Great story. I'd take a Cyclone for free all day long.
To chime in, the only thing I've ever gotten for free was a non working Bubble Bobble video game.
Free pins are the stuff of dreams... Obviously, my friends suck b/c they never call me for stuff like this.

Source:
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/it-pays-to-have-friends-looking-out-for-you#post-4397435