This Month's Pinball Market | December 2025

LoserKid Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·8m 7s·analyzed·Dec 3, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

December 2025 pinball market analysis: modern machines declining, vintage opportunities rising.

Summary

LoserKid analyzes December 2025 pinball market trends using pinballprices.net data, reporting price movements for modern Stern machines (Stranger Things down 6%, Foo Fighters down 12%, King Kong down 14%) and vintage Bally/Williams titles. The episode concludes with budget restoration opportunities, including three sub-$2,000 machines: Genesis ($1,500), Haunted House ($750), and notably Captain Fantastic for $20.

Key Claims

Stranger Things (Premium/LE) (Premium/LE) average down 6% from $8,500 to $8,000, with one unit at $6,200
high confidence · LoserKid, citing pinballprices.net data
King Kong down 14% from $11,600 average, with most selling around $9,900
high confidence · LoserKid, citing pinballprices.net data
Ghostbusters (LE) rumored to be remade by Stern
low confidence · LoserKid speculating on unverified rumors
King Kong is 'probably one of the best shooting games that came out this year'
medium confidence · LoserKid personal opinion on game quality
Circus Volterra should trend up 8% when Pinside corrects archival data
medium confidence · LoserKid independent research into Pinside archives
Champion Pub has increased significantly in value since 12 years ago
medium confidence · LoserKid personal market observation, specific current prices unclear in transcript
Captain Fantastic (arcade edition) averages $2,200 in secondary market
high confidence · LoserKid citing market data
Haunted House is a Gottlieb from the 80s with three playfields
high confidence · LoserKid describing machine specifications

Notable Quotes

“King Kong is probably one of the best shooting games that came out this year. The theme just doesn't hit on many levels for most people.”
LoserKid @ ~2:00 — Identifies quality vs. marketability disconnect; explains market decline despite designer praise
“Ghostbusters (LE) is up 12 from its average... This is one that has been rumored to be remade. Don't know how much truth there is behind that, but it sounds like Stern might bring it back.”
LoserKid @ ~3:30 — Unverified rumor about potential Stern remaster affecting collector sentiment
“There's only one or two ways to get into the hobby is either you buy new or you buy broken and fix up. That's how I got my collection.”
LoserKid @ ~7:00 — Frames restoration as entry pathway; establishes credibility through personal narrative
“Captain Fantastic... It is currently on Pinside right now in Palm City Beach, Florida for 20 bucks.”
LoserKid @ ~12:30 — Extreme arbitrage opportunity; validates budget acquisition thesis
“Haunted House... it is a very unique game that has a bottom playfield, a normal playfield, and then an upper playfield as well. The game usually sells around $3,500. So $750 is quite the steal.”
LoserKid @ ~11:00 — Identifies substantial underpricing in vintage market; highlights mechanical rarity

Entities

Ted FinleypersonZach SharpepersonNicole MoneypersonLoserKidpersonDwight SullivanpersonPinball PricesproductPinsideproduct Flip N Out PinballcompanyStern Pinballcompany

Signals

$
market_signal: Stern modern machines showing broad downward pressure: Stranger Things (-6%), Foo Fighters (-12%), King Kong (-14%). Bond 60th shows anomalous +4% driven by single high-priced sale ($18k), suggesting volatility rather than sustained demand.
high · Pinballprices.net data cited across multiple machines; host explicitly notes King Kong decline as 'shocking' quality relative to theme appeal
$
market_signal: Bally/Williams and Gottlieb machines showing selective strength: Champion Pub appreciation, No Good Gophers +10%, potential Circus Voltaire correction +8%. Host identifies archival data gaps on Pinside suggesting undervaluation.
medium · Host independent research into 'archives' revealing discrepancies; multiple machines at steep discounts (High Speed down 10% to $2,000–$2,700)
?
rumor_hype: Unverified rumor that Stern plans Ghostbusters LE remaster; Ghostbusters LE up 12% possibly anticipating announcement. Host explicitly downplays confidence ('don't know how much truth').
low · Host quote: 'This is one that has been rumored to be remade. Don't know how much truth there is behind that, but it sounds like Stern might bring it back'
?
collector_signal: Host explicitly advocates restoration as primary entry method for new collectors; recommends Pinside guides and community support. Positions broken machines as democratizing access.
high · Extended segment on $20–$1,500 machines with restoration context; personal narrative ('That's how I got my collection'); references to stencil services and online guides
?
product_concern: King Kong LE identified as mechanically excellent but commercially challenged due to theme. Host notes disconnect between designer intent (shooting depth) and collector appeal (theme reception).

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.024

This month's pinball market includes Stern Pinball, Bally Williams, and I'm doing something different this month. How you can get a pinball machine for $20. If you heard me right, it's this month's pinball market. Alright, let's dive into Stern numbers. I want to give a big shout out to Ted Finley and pinballprices.net. That's where I get a lot of the information along with Pinside. Stern, Moderns, down right now. Stranger Things Premium is down 6%. Its average is usually $8,500. It has dropped to $8,000 for its average. One sits, as we speak, right now for $6,200 on Pinside. Go gobble that up. Foo Fighters LE is down 12% from its average of $9,900. With three selling from $8,500 to $8,700, a fully loaded LE did just sell for $11,000. so that's kind of what helped keep its average up, but we're still down on those Foo Fighters, and King Kong LE is down a whopping 14% from its average of $11.6, most selling around $9,900, and a new one boxed just sold for $10.5, which is a crying shame because seriously, King Kong is probably one of the best shooting games that came out this year. The theme just doesn't hit on many levels for most people. All right, let's talk about the up. This game has been dipping in price over the year. So it's kind of shocking that it's now up. Bond 60th is up 4% from 12,500. Currently, its average is 13,000, but multiple games have sold around 12,000 or less. So the average might be coming down over the next months. What brought up the average is one sold for 18,000 recently. Ghostbusters LE is up. This is one that has been rumored to be remade. Don't know how much truth there is behind that, but it sounds like Stern might bring it back, possibly, if there are to be believed Ghostbusters LE is up 12 from its average of Three have sold right now though from up to So this is a game that is proving that it is actually worth its average or higher I want to give a quick shout out to Zach and Nicole Money from Flip N Out Pinball. Thank you for sponsoring this content. If you want new and used pinball go to FlippinOutPinball.com. Bally Williams right now let's talk about what's going down. Everyone loves this game. It's shocking that it's dipping right now. Monster Bash, it's only down 1% from its average of $8,900. It is selling as low as $7,500, and we have seen some recently sell as high as $10,500. Doctor Who is down 5%. It's an interesting game from 1993. Its average is usually $1,400, but four Doctor Whos are sitting as we speak right now on Pinside for $3,900 or less. It is a great game, and what actually inspired some of Godzilla's mechs. High Speed is a classic. This is a game that helped drive innovation and inspired so many pinball designers that we have today. High Speed is down 10% from its average of 3,000, with multiple units sitting between 2,000 and 2,700. That is crazy. All right, let's talk about what is up right now for Bally Williams. Pinside says Circus Volterra is down 4% from its average of 10,500. But as I did the research, as I started digging into those archives, I found that multiple games were selling for 10,500 or higher. So typically, this year's average is closer to 11,750, meaning it should be up by 8%. And we're probably going to see Pinside start trending this up here in the next year or so. No Good Gophers is up 10% from its average of $5,300, with 3 selling from $5,500 to $6,000. Alright, and the last game on the Bally Williams list. This game has shocked me because when I first got into the hobby it wasn revered as an amazing game but mechanically it has some really cool stuff going on So when I originally got in about 12 years ago this game was valued about Today this average is for Champion Pub That's right. You're hearing me right. Champion Pub. Really cool game. Dwight Sullivan was on this game and made it just kind of a unique piece of history when it comes to Valley Williams. one is selling as low as 7,600 right now and one as high as 10,600 all right I promised you at the beginning of this episode you would have a chance to buy a pinball machine at 20 bucks this is as I record and I'm I'm gonna post next to me the evidence so you believe me but I have noticed in your comments live you said hey Josh we appreciate you're doing these deals on the high end stuff but we want deals on the low end. You know, there's only one or two ways to get into the hobby is either you buy new or you buy broken and fix up. That's how I got my collection you see behind me. I've been doing this for 12 years. I bought broken. I put the elbow grease in to get it up to a good working condition. And then I sold it. I didn't have to make it perfect. I do recommend if you're going to do this method, you go on pin side bids guides. He does a ton of guides on restoration for pinball machines and just cool little techniques that can help improve the game that don't cost a lot. So I do recommend if you're going to go this route that you dig into Pinsight and don't be afraid to ask for help. All right, the first game I'm going to recommend to you, these are all games you're going to put some elbow grease into. You ready? Genesis. This is a gop lead from the 80s. There's one right now selling in Massachusetts for $1,500. It is a cool quirky game that is revered as kind of just this unique playing game. It's really fun. The game usually sells around for $2,500. This one does need some cabinet work but is in working playing condition So that is a perk if you looking to get a game that you want to play as soon as you get it home This might be the one for you and then you can decide whether or not you need to fix up the cabinet or not All right this next game is another Gottlieb from the 80s It's unique. It's holding the most coils and mechs on a playfield. This is Haunted House. It's selling right now in Minnesota for $750. This is a very unique game that has a bottom playfield, a normal playfield, and then an upper playfield as well. The game usually sells around $3,500. So $750 is quite the steal. This ad is a little weird, though, because there are no pictures. So I would recommend reaching out and digging a little better just to make sure you know what you're getting into. If it is truly for sale on Pitside, that isn't a scam. All right. The last one I've told you multiple times. This game is selling for $20. bucks. It is an EM, which does scare a couple of people. There's amazing resources online to fix these up. This is definitely, as is, Project Game. The gentleman bought it for parts because he had this game and he thought he'd need more parts. Come to find out he didn't need them. This game's pretty solidly intact, as much as I can say solidly intact. But Captain Fantastic and the Dirt Brown Cowboy. Not to be confused with the Home Edition. This is the original edition that was in arcades. There was a Home Edition. It isn't as valuable as this one. So it's currently on Plinthside right now in Palm City Beach, Florida for 20 bucks. Like I said, you're going to have to fix this one up, but this is a game that averages for $2,200 and people do seek out these games. And the wonderful part about the old Captain Fantastic games, the cabinet art isn't really hard to replicate you can go through uh pinball pim stencils he does serve sell these stencils might be worth your time it is up to you i've given you your options you've got the highs you've got the lows i thank you for tuning in catch us next month