Flack, SuperAuction in Mesquite TX this Sat 3/11/06

[dcescott]

You live sorta close by, just thought I'd let you know. I am planning on being there and buying my first arcade game. I do have easys question before I get down there. I'm not out to snipe a sweet game from you,promise!

1. How much does a Neo Geo Cab cost and do they come with games?
2. Can you buy other games for that cab on ebay or here?
3.How much do the other games tend to go for, including the classics like a cocktail Galaga for example.
4.I assume I load it up myself after purchase?
5.What do I need to look for working/non working wise.
6.What titles should I pick up working or not (rare??)
7.Play Choice 10, is that game swappable and are they easy to get? I wouldn't mind an Excitebike or Ice Climber.
8. What time should I get there, it says 8am, but the auction starts at 10am. Is that enough time to check everything out? Is parking a problem?

I think that's it. If you decide to go, I hope add a couple more to your sweet arcade.
Daniel

[Flack]

1. How much does a Neo Geo Cab cost and do they come with games?
2. Can you buy other games for that cab on ebay or here?
3.How much do the other games tend to go for, including the classics like a cocktail Galaga for example.
4.I assume I load it up myself after purchase?
5.What do I need to look for working/non working wise.
6.What titles should I pick up working or not (rare??)
7.Play Choice 10, is that game swappable and are they easy to get? I wouldn't mind an Excitebike or Ice Climber.
8. What time should I get there, it says 8am, but the auction starts at 10am. Is that enough time to check everything out? Is parking a problem?

1. I got my single-slot Neo Geo (25" monitor) with Double Dragon Neo in it for $125 I believe. Of course every auction's different so you never know what you will find.

2. You can buy Neo Geo carts lots of places including eBay and here. There are a ton of fighting games for the system so those go pretty inexpensively. Metal Slug, Puzzle Bobble and other more well known games go for more.

3. Classics, depending on condition, go from $500-$1000. I've never seen a cocktail Galaga but I would expect it to go for $800-$1000, depending on condition.

4. At Mesquite there is a loading dock and the people there are quite friendly and helpful. When I go I take my trailer and the last time I went they loaded all 3 of my games for me and even helped me tie them up.

5. I would look for what you are willing to fix and what is easy to fix. Stuff like bad buttons and joysticks are very simple to fix. Paint and body work and marquees and lights are pretty simple too. If a game outright won't fire up, I'd think twice. They always say "it was working five minutes ago" ... they said that about a game completely missing a power supply once. Don't trust anything they say, they are there to sell games and make as much money as possible. Only trust what you've seen with your own eyes.

6. If any classics go cheap it's always worth picking one up for selling or hanging on to -- although that can get pretty expensive in a hurry.

7. The last auction I was at had a Playchoice 10 that went for about $250. The games are basically NES versions of games. Playchoice 10 games are pretty easy to come by. Just checking eBay there seem to be a lot of games for $10 w/$10 shipping.

8. If you are seriously looking to buy then I would get there as early as you can. I would absolutely not buy a game without looking at it first. When they are selling Pac-Man, you want to know how it works first. They try to fire up the games as the work around the auction but it's not always possible. There could be 300 games there so 2 hours isn't enough time to check them all out but it's enough time to check out what you're interested in most likely. Oh and parking is no problem.

Also I would recommend you bring the following things:

- Something to write with/on, maybe a clipboard
- flashlight (to look in games)
- good shoes (concrete floors)

I have thought about bringing a camping chair before. Keep in mind that the auction may last until 6pm or later. They have a snack bar there with nachos and hot dogs and stuff but I think if I go this time I'll bring some sandwich stuff and BOTTLED WATER and keep it out in the truck. There will be long periods where you can take a break, like when they come to 50 slot machines you can go get a drink or something. As for the paper, you will want to take notes on games you want to bid on because they will all start running together and you'll forget which one had a bad monitor and which one worked and which one didn't. All the games are numbered so you can make notes. I always bring printed out excel sheets where I note games names, conditions and what they sell for.

One other note, cameras are not allowed and if they catch you they will ask you to put it away and if they catch you again they will ask you to leave. I still try and take lots of camera phone pix but I'm just discreet about it.

Another thing with superauctions you will notice and it's no secret is that game owners can and do bid on their own games, so if you see someone bidding up a game too high or someone bidding on a lot of games, get out of the bidding. If it doesn't sell hang around after the auction, you might be able to get it for a fair price (instead of them hauling it back home).

If you are looking for a MAME cabinet then plan on waiting because they sell broken stuff last and it could be later afternoon/early evening before they get to that (depends on how much is there and how many people are there, of course).

That's about all I can think of. I am undecided on attending yet ... if I'm there, look for the guy with FLACK written on his hat.

[dcescott]

Thanks Flack, I live in Keller, TX right off of 35W. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. My wife thinks I'm nuts but she knows how I am. I plan on getting one this time. I took your advice and waited for the next itme after Chistmas.
I was planning on note taking for sure, that's quite a time frame, till 6pm? yikes. The buttons can be wd40'd or how the arcade restoration websites suggest. And lights aren't a big deal either. It will probably mean taking a trip to Fry's for parts (I hate that place)
I'm sure I won't score a classic. However a single slot neo geo would be sweet.
I'm trying to sucker my friend in going who has a truck. Plus I will borrow a dolly from work. My father in law has a ramp for his riding lawn mower. Those plus tie downs, it should be somewhat painless.

[98PaceCar]

I'm normally at the Mesquite auctions, but of course, I'll be out of town for this one. If you get into a bind while you are there, ask around for a guy named Noel Johnson and tell him that Darren sent you. He's a great tech on all things video games (and some pinball too).

[dcescott]

Ill do that, maybe I'll see you at another one in the summer...

[dcescott]

Easy question:
How wide are these stand ups? Can I fit them through a normal doorway. My house is new and a standard HistoryMaker one story home, no skinny doors.
General except a double screened nintendo.
thanks!

[98PaceCar]

Ill do that, maybe I'll see you at another one in the summer...

Let me know if you make it to the next one. I'm almost always there, but my girlfriend is forcing me to go to Vegas this weekend. I know, it's rough!!

[98PaceCar]

Easy question:
How wide are these stand ups? Can I fit them through a normal doorway. My house is new and a standard HistoryMaker one story home, no skinny doors.
General except a double screened nintendo.
thanks!

The only games I've had trouble fitting through my doors (I live in a pretty new house, 1995) have been a 3 player Super Off Road and my 33" Tekken 2 cab. Both of them fit, but were extremely tight. I've done tons of 19" cabs and a pretty good amount of 25" cabs with no problems.

The dual screen Playchoice isn't really all that wide, it's just tall and sort of top heavy. If you get one, pull the monitors to move it. Makes it much easier!

[Flack]

I think he's referring to a stand-up side-by-side Nintendo VS. cabinet. And yes, I had one and couldn't fit it through a standard doorway -- brought it home and it never left the garage.

I can't remember the exact measurements, but I have had no trouble with any "standard" game fitting through a doorway. What I have had problems with are games with extra wide control panels, like X-Men (4 player) and Rampage World Tour (3 player). On those games the control panel extends out past the sides of the cabinet, and won't fit through a doorway. Fortunately the control panels come off with 2 or 3 bolts in 5 minutes.

[dcescott]

I got the hookups now.
Tax ID from work
nice dolly from work
ramp from father in law (loads up his riding lawn mower in back of truck)
Tie downs.
friends truck.

I'm antsy.
What are the starting bids?
And do they really last until 6pm?

[Flack]

What are the starting bids?
And do they really last until 6pm?

Neither one of those questions have a concrete answer, unfortunately.

Starting bids are wherever they can get someone to start bidding. Usually that's not below $100 but there are always exceptions. Usually they will start out high ("Who would like to start the bidding at $300?") and if no one bids they'll work their way down ("Ok, who will give $100?"). Each game is different. Some games may have reserves and you won't know what they are, so the best idea is just to decide what a particular game is worth to you, bid up to that amount and no more.

As for how long it lasts, the day before the auction people begin bringing machines in to be sold. Machines will keep arriving up until the auction begins. Then when the auction begins they will start selling them. So really there's no way to know how long the auction will last because there's no way to know how many machines are going to be there. I can tell you the longer you're willing to stay the better chance of a good deal you're likely to have, since most people that aren't dealers come to buy one or two games and usually blow their budget pretty early. So people spend their money and then go home, leaving less bidders.

Generally right off the bat they tend to sell any slot machines and stuff, then they go to the classics, then all the rest of the games, with pinball machines somewhere in the middle. Near the end will be stuff like cranes, coin changers, motion rides, sit-down games and broken cabinets (aka future MAME machines).

[98PaceCar]

I got the hookups now.
Tax ID from work
nice dolly from work
ramp from father in law (loads up his riding lawn mower in back of truck)
Tie downs.
friends truck.

I'm antsy.
What are the starting bids?
And do they really last until 6pm?

I think the longest auction I was at ended at around 2:30 in the morning. It just all depends on what's there.

[dcescott]

Not trying to prolong this thread, why do they last so long?
I've been to auctions before for antiques and of course Goodwill, they're done by an hour after they let you in. Crazy.
I'm taking a multimeter and static wrist guard too, where's the best place to test the juice going into the machine?
I need to be careful what I get, I plan well esp since I have no earthly idea what I about to get into.
My goal is to come home with a NeoGeo MVS cab, single or double or more. Maybe a second one. I wouldn't mind a classic but they will be too high priced. I am plannign on getting a few games to swap out. Mame is an interest but I am mac savvy. I would like the originals but in time I will emulate.

[Darth Sensei]

Why don't they want you taking pictures?

[98PaceCar]

Not trying to prolong this thread, why do they last so long?
I've been to auctions before for antiques and of course Goodwill, they're done by an hour after they let you in. Crazy.
I'm taking a multimeter and static wrist guard too, where's the best place to test the juice going into the machine?
I need to be careful what I get, I plan well esp since I have no earthly idea what I about to get into.
My goal is to come home with a NeoGeo MVS cab, single or double or more. Maybe a second one. I wouldn't mind a classic but they will be too high priced. I am plannign on getting a few games to swap out. Mame is an interest but I am mac savvy. I would like the originals but in time I will emulate.

Dallas is kind of their 'marquee' auction, so a lot of times they will bring stuff from their other auctions that they want to put in front of a bigger crowd. It really just depends on who's running the auction and what's there. If it's the main guy (Rob), it will go a lot quicker than if one of his employees runs it. That and usually, there is just a LOT of stuff to sell!

You won't be able to open up the machines, so taking a multi meter is kind of pointless. Best things you can bring along are a long extension cord and a flashlight. You will be able to see in the coin door of most games, but they frown on that as well. Don't want people tampering with the games.

You might be surprised at the prices of some of the classics. Without knowing what you are really after and consider classic, there could be some good deals. My last purchase at auction was a Phoenix for $40. Other than the monitor, it worked great and looks almost perfect. Now, a nice Ms Pac or Galaga can get up there in price, so it does depend on what you want.

If you have any questions before or after the auction, let me know. I'm not too terribly far from you (I'm in Plano), so maybe I can help out a bit.

[98PaceCar]

Some games may have reserves and you won't know what they are, so the best idea is just to decide what a particular game is worth to you, bid up to that amount and no more.

They've actually changed this a bit the last few auctions. If you look at the labels, they will put an 'R' with the reserve after it. They've also been writing the selling price on all of the games as well. That's a fairly recent thing though.

[dcescott]

You live in plano??
Pheonix for 40 bucks? That was me and my sister's favorite. How was changing the monitor?
They set a reserve now. So the classics are bound for 300 plus? I'm shootin for a steal.

[98PaceCar]

You live in plano??
Pheonix for 40 bucks? That was me and my sister's favorite. How was changing the monitor?
They set a reserve now. So the classics are bound for 300 plus? I'm shootin for a steal.

Yup, I'm in north Plano! Been here for quite a few years now.

The Phoenix was a steal in my book! My mom used to play it all the time, so I kind of got it for her to play when she's here. That way, I don't have to fight her for my other games!!

Changing the monitor is a piece of cake. There's a few things to be aware of, but it's not a big deal. I rebuild them all the time now.

Most of the games at auction won't have a reserve. Typically, the ones that do are the newer games that are still earning money in locations (stuff like Golden Tee and even MAME machines). I'd say at least 98% of what's there won't have a reserve.

Other than the Neo and Nintendo VS, what kinds of games are you interested in? I can try to get you some idea of what to expect pricewise so you can plan your attack!

[Flack]

Why don't they want you taking pictures?

I've asked this before and the only response I ever got was, "they aren't our games, you would have to get permission from the owners."

That being said, I've taken pictures at every auction I've ever been to -- I'm just sneakier about it than I used to be.

[Flack]

Not trying to prolong this thread, why do they last so long? I've been to auctions before for antiques and of course Goodwill, they're done by an hour after they let you in. Crazy.

You will see once you get there. Basically it's a matter of getting 50-100 people in front of one game, selling it, and then moving the whole crowd over to the next item and doing it again. I suspect at a Goodwill auction they move the items -- at an arcade auction, they move the crowd. Then after 3-4 games they have to move the ladders and chair they're standing on, the microphone/PA system, etc.

The good news is, you don't have to stay for the whole thing. There are runners taking the sold prices over to the pay booth, so if you buy something early you can pay for it, take it and leave without waiting. I think they usually make you wait until that row is done selling but that's it.