Pinball Museum in Banning Closing, Auctioning Off Collection

BANNING -- Roughly 1,100 arcade games, including a plethora of pinball machines dating back decades, are going on the auction block.

Starting Friday, Sept. 10, the items will be sold off 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 this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The nonprofit announced in July that because of the lengthy coronavirus public health lockdowns, its financial situation had turned dire, and options had run out.

The museum touts the largest collection of classic pinball and arcade games in the world. 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 begins at 3 p.m. Friday at the museum, as well as online.

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 weekend days.

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.

Interested parties can register to bid here: https://bid.captainsauctionwar...

City News Service contributed to this report.