Stolen BBB - #153 - Houston

[scylla]

Cross-posting from pinside in case anyone sees an ad that might be this stolen Big Bang Bar (#153).

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic ... 53-houston

FYI:
Just want to give pinsiders a heads up: My Big Bang Bar (#153) was stolen out of my garage this weekend in Houston. If anyone has any info or hears of offers to sell from out of the blue, please forward them my way. I figure it's going to be a hard game to sell on the sly. Hopefully it will turn up.
Thanks in advance-
Mike Flanagan

 

[meegis]

Not that I condone stealing anything, but....


if you're gonna steal something, dont steal the most easily tracked, #'d, limited, highly sought after, impossible to replicate example of the genre. Steal a game that made 1000's and would fly under the radar if sold. :FP:

 

[Luckydogg420]

Reading the pinside post; the thieves also took and antique bed (brass I think) and some steel gates. Their afraid it might have been taken for scrap copper and the thieves have no idea it's value.

Hopefully this game is found, as you said it's probably the easiest pinball machine to trace.

 

[Menace]

Oh man, the thought of this game being scrapped for $$$ makes me sick. Here's hoping they do some googling first and realize the value and then try to sell it!

D

 

[BMHouze]

Maybe it will show up as parts available online.
Just like a stolen car.

 

[brad808]

People will steal anything given the opportunity. Unfortunately it doesn't matter how rare or limited it is. There is a reason the Mona Lisa, the most easily recognizable piece of art in the world, has security.

 

[meegis]

I work in an industrial area, where theft is rampant on recyclable goods. If these were "scrappers" who are looking for a quick buck, they would only take whats solid metal, or mostly recyclables.

Also, considering it was a theft from a home, it was likely known how valuable pinball machines can be (not this one in particular per-se), but a smash and grab wouldn't include something as heavy as a fully finished machine.

 

[scylla]

Also, considering it was a theft from a home, it was likely known how valuable pinball machines can be (not this one in particular per-se), but a smash and grab wouldn't include something as heavy as a fully finished machine.

I agree. The legs were apparently already off and the BBB was wrapped and ready for transport. If I'm some random person with no clue about pins - I'm not sure I'd go to the trouble of messing with a big heavy box of questionable value. Apparently the owner had already moved 20 pins to a new house as part of a move. The BBB was going to be moved separately (in a car) to avoid damage. Several people on pinside have suggested this was probably an inside job rather than a random hit - while sad, I'm inclined to agree.