Bothell resident Jeff Stern is proof that pinball fanatics aren’t always interested in high scores.

Sometimes, their fascination is just as much about the machines themselves.

And why not? The bling-blanging contraptions are something to behold with all their flashing lights, loopty loops, and pop-culture artwork.

“I’ve loved pinball since I could put my nose over the glass,” Stern said. “I always wanted one as a kid, but there was no way my dad would buy one.”

Stern, 50, currently has three pinball machines, as well as a spare bedroom filled with parts and manuals.

Those are just the remnants of his long-time preoccupation with the American pastime.

Stern bought his first pinball machine in 1982 for $125. It was a Gottlieb “Jumping Jack.”

He’s owned as many as 10 at a time since then.

“It became nutty when I was living with my parents,” Stern said. “I filled the whole basement with machines.”

Stern’s family eventually had enough.

“They were quite noisy,” said his mother, Susanne, of Bothell. “Finally, my husband said ‘no more.’”

But Stern fell in love with another machine. He purchased the device and hid it away in his closet.

His mother discovered the forbidden object after hearing suspicious noises coming from Stern’s room.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I just started to laugh.”

The most expensive machine Stern ever bought was a replica of the Gottlieb “Kings and Queens” game featured in the musical opera “Tommy.” It cost $1,500 at the time.

Stern eventually stopped collecting and started selling.

He’s peddled much of his inventory at shows and conferences, most recently at the Northwest Pinball and Gameroom Show at the Seattle Center from June 6-8.

Stern said he expected to break $1,000 in sales. Prior to that, he sold $2,600 in parts at a conference in Sacramento, and netted comparable amounts at shows in Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Vancouver, and Chicago.

“It’s a blast,” Stern said. “It started out as a fun little hobby, and now it’s become a business.

“My garage is looking a lot better these days. There’s more room.”

Stern claims he never put much stock in breaking pinball records.

“I’m not a player, per se, or someone trying to achieve an award,” he said. “I just like to enjoy the machines, especially if it’s something I’ve worked on.”

Stern worked for several years as a pinball-machine repairman at Classic Amusement in Lake Stevens before taking up work as a freelance broadcast journalist for Q13 FOX News.

In some respects, his passion is no different than that of any hot-rod enthusiast – one who knows his way around the guts of a car

“I’ve seen machines that were horrible disasters, and they’re just beautiful by the time we’re done with them,” he said. “I just love it. You can turn these things into beautiful work. It’s pure Americana, like collecting Coke stuff, or finding an old classic car in a hay field.”