Over 1,000 arcade games up for grabs in auction at Museum of Pinball in Banning

More than 1,000 arcade games, including a plethora of pinball machines dating back decades, will be on the auction block this weekend, and again later this month, 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 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 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" and "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.

Bidding will start at 3 p.m. Friday in the museum, as well as virtually via the portal www.captainsauctionwarehouse.com.

Additional auctions will be held Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m. Product previews will be available between noon and 3 p.m. Friday, and between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on the weekend.

All inventory not auctioned by Sept. 13 will be up for grabs during a final bid event scheduled for Sept. 24-26, according to the museum.