Maker

Used Stern pinball machines

Gary Stern, who ran Sega's pinball division, bought its assets and launched Stern Pinball in October 1999, the same month Williams quit. For years it was the only company making new pinball machines, and it's now based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. It started on Sega's Whitestar board, moved to a revised Whitestar with The Lord of the Rings in 2003, and then to S.A.M., used from 2006 to 2014. That change matters to a buyer, because Whitestar keeps its memory on AA batteries on the CPU board and S.A.M. uses a lithium coin cell. By 2012 one title came in Pro, Premium and Limited Edition versions, and Vault reruns started in 2014.

4 machines we cover.