6 ms·

I saw this a few days ago on an arcade collector's forum (not based in the US), and the majority reaction was disbelief. People seemed to think it was a hoax. T

by Luc 3y ago

I saw this a few days ago on an arcade collector's forum (not based in the US), and the majority reaction was disbelief. People seemed to think it was a hoax. That thing is museum quality. I wonder if it's due to those suburban garages, allowing people to pile up stuff for decades. That and having more cash to buy goodies than most of the rest of the world, of course.

kombookcha 3y ago
For classic cars and other large pieces of vintage machinery, "barn finds" have been a common source of weirdly well preserved specimens for many years - especially in dry climates. Now that we live in a world where many elderly people have had suburban garages for many decades, that probably will be a major source of interesting finds like this. All other things being equal, having the space to keep a large object you're not using is gonna be a big predictor for how many specimens end up in a safe storage situation for long enough to become antique.
tibbon 3y ago
Large objects can be so hard to deal with that they are often discarded, regardless of theoretical price or value. Motorcycles, Hammond organs, etc. So often it might be worth quite a bit it someone in another location, but especially after someone dies, there often isn’t the energy to deal with it. So on the street it goes. You can find some people asking $6000 for a Hammond B3, but then someone can’t give away a D-152 outside of an urban area because folks don’t know what it is on a search. It better than a B3, essentially the deluxe model. But they weight nearly 500lbs and people don’t know how to turn them on to test even (it is a 2 step process)
- Roark66 3y ago
  Indeed. I used to own a vintage IBM AS400 server system and a separate disc enclosure. Each component was roughly the size of two mini fridges one atop the other. It weighted over 130 kg each. Add a "smart" crt terminal and a carrier bag full of cables. Unfortunately I had to relocate for work and I couldn't take it with me. I tried to sell it, then I advertised to give it away. Eventually I had to take it to local "it recycling" facility rum by the council where they had me pay a fee for "disposal of a business grade it system" (fair enough). I wish I could've kept it.
  - detourdog 3y ago
    I got a fully complete Nixdorf 820 with the dust covers for free. As far as I can tell I might be the only person outside of the Nixdorf Museum with one. I don't I could sell it if I wanted to. The drives alone seem to powered by washing machine motors. This group usually tries to rescue things. https://vcfed.org https://vcfed.org
    - acomjean 3y ago
      We went toRhode Island computer museum pre-pandemic, was fun (smallish) retro museum. We were offered a tour of the warehouse. A short drive later, a warehouse full of old machines. Impressive lot. It was a lot of fun. They rent them out for movies apparently. They have one old car. One of the founders told us he switched to computers because they were smaller..(ha) It’s impossiblely hard to keep all the machines working, but they're still fun to look up. https://www.ricomputermuseum.org/collections-gallery https://www.ricomputermuseum.org/collections-gallery
      - detourdog 3y ago
        Yes, they have a good reputation for a truly unique show. This museum is maintained by one person and his partner. The large Scale systems museum. New Kensington, PA. https://www.largescalesystemsmuseum.org https://www.largescalesystemsmuseum.org
- sidewndr46 3y ago
  Same thing with aquariums. If you want a 150 gallon you have to pay. If you want a 2000 gallon and are willing to go pick it up and move it, it's usually free.
  - 83 3y ago
    I run into this with tools at auctions. Want a small milling machine you can move into your garage on your own? $2k. Want a giant one from the 60s that takes a crane to move in? $400
  - IceCreamJonsey 3y ago
    Exact thing happened to me when I first started collecting arcade games. I was ready to sell a Xenophobe cabinet, which is a massive, awkward monstrosity. Took a huge "loss" on it but at the time needed it out of my house and only cared that a potential seller could help get it up the stairs. :)
    - sidewndr46 3y ago
      Ha, I knew someone who formerly worked for IGT. Said when he relocated he had a complete gambling machine (massively obsolete) in his living room. Including the 300 lbs something steel plate that is used to weigh it down. Put it on craigslist for free and said it was gone that evening, scrappers showed up and moved it out for him.
  - tibbon 3y ago
    I've found church organs that were probably 100k+ for free before as well. You just need a giant place to put them...
- mtalantikite 3y ago
  Absolutely. When I was in college (early 2000s) I found someone selling a Hammond A-100 in great condition for $400. It was her grandmother's who had recently passed, so they were trying to clear out the house. She had a really nice Wurlitzer baby grand piano for a similar price, but my college apartment definitely couldn't fit that thing.
- banannaise 3y ago
  Freight costs and logistics are the killer. The freight cost often approaches or exceeds the theoretical resale value of the item, and the logistical details are difficult to figure out if you haven't done this before, which the overwhelming majority of people haven't.
blamazon 3y ago
Chicago does have an incredible density of suburban garages, perhaps at a scale which is unique in America. Row after row, column after column, copy-pasted outwards on a massive grid.
koz1000 3y ago
The more likely reason is that it was a test machine, as shown by the paperwork in the cabinet and the low play count. It was put on location for a few weeks to gather earnings data and then probably pulled back to the factory. A lot of those test/proto machines were then scrapped or sold at a very low price to someone on the design/production team if they had the means to take it home. Back in this era it was very rare for an arcade cabinet to be sold directly to the home. Aside from being very expensive, you had to buy from a distributor much like a car dealer. Most local distributors hated dealing with home owners (too many questions, couldn't fix it themselves, delivery was a bitch, etc). Given this was found in a Chicago suburb I'm going to take a wild guess and say it was a Bally/Midway employee that kept it in their garage or basement for a few decades and then decided it just took up too much room. Or it was handed off to a friend or neighbor over the years but either way it really hasn't left the city and never saw hard use in an arcade. Galloping Ghost has taken great advantage of this situation and obtained many pieces that are more rare then Discs of Tron. The reason I know this is because I have a few engineering sample games in my basement as well.
- toyg 3y ago
  Lady doesn't want to talk about it -> the owner was some man who is not in her life anymore.
  - johnvanommen 3y ago
    Might have just come with the house. I've purchased houses where the former owners didn't bother to move out anything big and clunky.
    - ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
      Yep. I have a century-old pool table (coincidentally also made in Chicago) that was left in the house I lived in as a little kid. It is extremely rare. Thinking of taking it to Antiques Roadshow.
- bagels 3y ago
  Test machine theory is also supported by the fact that they are in Chicago, where Midway is/was based.
ryandrake 3y ago
Incredible is really the perfect word to describe this: Both the "extraordinary" definition and the "impossible to believe" definition. It's too bad the two top-level comments doubting this story have been downvoted into oblivion and dunked on for being cynical. We might not like that line of conversation, but I think it's a legitimate POV that adds to the discussion. This find just seems so...incredible. In what actual universe do you see these kinds of things just left out on the curb?? The only things I see on the curbs in my neighborhood are old junky furniture and kids' toys. I subscribe to estate sale newsletters to find treasures like this, and have never seen something like this even for sale, let alone free by the side of the road. What an amazing read!
- Damogran6 3y ago
  It may be an intentional misdirection...The guy may have had a contact that was easy to deduce, and neither of them wanted the attention it would bring...so it 'fell off the back of a truck.'
mayormcmatt 3y ago
My uncle had a 1968 Dodge Charger in his garage, covered, that hadn't been taken out since then. At that time it was working, but the hoses and seals had deteriorated since (though the paint job was perfect) and he wanted it to be his retirement project to get it running again. Parkinson's set in and he wasn't able to follow through on that, unfortunately, and he ended up selling it for a considerable amount of cash. You never know what's in peoples' garages.

by Luc 3y ago

kombookcha 3y ago

For classic cars and other large pieces of vintage machinery, "barn finds" have been a common source of weirdly well preserved specimens for many years - especially in dry climates. Now that we live in a world where many elderly people have had suburban garages for many decades, that probably will be a major source of interesting finds like this. All other things being equal, having the space to keep a large object you're not using is gonna be a big predictor for how many specimens end up in a safe storage situation for long enough to become antique.

tibbon 3y ago

Large objects can be so hard to deal with that they are often discarded, regardless of theoretical price or value. Motorcycles, Hammond organs, etc. So often it might be worth quite a bit it someone in another location, but especially after someone dies, there often isn’t the energy to deal with it. So on the street it goes. You can find some people asking $6000 for a Hammond B3, but then someone can’t give away a D-152 outside of an urban area because folks don’t know what it is on a search. It better than a B3, essentially the deluxe model. But they weight nearly 500lbs and people don’t know how to turn them on to test even (it is a 2 step process)

Roark66 3y ago
Indeed. I used to own a vintage IBM AS400 server system and a separate disc enclosure. Each component was roughly the size of two mini fridges one atop the other. It weighted over 130 kg each. Add a "smart" crt terminal and a carrier bag full of cables. Unfortunately I had to relocate for work and I couldn't take it with me. I tried to sell it, then I advertised to give it away. Eventually I had to take it to local "it recycling" facility rum by the council where they had me pay a fee for "disposal of a business grade it system" (fair enough). I wish I could've kept it.
- detourdog 3y ago
  I got a fully complete Nixdorf 820 with the dust covers for free. As far as I can tell I might be the only person outside of the Nixdorf Museum with one. I don't I could sell it if I wanted to. The drives alone seem to powered by washing machine motors. This group usually tries to rescue things. https://vcfed.org https://vcfed.org
  - acomjean 3y ago
    We went toRhode Island computer museum pre-pandemic, was fun (smallish) retro museum. We were offered a tour of the warehouse. A short drive later, a warehouse full of old machines. Impressive lot. It was a lot of fun. They rent them out for movies apparently. They have one old car. One of the founders told us he switched to computers because they were smaller..(ha) It’s impossiblely hard to keep all the machines working, but they're still fun to look up. https://www.ricomputermuseum.org/collections-gallery https://www.ricomputermuseum.org/collections-gallery
    - detourdog 3y ago
      Yes, they have a good reputation for a truly unique show. This museum is maintained by one person and his partner. The large Scale systems museum. New Kensington, PA. https://www.largescalesystemsmuseum.org https://www.largescalesystemsmuseum.org
sidewndr46 3y ago
Same thing with aquariums. If you want a 150 gallon you have to pay. If you want a 2000 gallon and are willing to go pick it up and move it, it's usually free.
- 83 3y ago
  I run into this with tools at auctions. Want a small milling machine you can move into your garage on your own? $2k. Want a giant one from the 60s that takes a crane to move in? $400
- IceCreamJonsey 3y ago
  Exact thing happened to me when I first started collecting arcade games. I was ready to sell a Xenophobe cabinet, which is a massive, awkward monstrosity. Took a huge "loss" on it but at the time needed it out of my house and only cared that a potential seller could help get it up the stairs. :)
  - sidewndr46 3y ago
    Ha, I knew someone who formerly worked for IGT. Said when he relocated he had a complete gambling machine (massively obsolete) in his living room. Including the 300 lbs something steel plate that is used to weigh it down. Put it on craigslist for free and said it was gone that evening, scrappers showed up and moved it out for him.
- tibbon 3y ago
  I've found church organs that were probably 100k+ for free before as well. You just need a giant place to put them...
mtalantikite 3y ago
Absolutely. When I was in college (early 2000s) I found someone selling a Hammond A-100 in great condition for $400. It was her grandmother's who had recently passed, so they were trying to clear out the house. She had a really nice Wurlitzer baby grand piano for a similar price, but my college apartment definitely couldn't fit that thing.
banannaise 3y ago
Freight costs and logistics are the killer. The freight cost often approaches or exceeds the theoretical resale value of the item, and the logistical details are difficult to figure out if you haven't done this before, which the overwhelming majority of people haven't.

blamazon 3y ago

Chicago does have an incredible density of suburban garages, perhaps at a scale which is unique in America. Row after row, column after column, copy-pasted outwards on a massive grid.

koz1000 3y ago

The more likely reason is that it was a test machine, as shown by the paperwork in the cabinet and the low play count. It was put on location for a few weeks to gather earnings data and then probably pulled back to the factory. A lot of those test/proto machines were then scrapped or sold at a very low price to someone on the design/production team if they had the means to take it home. Back in this era it was very rare for an arcade cabinet to be sold directly to the home. Aside from being very expensive, you had to buy from a distributor much like a car dealer. Most local distributors hated dealing with home owners (too many questions, couldn't fix it themselves, delivery was a bitch, etc). Given this was found in a Chicago suburb I'm going to take a wild guess and say it was a Bally/Midway employee that kept it in their garage or basement for a few decades and then decided it just took up too much room. Or it was handed off to a friend or neighbor over the years but either way it really hasn't left the city and never saw hard use in an arcade. Galloping Ghost has taken great advantage of this situation and obtained many pieces that are more rare then Discs of Tron. The reason I know this is because I have a few engineering sample games in my basement as well.

toyg 3y ago
Lady doesn't want to talk about it -> the owner was some man who is not in her life anymore.
- johnvanommen 3y ago
  Might have just come with the house. I've purchased houses where the former owners didn't bother to move out anything big and clunky.
  - ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
    Yep. I have a century-old pool table (coincidentally also made in Chicago) that was left in the house I lived in as a little kid. It is extremely rare. Thinking of taking it to Antiques Roadshow.
bagels 3y ago
Test machine theory is also supported by the fact that they are in Chicago, where Midway is/was based.

ryandrake 3y ago

Incredible is really the perfect word to describe this: Both the "extraordinary" definition and the "impossible to believe" definition. It's too bad the two top-level comments doubting this story have been downvoted into oblivion and dunked on for being cynical. We might not like that line of conversation, but I think it's a legitimate POV that adds to the discussion. This find just seems so...incredible. In what actual universe do you see these kinds of things just left out on the curb?? The only things I see on the curbs in my neighborhood are old junky furniture and kids' toys. I subscribe to estate sale newsletters to find treasures like this, and have never seen something like this even for sale, let alone free by the side of the road. What an amazing read!

Damogran6 3y ago
It may be an intentional misdirection...The guy may have had a contact that was easy to deduce, and neither of them wanted the attention it would bring...so it 'fell off the back of a truck.'

mayormcmatt 3y ago

My uncle had a 1968 Dodge Charger in his garage, covered, that hadn't been taken out since then. At that time it was working, but the hoses and seals had deteriorated since (though the paint job was perfect) and he wanted it to be his retirement project to get it running again. Parkinson's set in and he wasn't able to follow through on that, unfortunately, and he ended up selling it for a considerable amount of cash. You never know what's in peoples' garages.