Super Auctions - Dallas 10/18/2003

[Flack]

Just got back from the Super Auctions arcade auction in Dallas. Here's my brief summary.

Left OKC in 5:30am, arrived with trailer in tow in Dallas at 9:30am. Auction was to start at 10am, actually started at 10:45am. Sold slot machines for an hour. Sold classic arcade games from 11:45am - 2:15pm. Galagas and Ms Pac-Man machines were going for ~$800. Nice Donkey Kong went for $600+, broken Dragon's Lair went for around the same. Mr. Do and Dig Dug's went for $400+ . The two NAMCO 20th anniversary cabs went for ~$1500. Then they sold pinballs, which went anywhere from $600-$2000+. After an hour of that it was back to arcade games. Lots of MK2/3/4, Tekken 2/3/4, and Neo Geo cabs. I picked up a decent Neo Geo cab for $200, Riot Road 4WD for $175, and a converted Aero Blasters for $175. By 4pm, we were done and they still had 2-3 rows of arcade games left, then the big sit down games and amusement kiddie rides.

I ALMOST had a Nintendo Playchoice 10 for $300 and this guy steps up behind me and bids $350 during the "going, going ..." stage. The guy wins it and then starts cussing because he was bidding on the wrong game. Right after that I bought my Neo Geo cab, and then the guy comes up to me trying to sell me the Playchoice, which I WOULD have done had I not just broken the $600 mark. Oh well, maybe next time.

The Neo Geo cab seems like it might have some minor problems, a couple of the buttons don't seem to be working and the sound has some glitches, but the cabinet and monitor are in really good condition so I'm sure those other things will work themselves out.

Anyone else go?

Flack

[Flack]

http://members.cox.net/robohara/pictures/flack-games.jpg

From left to right (back to front), that's now:

Bloxeed conversion in a DK Jr. cabinet (currently being MAME'd)
Bucky O'Hare
Neo Geo Double Dragon
Aero Fighters (with Turbo Force marquee)
Road Riot 4WD
Heavy Barrel (from Harmonicaman!)
Shinobi

Boy do I have one sore back today.

Flack

[Sotenga]

Sh... Sh... Shi... SHINOBI?!?!?!?

:O :O :O :O :O

That is cool. There's a Shinobi cabinet in Hershey Park last time I checked. :D

[Flack]

I paid $100 for that Shinobi cabinet. As much as I love that game, it doesn't seem to command real high prices (and it should, that game is awesome). The first Shinobi I bought was $25 but it had no sound. After some further investigation it turns out that's a pretty common problem. I didn't know that so I sold it and got this one, which still has the side art and everything else.

Flack

[Sotenga]

A deal so sweet, I could get tooth decay from eating it. :D

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I just did myself plenty o' damage on eBay with this beauty (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3247357854&category=13716&rd=1). So going to one of these Dallas shindigs would probably be very, very bad for my health. As soon as my wife found out.

Holy freakin' crap. I own a coin-op. A big, beautiful, shiny, bright, noisy, quarter-sucking upright machine. And one of my all-time obscure favorites too. I never, ever, ever thought I'd see the day.

[Classicgamesdepot]

I bought a shinobi cab as well with no sound, cost about 40 bux, It was a little beat up too but worked fine, I didn't want to puts with e-bay so dropped it in the recycler (classifieds) for a firm 75 dollar price tag, gone in like the hour the paper came out and I recieved mega phone calls after that) I even knew about the sound problem too but hell, I know nothing about how to fix arcade machines even if it is considered an "easy" fix. Well that was my first cab I ever bought, hopefully I'll have better luck nex time :-)

[Flack]

Welcome to the club!!! I'm *so* glad you got it.

Add the following to all the stuff I mentioned to you before.

#1, bring duct tape. I wish I'da had a roll yesterday. I had coin boxes flapping everywhere in the wind.

#2, bring extra rope "just in case". I really wasn't comfortable with the way I moved these three games yesterday. It turned out everything worked out okay, but everytime I went back and checked the games they had shifted one way or the other.

I really didn't think you were going to get the game. I didn't know how high you were willing to go, but the seller posted it in the newsgroups with 12 hours to go so I was afraid there might be a flood. Again, congrats!

Flack

[Sotenga]

Between a huge load of games I need to get on consoles, a shiteload of music albums I'd like to purchase, several movies and DVD's, a crapload of bills that I will most likely have to pay in ten years, adding to the fact that I don't yet have a job...

I'll NEVER own an arcade cabinet. :bawling: :bawling: :bawling:

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I really didn't think you were going to get the game. I didn't know how high you were willing to go, but the seller posted it in the newsgroups with 12 hours to go so I was afraid there might be a flood.
I was wary myself, as I got outbid about 12 hours before the auction ended, and then had to put up quite the fight right at the end. I didn't even wait to see what anyone else's bid was, I just turned around and kept outbidding myself. So yeah, there was quite a furious run of would-be snipers at the end - go look at the bidding log.

And then when I placed my last bid, I lost my dialup connection. I logged back in and I was almost in tears because I just knew I'd lost it. Lo and behold, I lucked the hell right out.

Everything else I bid on today, though, I lost in a big way. LOL But ya know? I'll take the way things turned out. Even my wife's impressed. If I can ever get a hold of the seller, I have a friend in the area capable of transporting it here in the next 24 hours. (Was it the seller who posted to Usenet, BTW?)

But here's the hitch: I'm not bringing it to my house. A friend of mine is going to hang on to it for a bit as we try to get the financing straightened out on a house we've been looking at. We thought we'd lost that too - this weekend has truly been the turnaround for lost causes. With any luck, if that finally goes through, the machine will then take a very short drive straight to the new digs when we close and get the keys. It'll be the first furniture in there.

With that in mind, and without too much of my wife's chagrin, I'm actually looking at a second coin-op. But more than that I shall not say. :angel:

Oh, and Sotenga, I was saying just that today around noon as my PC redialed. You'd be surprised. :D

[goatdan]

Welcome to the club!!! I'm *so* glad you got it.

Add the following to all the stuff I mentioned to you before.

#1, bring duct tape. I wish I'da had a roll yesterday. I had coin boxes flapping everywhere in the wind.

#2, bring extra rope "just in case". I really wasn't comfortable with the way I moved these three games yesterday. It turned out everything worked out okay, but everytime I went back and checked the games they had shifted one way or the other.

I really didn't think you were going to get the game. I didn't know how high you were willing to go, but the seller posted it in the newsgroups with 12 hours to go so I was afraid there might be a flood. Again, congrats!

I'll toss in a few ideas here...

I wouldn't use duct tape for the coin doors as it tends to leave a residue on them and if you get it on the paint of the cabinent, it will lift it right off. Masking tape holds just about as well, but you don't have to worry about it screwing up the cabinent.

If you use rope, make sure to take padding for the corners. I screwed up a pinball game of mine by tying it up with rope and no padding, and now you can see where the padding is by looking at it. It's quite disappointing, really.

If you see a game with a non-working or poorly working monitor, skip it unless it is a game that you absolutely MUST have. I have purchased one machine and been given one machine that everything worked on except the monitor. New monitors cost hundreds, and getting a different game with a better monitor is usually a much better idea.

If you see a game in pretty bad shape and you don't regularly fix games, assume that the game is going to need a ton of work and unless you want to devote a huge portion of your life attempting to fix it, pass on it. I have a Space Station Pinball that I got that worked for about three months before it basically crapped out on me. I've had it apart and have been working on it for darn near a year now, and it's finally looking good... and I've had experience working with games!

Lastly, JAMMA games rule. I'm still looking for a decent cabinent to put my Battle Balls board into (I've got about five boards now, but I sold my only JAMMA game not too long ago. :o ) Jamma cabs aren't usually expensive for the not-popular games (running $50 - $100) and you can swap out games relatively cheaply.

[Raedon]

I'll havve a full report with pictures in a week or so.. I have pictures of everything sold.. I'm just waiting for the final auction prices to be posted.

This one was a lot better then the one during the weekend of Quakecon. Pacecar98 was looking at a Gyruss but it went to high. Jason got a TMNT cab to MAME.. can't remember what he paid but it wasn't much.

Coolest thing there was the Red Barron Cockpit. There were a lot of breat MAME candidate cabs there.. some no name cab with a brand new 25" RGB went for like $125.. perfect MAME cab.

[Masco73]

I'll havve a full report with pictures in a week or so.. I have pictures of everything sold.. I'm just waiting for the final auction prices to be posted.

This one was a lot better then the one during the weekend of Quakecon. Pacecar98 was looking at a Gyruss but it went to high. Jason got a TMNT cab to MAME.. can't remember what he paid but it wasn't much.

Coolest thing there was the Red Barron Cockpit. There were a lot of breat MAME candidate cabs there.. some no name cab with a brand new 25" RGB went for like $125.. perfect MAME cab.


Are you still planning on doing this?? I'm not trying to rush you, I am just very interested in those prices.

[Flack]

I need to quit being a puss, download some instructions, and learn how to install a cap-kit. Most of the cheap cabinets I find have monitor problems -- either faded, weak, or vertical/horizontal problems. Every time I mention a monitor problem people always say, "cap-kit". I don't know if they solve every monitor problem, but it would be nice to get some of my games looking a little brighter/clearer.

[hamburgler]

Awesome bids,Flack. :)

[GaijinPunch]

Where exactly was the show?
I'm from Dallas... can't say I miss it though.

[Flack]

Mesquite Rodeo in Mesquite, TX.

[GaijinPunch]

Aaah.... just down the street. :)