This article is from the Pinball FAQ, by Andy Oakland sao@REMOVETOREPLY.mit.edu with numerous contributions by others.
There are many periodicals good for getting background information
on the pinball world and for contacting other collectors.
pinGame journal is probably the best one for home pinball collecting.
Game Room Magazine covers general home gamerooms (soda fountains,
jukeboxes, etc) with a healthy dose of pinball included.
Other magazines are largely "for the trade"; i.e., arcade operators
and their ilk, though it's fun to have a look from the other side
of the backglass!
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Pinhead Classified
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Pinhead Classified has gone out of business (Jan 1999), but the
100-page final issue (No. 29) is available for purchase.
"There's only 7 pages of display ads, and we've left out
the classified ads this time cuz I didn't feel like typin'
'em in--they woulda been stale anyway. This issue
is packed with stuff written by subscribers, the way a
fanzine should be. There's even less white space than usual.
It's always been just for the fun of vintage pins, so, as usual,
there's nothin' about any new games."
Rates: Thru Jan 22, '99 -- $31/US; $36/Can; $38 Holes.
Issues No. 1-28 are available for $7/US; $9/Can; $10/Holes.
First class mail included. Checks must be made out to Atomic Groove.
Atomic Groove
Attn: PC Back Issues
1945 "N" Street, Hole 111
Newman, CA 95360
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pinGame journal
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31937 Olde Franklin Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Phone: (810) 626-5203 message/fax
URL: http://www.pingamejournal.com
Written by pinball collectors. Includes info about new games in
development, as well as articles on finding, reconditioning, and playing
older games. Subscription includes one free classified ad per month.
Often includes cool plastics and flyers.
12 issues--$34 (add $20 for First Class). Canada $38, Europe Air: $67,
Pacific Rim $77, $40.00 (all overseas surface--very slow and unreliable.)
Sample issue: $4.00, Information: Free.
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GameRoom Magazine
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PO Box 41
Keyport, NJ 07735-0041
Phone: (732) 739-1955 (Fax 24 hr): (732) 739-2834
Email: coinop@gameroommagazine.com
A monthly hobbyist publication, covering pinballs, slots, jukeboxes,
Coke machines, arcade videos, etc. Equipment and parts advertising.
Steady supply of pinball articles. Successor to the defunct "Pinball
Trader." $30/year for US, $50 first class; $35/year Canadian (surface),
$55/year Canadian (air); $53/year European(surface), $87/year
European(air); $57/year Pacific Basin (surface), $93/year Pacific
Basin(air). Accepts credit cards. Sample issue $5.25.
URL: http://www.gameroommagazine.com
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Play Meter
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PO Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184
Thick, slick trade journal, mostly aimed at arcade owners and operators.
Provides uniformly glowing reviews of the latest games. Covers crane
games, kiddie rides, etc., as well as video and pinball.
$60/year US & Canada, $150/year overseas. Sample issue $5 USA, $10 foreign.
URL: " http://w3.thegroup.net/~aim/pmhome.html "
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Distributors Research Associates (DRA) Price Guide
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11522 State Road 84, Suite 223, Davie FL, 33325
Voice: (954) 423-4000 FAX: (954)423-4005
$85/year, 8 issues (quarterly with mid-quarter updates], USA check/MC/VISA
Price listings for conversions, pins, bowlers-shuffles-misc., video games,
jukes, pool tables, other vending equipment currently in active trading,
although phonographs [jukeboxes] and vending go back as far as 1975.
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RePlay
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P.O. Box 2550, Woodland Hills, CA 91365
Another monthly trade magazine with the same content as Play Meter.
$65/year US, $85/year Canada & Mexico, Foreign $220 (air) $80 (boat)
sample issue $6.
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Coin Slot
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4401 Zephyr St., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-3299
A quarterly covering all collectible coin-op machines. $40/year.
URL: " http://www.hoflin.com/Coin%20Slot.html "
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Canadian Coin Box
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NCC Publishing, 222 Argyle Ave., Delhi, Ontario N4B 2Y2 Canada.
$38/year, sample issue $3.50.
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Coin-Op Newsletter
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P.O. Box 2426, Rockville, MD 20852
A bimonthly hobbiest publication. Covers antiques and coin-op collectables.
$24/ten issues.
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Coin Drop International
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5815 West 52nd Avenue, Denver, CO 80212
a large-format newsprint magazine (11x17) covering electromechanical coin-op
amusements. The most likely place to see old horse race machines, strength
testers, etc. Pinball articles are just as likely to cover bingos or pre-
flipper machines as they are the more conventional EMs with flippers.
$15/year for US, $21/year for Canada, $40/year foreign. Sample issue $3.
All funds must be paid in US dollars!
Visa/MasterCard accepted. Fax subscriptions: (303) 431-6978
 
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