Over 1,000 Arcade Games up for Grabs in Auction at Banning Museum

(CNS) – More than 1,000 arcade games, including a plethora of pinball machines dating back decades, will be on the auction block starting Friday and through the weekend as the Museum of Pinball in Banning prepares to close its doors for good. The 40,000-square-foot museum will host live and online bids starting at 3 p.m. on the floor of the facility, located at 700 S. Hathaway St. The nonprofit announced in July that because of the nearly yearlong coronavirus public health lockdowns, its financial situation had turned dire, and options had run out. There was an attempt to relocate the roughly 1,100 vintage pinball machines and digital arcade games to a venue in Palm Springs, but the effort fell through, according to published reports. The museum touts the largest collection of classic pinball and arcade games in the world. Some of the pinball titles include "Addams Family Gold Special," "Big Bang Bar," and "Magic Girl." Among the digital arcade games are Atari’s "Star Wars Cockpit," Atari’s "Paperboy," Exidy’s "Death Race" and the "Bally Midway Discs of Tron." The museum’s collection is valued in excess of $8 million, according to the auctioneer, Captain’s Auction Warehouse of Anaheim. "While it’s disappointing to see the Museum of Pinball close its doors, I am confident that Captain’s Auction Warehouse will steer the games in the right direction as we’ve worked together for many years," museum owner John Weeks said. In addition to bidding on the floor of the museum, virtual bidding will be available via the portal http://www.captainsauctionwarehouse.com. Additional auctions will be held Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m. Product previews will be available between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. All inventory not auctioned between Friday and Sept. 13 will be up for grabs during a final bid event scheduled Sept. 24-26, according to the museum. Copyright 2021, City News Service, Inc.