038: Building a Home Pinball Collection With $15K
Punk Rock Pinball Podcast
31 min
Summary
Hosts debate optimal $15k pinball machine purchases for new collectors.
Stephanie and Mike from Punk Rock Pinball Podcast discuss how they would spend $15,000 on a home pinball collection. Stephanie proposes four games (JAWS (Pro), Jackbot, Firepower, Earthshaker) totaling approximately $15,000, while Mike suggests three premium-tier games (a used Stern Premium like Jaws/Kong/Bond around $8,500, a WPC-era Williams like High Speed or Fishtails around $4,000, and a System 6 game like Firepower around $2,500). The hosts also briefly discuss their recent tournament play, a new Pokémon (Pro) machine that was temporarily set up at their league, and update listeners on the Punk Rock Pinball Podcast statistics.
Highlights
- JAWS (Pro) can be purchased for around $6,000, potentially lower with negotiation
- Jackbot costs approximately $4,000 and scores higher than Pinbot
- Firepower costs about $2,000 or less
- Earthshaker can be found for around $3,500 and is listed for sale near Bloomington by their friend Jeff
- Used Stern Premiums (Jaws, Kong, Bond) can be purchased for $8,000-$8,500
- WPC-era Williams games like High Speed, Getaway 2, Fishtails, and Scared Stiff range from $4,000-$5,000
- System 6 Williams games (Firepower, Gorgar, Blackout) can be purchased for around $2,500 in nice condition
- Punk Rock Pinball Podcast has 1,067 players across 134 open events and 143 players across 27 women's events
- Venom (Pro) and The Mandalorian (Pro) can be found for $4,000 or less used
- Stephanie won the first Friday tournament at Golden Ticket Cinemas Ale House Bloomington by placing first in qualifying
This week on the Punk Rock Pinball Podcast, we’re building the ultimate starter home pinball collection with a $15,000 budget. Mike and Steph break down the games they’d buy, the mix of modern and older machines they’d want in the lineup, and why some underrated titles might be the smartest buys in pinball right now. Our picks for the best 3 to 4 pinball machines to start a home collection with $15K Why games like Venom, Bond, Firepower, JackBot, and Earthshaker still deserve more love A recap of a wild week of league nights, tournaments, Pokémon on location, and Steph’s win at Poor Bros. We also talk about CJ hauling Pokémon Pro all over Bloomington so everyone could get time on it, Mike winning qualifying at First Fridays, and whether we are officially playing an unsustainable amount of competitive pinball. If you’ve ever dreamed about starting your own collection and wondered how far $15,000 can really go, this one’s for you. Join our Facebook group PRP Website Twitch Discover some new music on the PRP playlist Find Local Tournaments Find Amazing Pinball Locations
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