Well 2 actually. I was able to make it down to the Metrolina Expo this morning for the SUPER AUCTIONS thing goin on. Never been to one before, so I didn't really know what to expect. I was going mainly for pinball machines, and "maybe" a cabinet in good shape to strip down and make into a MAME cab.
When I first got there, I made my rounds over the entire building making notes of what I was going to keep my eyes on. I ended up with a list of of 4 neon signs, a "lot" of 5 pinball translite/backglass, a megatouch 5000 bartop, a few pins, and a pile of potential MAME cabinet canidates.
I ended up with a "Knights of The Round" 3 player standup and a "Solitare Challenge" standup. I was looking for a cab in great shape for my MAME conversion, and the "Knights" fit the bill. At $25, ya cant go wrong. Bonus, it has a 25" screen in awesome shape! I just ended up grabbing the solitare game because it was there and just needed to be bought. The auctioneer looked me right in the eye and my hand involuntarily flew up. Got it for $10.
Other highlights:
Original dedicated Super Punch Out cabinet (dual monitor) and in great shape too... $45
The auctioneer actually paying someone $1 to buy a pool table. It wasn't in too bad of shape either. I would have taken it myself, but just didn't have the room.
The auctioneer not getting a bid on a "lot" of 9 left over standup machines (4 fully working!)... They finally sold for 10$ when the auctioneer laid a $5 bill on one of their CP's.
Virtua Racing 2 seater sitdown (great condition) - $70
Daytona USA sitdown (1 seater, good shape, monitor a little washed out) - $225
Night driver sitdown, nearly perfect - $25
Demonshift, HUGE game. One of those ones with like a 40" projection screen on it and a seperate CP about 5' away from the screen : $30
Jet Grind Radio slot machine, brand new (w/LCD screen) : $60
Full size standup coke machine : $200
8' steel top bar w/ 2 keg taps : $100
And an FYI to anyone who is planning on going to one of these auctions for the first time. Dont put all your $ on the first line of games they sell. By the end of the day, I could have had an original Ultimate MK3 in killer condition for $60, another 3 player "Rampage" standup in better shape than mine for $20, and many many other fully working machines for between $10 - $25. It would have been possible to open a small arcade for less than $500 bucks, wish I had more space!
b