1977 Gottlieb "Jacks Open" fully working and original price?

[Sweetums]

Hello Forum members,

I have a question regarding the value of my pinball machine. It is the Gottlieb version of 1977 Jacks Open. No major damage, a few lightbulbs out and one plastic piece chipped (have the piece). I have seen them for sale from anywhere $400 to $4000. If anyone could help provide what they think is a fair value for the machine it would be much appreciated. I can post pictures if that helps. Also if you are in the bay are and interested in purchasing i would be open to that as well.

Thank You all

[emmadog]

"It is the Gottlieb version of 1977 Jacks Open"
So is it the 1977 original machine or is it the Gottlieb/Mylstar remake they did later in the 80's? I can't tell from your wording which one you have. The 1977 title is one of the most wanted Gottlieb pins so you have that going for you. I have the add a ball version "Lucky Hand" which I prefer and I paid 2k for it but it is in mint condition. Post some pics.

[Moparformances]

pictures are worth a thousand words

and of course

Welcome to Pachitalk

[Sweetums]

rrgy.jpgbmx0.jpgjwlp.jpg
Thanks so much for your replies and welcome to the forum. I hope the pics help.

[Moparformances]

very nice looking

[emmadog]

In my 2011 pinball price guide, it says the value in good condition is 825 and Lucky Hand is at 900. These reflect the desirability of these machines however many people disregard pinball price guides of any kind as the market sets the true value. Overall the pin looks to be in good shape but many more close up pics of the common wear areas will be required by anyone interested, particularly from the typical pinhead. From these pics the backglass looks good but it's too far away to see if there's any paint missing or flaking. Same with the playfield. There's some paint missing around the keylines which is common due to inserts sinking over time. So the good news is that you have the much more sought after original machine and it looks to be in good shape so I'd guess in an auction you'd get well north of 825. For more exposure, let it be known that you'll ship the machine which is the responsibility of the buyer. They schedule the shipping company when it's convenient for you and they do all the work. All you have to do is be around at the scheduled time.

[heima]

Looks nice, but help a newbie out, what makes an older pinball like this more desirable? Good playfield design, innovations, scarcity?
At California Extreme a few months ago, I discovered a Rocky and Bullwinkle pinball. That brought back fun memories of the TV program. Is that what makes a pinball desirable?

[emmadog]

Lots of things make a pin desirable such as gameplay, art, nostalgia, etc. For people that are into vintage pins, Gottlieb's in general are desirable since they extremely well made (EM's anyway),fun to play, and have great art. Gottlieb was also the king of card themed pinballs and Jacks Open/Lucky Hand are at the top of the list. Great theme with the machine telling the player which cards/targets to hit, tons of ways to increase the score using various strategies which aren't immediately apparent. On top of all the great features of this pin, not many we're made of either model. Jack open is a replay game where the player tries to score a free game by objective and/or score and Lucky Hand is essentilu the same but is an add a ball where the player wins extra balls as opposed to a free game.

[heima]

Thanks Emmadog! I learned a bit more about pinball.

[emmadog]

sure, no prob. pinball history and collecting is a cool part of American culture. there's tons of shows and conventions all over the U.S.

[luckydog]

I remember watching "the pinball wizard" movie and went into shock when I saw all the trashed pinballs in the junk yard scene!!

yesterday's junk is today's treasures

[emmadog]

Yeah , Tommy was a cool movie but thy scene is hard to watch.