Tom Krahl slot business

[TheFatman]

I agree with this ... miss the sound or real coins and looking at my blackend fingers after a good day at play. I do agree that that group is leaving us, and unfortunatly, most not by choice.
Dave F

[Frank]

Perhaps the hobby is fading, but it sure seems high end (over $10,000) machines keep going up year after year, which wouldn't happen with less and less collectors

[JPCass]

Perhaps the hobby is fading, but it sure seems high end (over $10,000) machines keep going up year after year, which wouldn't happen with less and less collectors

I notice that in several antiques and collectible specialties, the high end keeps rising while the middle is stagnant or prices even dropping. Not to get political, but I think it is a consequence of the same economic factors we also seen in growing income inequality; fewer people have disposable income for things like hobbies, except for those with lots to spend who have even more and more. And it may indeed be indicative of a shrinking pool of buyers/collectors overall, with less volume but skewed toward the high-end with money chasing the very best items.

Also, antiques and collectibles tend to fall out of fashion - particularly, again, in the middle range - as the people who remember them from childhood pass on. The 20s and 30s collectibles like Will Rogers items that a while back you could hardly get your hands on, you can now hardly get anybody to take off your hands - unless it is the rarest and most perfect items. Coin op machines may be in a similar cycle.




JP

[TheFatman]

What I feel is that the industry is holding its own if not going up on the high end machines. The high end machines are owned by people who pretty much, have deep pockets to begin with. As far as parts goes, the ones with deep pockets usually scoff up the parts that come available due to unfortunate circumstances. Since they have deep pockets, they can place high and very inflated prices on parts and then just sit on them. This is done with the philosophy of " if they want it, they will pay for it especially if they feel that the parts market is dried up and might never get that part. Tom was fair, even if he had repro castings, he never misrepresented his parts. As far as my contact with him goes. He will be genuinelly missed, especially his very large hand handshake I would get when we met.
Dave F

[MONTI]

What I feel is that the industry is holding its own if not going up on the high end machines. The high end machines are owned by people who pretty much, have deep pockets to begin with. As far as parts goes, the ones with deep pockets usually scoff up the parts that come available due to unfortunate circumstances. Since they have deep pockets, they can place high and very inflated prices on parts and then just sit on them. This is done with the philosophy of " if they want it, they will pay for it especially if they feel that the parts market is dried up and might never get that part. Tom was fair, even if he had repro castings, he never misrepresented his parts. As far as my contact with him goes. He will be genuinelly missed, especially his very large hand handshake I would get when we met.
Dave F

Yes,
I too will miss the long conversations we would have discussing the "good old days" late 70's early 80's, Etc. When I would call him to order parts we would discuss the early collectors/restorers that had passed away of which unfortunately there have been many.
I had actually talked to him just a couple weeks before he had passed, Great Guy who will definitely be missed.
His prices were always very reasonable carrying on the prices of the "good old days" which is now a thing of the past, unfortunately with prices going up two to three times it may slow the hobby down some, having to charge higher prices for restored slot machines, have to be a little more selective in looking for large parts accumulations for sale.
Regrettably progress is not always a good thing.
RIP Tom and thanks for taking care of us guys out in the field for so long!
God Bless!