Pinball as we know it today started with the early games of the 1950s. These games were simple contraptions but they did have flippers and lights.

Pinball evolved over the years and by the 1980s pinball games had become more sophisticated with digital displays and multiball modes.

In 1992 Lethal Weapon 3, the first game with a dot-matrix display that could display crude animations and pictures as well the various scores hit the scene. There were over 10,000 Lethal Weapon 3 games made in 1992. What followed were the complicated pinball games with ramps, video modes, multiball modes, videos with sound announcing the action, and very active playfields.

The record holder for the most games built is actually The Addams Family, another 1992 game, with 20,000 having been made in total. This is one of the most popular games of all time and it is the oldest game on our top 40 list. Our list of Top 40 and Top 20 begins with this year as all games before 1992 are more mechanical and primitive and are considered to be of an older era of pinball that is very collectible, but not for serious pinball play.

Some wide-body games came out starting in 1993. Wide-body games are 25 inches wide while a standard pinball game is 22 inches wide. Even though they are only three inches wider, these older games usually command high prices. The seven wide-body games were made by Williams Pinball in 1993 and 1994 and are:

• Twilight Zone
• Indiana Jones the Pinball Adventure
• Star Trek
• Judge Dredd
• Popeye Saves the Earth
• Road Show (Red & Ted’s Road Show)
• Demolition Man. Demolition Man also has special flipper controls.

There are a few Gold Edition pinball machines made by Stern in the last decade that are also wide-body games, although only small numbers of these games were ever produced. All of the games listed above only exist as wide-body versions. Note that there are several other pinball editions of Star Trek and Indiana Jones that are not wide-body.

All pinball games have two flippers at the bottom of the playfield and some have a third and/or fourth flipper on the upper playfield. Nearly all modern games have a multiball feature and probably a video mode of some sort. Sound and videos sweep across the dot-matrix screen and announce a play-by-play of the action. Depending on the theme of the game, this can be quite elevating.

We are the seller and trade facilitator of used pinball games. Some of these games are very new and have hardly been played. Some games sold by others on our site may be virtually new but all games sold or traded on this site are used games that have been played numerous times before. In many cases they are reconditioned. Note that because of the popularity of many pinball games, a used game in many cases sells for more than the price it did when issued, particularly popular games on our Top 40 that are in higher demand. Currently the top end for used pinball games is around $10,000 (or more). Currently, the most expensive games seem to be Monster Bash and Tales of the Arabian Nights. The lower end would be around $4000 for working games in good condition. Games manufactured prior to 2015 did not automatically come with LED lights but most of the games at Pinball Trader have had these installed. Shaker motors are also installed on some of the games, notably Ghostbusters.

All of our games are in complete working condition and nearly all of the games have LED lights and other extras. A number of games have been enhanced with extras that are available from specialty sellers who make specialty pinball artifacts and stickers. An example of this is an extra Ark of the Covenant that lights up on the right ramp of Indiana Jones the Pinball Adventure, or a special cave entrance on White Water (trivia: the only pinball games with Bigfoot on them are White Water and Ripley’s Believe It or Not). Other games have special stickers for pop-up targets and such. Whenever there are extras with the pinball game, such as replacement plastic parts for commonly broken pieces near the flippers, we include them with the game. That goes for all manuals as well, and most pinball manuals can be downloaded from the Pinball Database website. All pinball games can be found on this site, but they do not sell games.

As far as purchasing a pinball game from us goes, it is important to realize that pinball games are heavy and expensive. Pinball games are bulky and weigh several hundred pounds. They cannot be shipped by the US Mail. They must be treated as freight, and both UPS and Federal Express provide special freight services for larger items such as pinball machines. Their legs come off and the backboards fold down, so they are easier to ship than it first appears.

You can come and pick up a game from one of our various locations in the US, or we can arrange to have the game delivered to you. The cost of delivering a pinball game can be as much as $500. If we have to pickup or exchange a game, there will also be a $500 charge. Pinball games are investments and something to tinker with, like an antique automobile. So be prepared to do some maintenance on your pinball game. Most pinball game owners own more than one pinball game, and at any time they may have one that needs a bit of work done to it. Fortunately, modern games, such as the ones at Pinball Trader, are fairly reliable, but some repairs are common. We supply extra rubber bumpers and such that might break from old age on games that use those rubber rings of various sizes.

So, make some space in that game room and get the classic pinball game that you have always wanted. The theme and nostalgia value is always important, so get the game that seems to draw you the most. If there is no specific theme you care about then consider buying a cheaper game or one that is in stock at our warehouses in Illinois, Arizona and elsewhere. Perhaps you already own several pinball games and would like to sell or trade a game. We are here to facilitate that trade and in some cases we will buy your game outright and pick it up from your location.

So, forge on and explore these great games. Pinball is good for you and it balances the hemispheres of your brain! Feel good about introducing your kids to the fun and excitement of pinball. Go ahead, become a pinball wizard!