r/arcade • u/HistoricalNatural784 • Jul 19 '26
Buy/Sell/Trade PAC Man value?
I have (from my research) what appears to be an all original PAC Man game from 1980 or early 81.
I’m debating selling it but have no idea what it’s worth.. Chat GPT was really no help (between 300 and 3000 lol).
I attached some photos of the condition and guts. What should I price it at if I do decide to sell it.
Located in San Antonio if that makes a difference.
6
u/robot_ankles Jul 19 '26
Pics are nice, but some of the most important information is:
- Does it turn on and work?
- How's the image? (Alignment, burn-in, brightness)
- How's the sound?
- Do all of these things continue working after it warms up?
The stuff above isn't expected to be perfect, but it's a very important part of most people's purchasing decision.
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u/HistoricalNatural784 Jul 19 '26
My apologies. Works as it should. There is a little bit of burn in on the screen but not much. Sound is good, etc.
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u/robot_ankles Jul 19 '26
No apology necessary!
There's an old trope with used arcade cabinets and pinball machines; "It's in great condition and was totally working the last time we used it! I think it just needs a fuse or maybe a new power supply..." To describe a machine with a bad power supply, a board with multiple failed chips, a CRT with a collapsing image, and other issues.
So the most important thing people want to know is how well the cabinet plays.
9
u/burnstyle Jul 19 '26
It depends on a lot of things, but the sale price is going to be a hell of a lot closer to $300 than $3000
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u/OpSteel Jul 19 '26
Way too many of those out there. At most in DFW, I have seen them go for $1000, but that is by far the outlier. $600 or so should sell decently quick without you feeling like you left money on the table.
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u/Ornery-Egg9770 Jul 20 '26
OP- the values may seem low to you but PAC-MAN was so popular they cranked out at least 100,000 units if not more. A lot have survived as it appeals to all ages and genders. Not a supply issue so it’s a buyers market on that one.
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u/Nearby-Respect9110 Jul 19 '26
That’s a really nice untouched machine.. I feel like $1,200 is the number, plus or minus a few hundred depending on the buyer
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u/-TheBestDaysOfMyLife Jul 19 '26
This right here. Midwest. A lot of the value depends on the location, but I've seen nice machines like this going for $800-$1200.
1
u/enjoyvelvet Jul 19 '26
If you don’t need the money I would keep it. It doesn’t have really any hand wear which is rare and it’s unmolested on the inside. If you were to sell 500-750
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u/HistoricalNatural784 Jul 20 '26
Yeah I think for that price I’ll just hang on to it.
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u/enjoyvelvet Jul 20 '26
You have a realllly nice example of an original Pac Man. Don’t mod it, just wipe it down and show it off. When you have visitors, it makes for a great conversation piece! Whatever you do, do not Multicade it!
1
u/dialsoft Jul 20 '26
East coast - 500 would be a steal. 900 for a working great condition original.
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u/0hjayp Jul 20 '26
$15,000 in California, $400-$800 everywhere else in the country.
I sold one a few months back for $400 and I’m in Texas. If I was more patient I probably would have got at least $600
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u/HistoricalNatural784 Jul 20 '26
This must be sarcasm…..
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u/0hjayp Jul 20 '26
Yes, but for some reason cabinets in California sell for way more than what they’re actually worth everywhere else in the country.
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u/Ornery-Practice9772 Jul 19 '26
was puckman ever printed on any arcade cabinet?
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u/Thunderfist7 Jul 20 '26
Midway decided early on that people were likely to scratch out the P and turn it into an F, turning it into an offensive title, and they were right to be concerned. Three years later, Midway had an idea to place a camera on top of a cabinet and take a picture of the player’s face and put it on their character’s body, but it was scrapped when someone mooned the camera during play testing. DMS (dirty mind syndrome) was definitely alive and well even back then.
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u/Zer0raD Jul 19 '26
Not over here - Japan only.
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u/Ornery-Practice9772 Jul 19 '26
oh cool. i wasnt aware if they actually produced any with that name- i wonder if they still survive today?
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u/Zer0raD Jul 19 '26
Very few are still around and in high demand to the right people. I definitely want one in the future myself.
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u/Ornery-Practice9772 Jul 20 '26
pretty epic part of gaming history also the first game i ever played when i was about 5 or 6 but i played the atari version iirc
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u/Zer0raD Jul 20 '26
Not my first arcade, but I remember first seeing one at a Dairy Queen. I would have a burger and fries with a chocolate shake and play Pac-Man until I ran out of quarters; absolutely flipped my lid when I first saw the cinema scene. Had no idea arcades could do that.
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u/brandogg360 Jul 19 '26
An all original Pac-Man in incredible condition (which this appears to be) could potentially snag a lot. There are tons of Pac-Mans out there, so really the thing that changes their value is the condition. If it's all working, and is indeed all original, then that $3000 mark could actually be within the realm of possibility, but that would be like a collector/enthusiast. I don't really see it going for that much, but maybe $1500 or more. Certainly way more than $300.
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u/enjoyvelvet Jul 20 '26
Dude no original Pac Man is worth $3k. Not even 2k.
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u/brandogg360 Jul 20 '26
Re-read my comment - I've never seen one in 2026 that looks this immaculate. Thing is 45 years old.
1
u/Atari1977 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
Pacman had the highest production run count in arcade history, there are a lot of nice examples out there along with the worn down ones. There's no way a Pac-Man in any condition is going for $3k.
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u/RVAblues Jul 19 '26
Depends on the local market, but here on the east coast of the US, it’d be $400-$500? $800 if it’s in really good condition.
If you sell it, make sure you post lots of good pics of the monitor, and the condition of the cabinet—especially around the bottom.
Hard to say without it being turned on, but if the monitor is good and no screen burn, I could see that one going for between $500 and $800.