Lots of Lots

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Jul 16, 2004

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.025

TL;DR

July 2004: Bob Thomson estate auction disperses 300+ pinball machines in Hampshire, UK.

Summary

This is a detailed historical report from July 16, 2004, covering the first auction of Bob Thomson's extensive pinball collection following his death. The auction featured over 300 pinball machines and approximately 100 playfields from Paradise Amusements (formerly Pinball Paradise) in Hampshire, UK, with a second auction scheduled for July 25. Machines were sold blind without setup, resulting in prices heavily discounted by uncertainty, ranging from £20 minimum to £850 for a Williams Defender.

Key Claims

Bob Thomson died after a struggle with cancer and was well known in the amusement industry in the UK
high confidence · Article states Bob 'died a couple of months ago after a struggle with cancer and was well known in the amusement industry in the UK'
Paradise Amusements was formerly known as Pinball Paradise
high confidence · Article: 'He owned and ran Paradise Amusements which many readers will know from its former name of Pinball Paradise'
Over 300 pinball games were auctioned in the first sale at Bob's warehouse in Bordon, north Hampshire
high confidence · Article states 'There were over 300 pinball games in this auction and that only took care of the workshop and some of the ground floor of the storage unit'
Approximately 100 playfields were also auctioned off in the first sale
high confidence · Article: 'Along with the 300 games, there were also around 100 playfields auctioned off'
Machines were sold blind without being set up or powered on, making it difficult to assess condition
high confidence · Article states: 'None of the games were set up in any way. They had no legs, they were all stood-up on their backs and many had their backboxes removed...So, you can't see the game and you can't see if it powers up. You're largely bidding blind'
The highest price paid for any game was £850 for a Williams Defender
high confidence · Article: 'the prize for highest price going to a Williams Defender at £850'
The entire auction of 400 lots took less than four hours to complete
high confidence · Article: 'Despite the 400 lots, the whole auction took less than four hours'
A second auction was scheduled for July 25 covering the remainder of stock
high confidence · Article: 'The second auction takes place at the same location on the 25th of July'

Notable Quotes

“Bob died a couple of months ago after a struggle with cancer and was well known in the amusement industry in the UK.”
Article author @ Opening paragraph — Establishes context and tribute to Bob Thomson's role in UK amusement industry
“There were over 300 pinball games in this auction and that only took care of the workshop and some of the ground floor of the storage unit. There is still the rest of the store and the upper floor for the second auction on the 25th July.”
Article author @ Early section — Illustrates the massive scale of Thomson's collection
“So, you can't see the game and you can't see if it powers up. You're largely bidding blind, so the prices reflected the huge degree of uncertainly involved.”
Article author @ Auction conditions section — Explains pricing dynamics and risk factors for bidders
“Before the auction began there was one minute's silence in Bob's remembrance which was well respected. In fact there was a very pleasant and respectful atmosphere with everyone mindful of the fact that the proceeds would go to Bob's wife and young child.”
Article author @ Before auction starts — Shows community respect and emotional context for the sale
“There's no doubt that there were some excellent bargains to be picked up. Around a dozen sold for the minimum £20 with the prize for highest price going to a Williams Defender at £850.”
Article author @ Price summary — Provides pricing context showing both bargains and premium values

Entities

Bob ThomsonpersonParadise AmusementscompanyPinball ParadisecompanyBordonorganizationWilliamscompany Ballycompany GottliebcompanyData EastcompanyZaccariacompanyWilliams Defendergame

Signals

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event_signal: UK pinball community gathering demonstrating collective respect for deceased operator and his contributions to industry
high · Article notes 'there was a very pleasant and respectful atmosphere with everyone mindful of the fact that the proceeds would go to Bob's wife and young child' and formal minute of silence before auction
?
event_signal: Historic auction event dispersing major UK amusement operator's entire pinball inventory scheduled in two phases
high · First auction July 16, 2004 with 400 lots; second auction scheduled July 25, 2004 to cover remainder of warehouse inventory
$
market_signal: Large-scale UK vintage pinball collection dispersion through auction reveals market pricing for electromechanical era machines when sold under uncertainty conditions
high · Over 300 machines and 100 playfields auctioned with prices ranging £20-£850, machines sold blind without setup or power verification
$
market_signal: Pricing heavily discounted by uncertainty and blind bidding conditions; machines arranged back-to-back making visibility impossible resulted in conservative bidding
high · Article explicitly states 'You're largely bidding blind, so the prices reflected the huge degree of uncertainly involved' and notes 'excellent bargains to be picked up' with minimum £20 sales

Topics

Estate auction of major UK pinball collectionprimaryPricing dynamics for vintage pinball machines when sold blindprimaryBob Thomson's legacy in UK amusement industryprimaryVintage pinball machine inventory and parts availabilitysecondaryHistoric pinball manufacturers and game productionsecondaryCommunity respect and cultural significance of pinball collectionssecondaryAuction logistics and marketplace for vintage machinessecondaryPlayfield restoration and parts sourcingmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.72)— The article conveys respect and reverence for Bob Thomson's legacy and collection, with acknowledgment of community camaraderie at the auction. Neutral reporting of auction details with appreciation for bargains found. Emphasis on respectful atmosphere and proceeds going to Thomson's family creates emotional, sentimental tone. No negative sentiment expressed, though the auction itself reflects the bittersweet nature of an estate sale.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Story dated July 16, 2004 Today saw the first of two auctions of the pinball games and parts belonging to the late Bob Thomson. Bob died a couple of months ago after a struggle with cancer and was well known in the amusement industry in the UK. He owned and ran Paradise Amusements which many readers will know from its former name of Pinball Paradise. His family decided to sell off his inventory of pinball games, video games and spares, so this auction disposed of around half the games - all pinball machines - along with many of the parts and spare playfields. The auction was held at Bob's warehouse at Bordon, north Hampshire. Upon entering it was clear what a daunting number of games were kept in the unit and in another of the same size opposite. There were over 300 pinball games in this auction and that only took care of the workshop and some of the ground floor of the storage unit. There is still the rest of the store and the upper floor for the second auction on the 25th July. The auction was to start at midday, but before that there were two hours for buyers to view the games. As it turned out, for many people those two hours were used to rummage through all the parts available. It impossible to describe the number of parts available, or their range, but despite the narrow walkways and high shelves, you could happily spend several days sorting through all this stuff and still pull out little nuggets of gold. Finding exactly what you needed wasn't that easy unless you're familiar with parts numbers, but most rack units turned up something of interest and occasionally you'd hit the mother lode - like the boxes of pristine manuals, schematics and operator booklets squirreled away. The trouble is, after two hours we had boxes of parts; coils, switches, ramps, boards, manuals, semiconductors, springs, you name it - it was there. But then the auction started and we hadn't even looked at the games. Thankfully, the auction started late and there was time to do some quick investigative work. None of the games were set up in any way. They had no legs, they were all stood-up on their backs and many had their backboxes removed. Most were also placed back to back and arranged in tight rows making it hard to see what you're bidding for. So, you can't see the game and you can't see if it powers up. You're largely bidding blind, so the prices reflected the huge degree of uncertainly involved. Before the auction began there was one minute's silence in Bob's remembrance which was well respected. In fact there was a very pleasant and respectful atmosphere with everyone mindful of the fact that the proceeds would go to Bob's wife and young child. Despite the 400 lots, the whole auction took less than four hours including the time to relocate from the store to the workshop and back again for the different items. There's no doubt that there were some excellent bargains to be picked up. Around a dozen sold for the minimum £20 with the prize for highest price going to a Williams Defender at £850. Along with the 300 games, there were also around 100 playfields auctioned off. These ranged from near-bare wood to fully populated games. Obviously the latter were great sources of coils, lamps, plastics and switches even if the actual playfield is of no use. Once again, research was vital to avoid a surprise when you go to collect your goods. Here is the full list of games and their selling prices. Minimum game price was £20 and any games not reaching that level were held over to the next auction and not sold (£n/s). Playfields were initially set at the same level but very quickly it emerged that a £5 minimum was more realistic so that was used instead. Even then, many did not sell. Blank lots were removed from this auction after the list of lots was drawn up. There was a 10% buyers premium but no tax was added. For approximate conversion to US$, double the £ price. Lot number Lot description Selling price 1 Gottlieb Flying Carpet 1972 £20 2 Bally Space Time £20 3 Chicago Coin Super Flipper £50 4 Williams Alpine Club £n/s 5 6 Bally Six Million Dollar Man 1978 £100 7 Bally Hoo £40 8 Williams Casanova 1966 £80 9 Williams Aztec 1966 £40 10 Playmatic Big Town £20 11 Gottlieb Genie 1979 £30 12 Bally Lost World 1978 £90 13 Chicago Coin Cinema 1976 £90 14 Williams Stardust 1972 £50 15 Williams Oxo 1973 £50 16 Williams Blackout 1980 £30 17 18 Bally Speakeasy 1982 £80 19 Williams Barracora 1981 £90 20 21 Williams Smart Set £20 22 23 Bally Playboy 1978 £260 24 Zaccaria Magic Castle £70 25 Bally Six Sticks 1966 £100 26 Bally Evel Knievel 1977 £150 27 Bally Big Valley £40 28 Zaccaria Space Shuttle £40 29 Gottlieb High Hand £180 30 Williams Fantastic £20 31 Williams Aces High £30 32 Bally Dolly Parton 1979 £270 33 Bally Six Million Dollar Man 1978 £120 34 Williams Post Time 1969 £20 35 Gottlieb Surf Side £70 36 Williams Jive Time 1970 £n/s 37 Gottlieb Cowpoke 1965 £500 38 Recel Torpedo 1976 £20 39 Gottlieb Pinball Pool 1979 £60 40 41 Williams Jolly Roger £n/s 42 Gottlieb Abracadabra 1975 £20 43 Gottlieb Liberty Bell 1962 £70 44 Williams Dealers Choice 1973 £20 45 Williams Barracora 1981 £110 46 Bally Goldball 1983 £50 47 Williams Jive Time 1970 £20 48 Gottlieb Joker Poker 1978 £20 49 Bally Strikes & Spares 1978 £80 50 Bally Cybernaut 1985 £120 51 Williams Kiss-O £20 52 53 Stern Split Second 1981 £30 54 Gottlieb Wild Life 1972 £20 55 Bally Hoo £n/s 56 Gottlieb Jungle Princess 1977 £40 57 Williams Aces & Kings £20 58 Williams Black Knight 1980 £220 59 60 Wico Af-Tor £30 61 Williams Gold Rush £n/s 62 Williams Magic City 1967 £140 63 Bally Zip-A-Doo £20 64 Gottlieb Sweet Heart 1963 £250 65 Bally Hi Lo Ace £40 66 Williams Student Prince £20 67 68 Bally Harlem Globetrotters 1979 £100 69 Gottlieb Force II 1980 £20 70 71 Williams Big Deal 1972 £20 72 Williams Fun Fest 1972 £n/s 73 Bally Strikes & Spares 1978 £100 74 Stern Freefall £20 75 Zaccaria Spooky £260 76 77 Williams Lady Luck £20 78 Bally Freedom £60 79 Williams Jubilee 1972 £n/s 80 Stern Flight 2000 1980 £60 81 Recel Underwater 1961 £50 82 83 Williams A-Go-Go £20 84 Williams Casanova 1966 £60 85 Stern Lightening 1981 £180 86 Bally Zip-A-Doo £20 87 Williams Cue-T £20 88 89 Gottlieb Gigi 1963 £300 90 Williams Riverboat £30 91 Williams Jive Time 1970 £20 92 Williams Big Strike 1966 £70 93 Segasa Baby Doll £n/s 94 Williams Honey 1972 £60 95 Gottlieb 300 £20 96 97 Williams Post Time 1969 £30 98 Williams Post Time 1969 £20 99 Williams Cue-T £70 100 Williams Time Warp 1979 £20 101 102 Williams Toledo 1975 £n/s 103 Gottlieb Bowling Queen 1964 £100 104 Williams TIme Warp 1979 £60 105 106 107 Williams Merry Widow 1963 £100 108 Bally Dixieland £50 109 110 Bally Eight Ball £150 111 112 Williams Travel Time 1973 £30 113 Gottlieb Strange World £40 114 Ten Stars £n/s 115 Gottlieb King Kool £n/s 116 Gottlieb Paul Bunyan £20 117 Gottlieb Funland £100 118 Bally Mad World £20 119 Williams Pat Hand 1975 £50 120 Stern Lectronamo 1978 £n/s 121 Gottlieb Play Mates 1968 £90 122 Bally Four Million BC 1971 £260 123 Williams El Toro 1963 £110 124 Williams Gorgar 1979 £140 125 Williams Jungle Lord 1981 £140 126 Gottlieb Bowling Queen 1964 £220 127 Williams Jungle Lord 1981 £80 128 Gottlieb Royal Gaurd 1968 £110 129 Bally Six Million Dollar Man 1978 £50 130 Gottlieb Totem Pole 1979 £n/s 131 Williams Barracora 1981 £110 132 Bally 50/50 Withdrawn 133 Williams Warlock 1982 £60 134 Williams Heat Wave 1964 Withdrawn 135 Williams Jumpin Jacks £20 136 Williams Jungle £20 137 138 Bally Harvest 1964 £60 139 Williams Flash 1979 £60 140 Gottlieb Soccer 1975 £40 141 Stern Split Second £160 142 Williams Jackpot £20 143 Gottlieb Flipper Clown £170 144 Williams Blackout 1980 £100 145 Gottlieb Golden Arrow £20 146 Williams Cue-T £60 147 Bally Fireball 1972 £640 148 149 Williams Jungle Lord 1981 £60 150 Gottlieb Buck Rogers 1975 £80 151 Gottlieb Devils Dare 1982 £110 152 Bally Electra £70 153 Bally Champ £80 154 Bally Wizard 1975 £270 155 Gottlieb Counterforce 1980 £80 156 Bally Rolling Stones 1980 £160 157 Bally Centaur II £110 158 Bally Kiss (cabinet only) £60 159 Bally Harlem Globetrotters 1979 £160 160 Bally Hootenany £50 161 Bally Nip-It 1972 £140 162 Bally Wizard 1975 £420 163 164 Bally Capt. Fantastic 1975 £500 165 Bally Vector 1981 £180 166 Bally Little Joe 1972 £50 167 168 Gottlieb Roller Coaster 1971 £50 169 Bally Kiss £300 170 Williams Oxo 1973 £20 171 Zaccaria Robot £40 172 Bell Games Saturn 2 £30 173 Zaccaria Soccer Kings £25 174 Bell Games Saturn 2 £40 175 176 Williams Flash 1979 £100 177 Gottlieb Roller Disco 1980 £80 178 Bally Eight Ball £100 179 Recel Criterium 75 £20 180 Stern Magic 1979 £90 181 Gottlieb Dancing Lady £220 182 Gottlieb Black Hole £60 183 184 185 186 Bally Mad World £320 187 Bally Centaur £400 188 Bally Honey £n/s 189 Gottlieb Tropical Isle £320 190 Gottlieb Spin A Card £260 191 Williams Hyperball £40 192 Williams Beat The Clock £200 193 Gottlieb Big Top £140 194 Williams Stop N Go £300 195 Bally Vampire £220 196 Williams Apollo £120 197 Gottlieb Jet Spin £80 198 Williams Friendship 7 £200 199 Gottlieb Show Boat £320 200 Gottlieb Central Park £300 201 Gottlieb Paul Bunyan £20 202 Gottlieb Casanova £80 203 Williams Oxo £50 204 Bally Spectrum £70 205 Gottlieb Playmates £140 206 Williams Grand Tour £40 207 Williams Ding Dong £50 208 Gottlieb Centigrade £120 209 Williams Soccer £140 210 Williams Heatwave £n/s 211 Gottlieb Gigi £460 212 Gottlieb Zig Zag £20 213 Gottlieb Hurdy Gurdy £400 214 Williams Mayfair £180 215 Gottlieb Hot Line £30 216 Williams A Go Go £20 217 Gottlieb Jon Snow Derby £20 218 Bally Mad World £20 219 Williams San Francisco £90 220 Williams Big Daddy £20 221 Gottlieb Hi Score £20 222 Williams Touchdown £40 223 Gottlieb Dancing Lady £340 224 Williams Post Time £20 225 Stern Star Gazer £40 226 Williams Lady Luck £20 227 Gottlieb Flipper Fair £100 228 Bally Dixie Land £50 229 Bally Sky Divers £50 230 Gottlieb Hi Score £120 231 Williams Valiant £20 232 Williams Heat Wave £70 233 Bally Delta Queen £280 234 Bally Vector £180 235 Stern Galaxy £40 236 Bally Beat The Clock £140 237 Bally Fathom £820 238 Bally Beat The Clock £60 239 Bally Centaur £50 240 Gottlieb Spirit £120 241 Williams Strato Flight £90 242 Bally On Beam £n/s 243 Bally Capt. Fantastic £440 244 Stern Nine Ball £20 245 Bally Twin Win £20 246 Bally Odds And Evens £20 247 Williams Black Knight £150 248 Williams Road Kings £160 249 Williams Teachers Pet £50 250 Williams Teachers Pet £20 251 Bally Voltan £300 252 Williams Magic City £140 253 Williams Defender £850 254 Williams Fire Power £20 255 Bally Grand Slam £20 256 Bally Rapid Fire £180 257 Williams San Francisco £80 258 Bally Flash Gordon £300 259 Bally Xenon (+ new playfield) £480 260 Bally Xenon £160 261 Williams Jolly Roger £60 262 Bally Bazar £100 263 Bally On Beam £40 264 Williams Jungle Lord £100 265 Zaccaria Moon Flight £40 266 Bally Evel Knievel £260 267 Bally King Tut £220 268 Bally Old Chicago £20 269 Gottlieb Torch £n/s 270 Bally Fireball £400 271 Bally Aladdin's Castle £20 272 Williams Aces & Kings £30 273 Stern Dracula £30 274 Playmatic UFO-X £n/s 275 Nordamatic Champion £n/s 276 Williams Pharoh £160 277 Bally Mata Hari £20 278 Bally Spectrum £120 279 Bally Bull Fight £90 280 Zaccaria Combat £20 281 Williams Whirlwind £220 282 Bally Escape From The Lost World £180 283 Gottlieb Hit The Deck £300 284 Bally Magic Circle £140 285 Data East Star Trek £200 286 Bally Rapid Fire £50 287 Williams Earthshaker £20 288 Williams Big Guns £50 289 Data East Royal Rumble £160 290 Zaccaria Farfalla £160 291 Williams High Speed £280 292 Williams Soccer £20 293 Data East Last Action Hero £140 294 Gottlieb Super Mario Bros £160 295 Data East Playboy £360 296 Data East Frankenstein £300 297 Bally Flash Gordon £70 298 Williams Fun House £180 299 Bally Corvette £500 300 Sega Starship Troppers £520 301 Williams Taxi £260 302 Gottlieb Street Fighter £150 303 Bally Doctor Who £220 304 Williams Hurricane £90 305 Gottlieb Super Mario Bros £90 306 Gottlieb Cue Ball Wizard £50 307 Data East Last Action Hero £160 308 Bally Twilight Zone £560 309 Williams Fire £520 310 Bally Eight Ball Champ £50 311 Data East Torpedo £100 312 Bally World Cup USA '94 £380 313 Bally Creature From The Black Lagoon £500 314 Bally Doctor Who £340 315 Williams Demolition Man £400 316 Zaccaria Space Shuttle £40 317 Gottlieb Spring Break £120 318 Bally Judge Dredd £370 319 Williams Hurricane £80 320 Williams Demolition Man £340 321 Data East Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles £200 322 Williams Bram Stokers Dracula £450 323 Bally Touchdown Bingo £70 324 Bally Blue Chip Bingo £n/s 325 Bally Karate Playfield £20 326 Williams? Playfield Playfield £n/s 327 Williams Alien Poker Playfield £n/s 328 Bally Grand Tour Playfield £n/s 329 Gottlieb Slick Chick Playfield £n/s 330 Williams Lightening Playfield £n/s 331 Williams Jungle Lord Playfield £10 332 Gottlieb Meteor Playfield £n/s 333 Bally Odds & Evens Playfield £n/s 334 Stern? Playfield Playfield £n/s 335 Bank-A-Ball & Flying Carpet Playfields £n/s 336 Hook & Party Zone Playfields £5 337 Star Trek (2 of) Playfields £30 338 Checkpoint & Spin Out Playfields £15 339 Six Sticks & Op-Pop-Pop Playfields £5 340 Sweathearts & Star Trek Playfields £5 341 Superstar & Hurricane Playfields £5 342 Roto Pool & Sinbad Playfields £5 343 Steeplechase & Mad World Playfields £5 344 No Fear & The Getaway Playfields £25 345 Scuba & King Pin Playfields £5 346 Dragon & Beat The Clock Playfields £5 347 Williams Doctor Who Playfield £65 348 Williams Corvette Playfield £15 349 Williams Hurricane Playfield £40 350 Zaccaria Magic Castle Playfield £5 351 Williams Popeye Playfield £5 352 Williams Popeye Playfield £35 353 Williams Popeye Playfield £30 354 Williams Popeye Playfield £30 355 Williams The Getaway Playfield £20 356 Williams Terminator 2 Playfield £15 357 Williams Magic City Playfield £n/s 358 Williams Whitewater Playfield £20 359 Zaccaria Alpine Club Playfield £5 360 Bally Camelot Playfield £n/s 361 Bally Dolly Parton Playfield £20 362 Bally Mini Zag Playfield £n/s 363 Williams Time Warp Playfield £n/s 364 Williams Tri Zone Playfield £n/s 365 Gottlieb Sinbad Playfield £n/s 366 Bally Beat The Clock Playfield £n/s 367 Data East Checkpoint Playfield £15 368 Williams High Speed Playfield £10 369 Williams Warlock Playfield £15 370 Bally Transporter Playfield £5 371 Data East Star Wars Playfield £20 372 Bally Power Play Playfield £n/s 373 Bally Escape From The Lost World Playfield £n/s 374 Bally Gilligans Island Playfield £20 375 Zaccaria Pool Teme Playfield £5 376 Gottlieb Spin To Win Playfield £n/s 377 Zaccaria Pinball Champ Playfield £5 378 Williams Alien Poker Playfield £5 379 Bally Dragon Theme Playfield £5 380 Bally Pac-Man Playfield £5 381 Bally Star Trek Playfield £30 382 Bally Freedom Playfield £n/s 383 Bally Dolly Parton Playfield £5 384 Williams Firepower Playfield £15 385 Bally Pac-man Playfield £n/s 386 Bally Freedom Playfield £n/s 387 Bally Kiss Playfield £15 388 Williams Space Mission Playfield £5 389 Williams The Getaway Playfield £5 390 Williams The Getaway Playfield £10 391 Williams The Getaway Playfield £15 392 Bally Playboy Playfield £5 393 Williams Fun-Fest Playfield £n/s 394 Bally Nightrider Playfield £n/s 395 Gottlieb Quicksilver Playfield £n/s 396 Bally Bingo Playfield £5 397 Bally Bingo Playfield £5 398 Bally America Bingo Playfield £5 399 Bally Bowling Bingo Playfield £5 400 Bally Palm Beach Bingo Playfield £5 Overall the auction went very smoothly. The 400 lots were dealt with quickly and efficiently with the only delays occurring at the payment and collection point in the workshop. The advice to pay for your goods as early as possible was heeded by some but it's not always possible (if you're cataloguing all the prices for instance. :-) The second auction takes place at the same location on the 25th of July. Full details of the items for sale will appear at the auction organiser's web site which is also the site of Antique Amusement Machines magazine. Back to the news index Back to the front page