stern LEs, currently $16,900 on Pinside with only one available
- Recent Stern LEs have depreciated significantly: Foo Fighters -$4-5K, James Bond -$4-5K, Venom -$6K, John Wick -$5K, D&D -$3-4K, King Kong -$4K+
- George Gomez promised no more special editions of Pokemon will be made, only Pro/Premium/LE
- Approximately 50 Pokemon LE speculators are seeking buyers who don't actually want the theme
- Beetlejuice spot values have dropped from $10K asking prices to $3,200-$4,000 as hype shifted to Pokemon
- Pokemon LE owners can expect 6-week delivery timeline from Stern vs 6-12 month waits for Spooky/specialty makers
- Three premium 2025 games (Pokemon LE, Sonic LE, Transformers LE) would cost approximately $41,000 total
- Winchester spot can be acquired for $20,000; one seller (Chris) confirmed offering at this price
Notable quotes
“It's like we're trading pinball machines like they're Pokémon cards. Who would have thought we'd have all this wheeling and dealing?”
“We've never seen a Stern LE at $13,000 have this level of demand...this is unprecedented territory”
“In just six weeks, all the Pokémon LEs will be made...you might get the highest price right now”
“I don't know the Pokémon collectors' appetite to spend $20,000 or more on a pinball machine. This is the variable that nobody knows what's going to happen.”
“Welcome to the new crazy world of pinball. Most of our salaries have not doubled...we still remember a time when you could get three Stern LEs for like $20,000”
“Do you want to enjoy the pinball machine you have, or do you want to make some money? And will that money be enough to let it go?”
“My advice to everybody out there is this. If you got any of these games, Beetlejuice, Winchester, Pokémon LE, congratulations. You have something that is going to hold value nicely.”
“It's not ruining the hobby. Like ninety-five percent of people who wanted a Pokémon Elite are going to get it at MSRP...Just because there's thirty people that might flip them, how does that ruin the hobby?”
Entities
- Spooky Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Beetlejuice Pinball· game
- D&D Pinball· game
- Foo Fighters Pinball· game
- Guns N' Roses CE· game
- James Bond Pinball· game
- Jaws 50th Anniversary· game
- John Wick Pinball· game
- King Kong Pinball· game
- Metallica Remastered· game
- Pokemon Pinball· game
- Sonic the Hedgehog· game
- Transformers G1· game
- Venom Pinball· game
- Winchester Pinball· game
- Automate It Arcade· organization
- Pinside· organization
- Project Pinball· organization
- Chris· person
- Chris L.· person
- George Gomez· person
- Kaneda· person
- Robin· person
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Episode 1229: "Something We Can All Agree On"
Kaneda condemns Stern's incomplete game launches and urges community to withhold support until quality improves.
Everyone wants the same thing, but we won't get there if we keep buying right away.
Episode 1228: "The Shills Coming for Kaneda & Everything Happening in Pinball Right Now!"
FRIDAY SHOW SPECTACULAR!