Coin Slot Magazine - #072 - 1981 - February [International Arcade Museum]
How can you date a pinball? If you know the name of the
scoring objective.
The games of 1937 and 1938 generally had spring type
game and the manufacturer and have a list of names and
dates you can just look it up. But if you don't have such a
bumpers. Most of the earlier games had short backboards
(approximately 6 to 10 inches in height), but by 1938 many
list, or only have a description of some of the physical of
playfield features of the game, you must resort to other
had tall backboards.
Pinballs of the period between 1939 and 1941
means. The following is a discussion of some of the telltale
can
generally be described as having tall backboards (about
signs which should enable one to approximate the date of
manufacture of a given game at least to withi n a few years.
Before we talk about how to date a game lets talk about
the height of those today), some form of bumper, and no
kickout holes (except for the few Exhibit games made in
late 1941). About the only way to distinguish between
how not to. Probably the most common mistake made by
the uninformed when trying to determine the date of a
machine is to go by patent numbers found somewhere on
it. The most common places patent numbers are found is
on the coin chute. This is the worst place to find reliable
these years was the style of bumpers used. The earliest
form of bumper, the spring type, will be found on games of
this period from all manufacturers until the latest, all
manufacturers were using the molded plastic bumpers of
dating information because coin mechanisms have been
the type common throughout the rest of the forties, the
around for a long time and a patented feature may have
fifties and even later.
been developed in the 1920's or even before. The only
information you can gain from a pa-
tent number is that the game in ques-
Scoring in this period was almost always by lighted
^^^^^^^^^m
^^^^^^^^_
*^——
^MB^^^^^M
tion was made sometime after the
panels on the backglass with scores
in the hundreds, thousands and ten
thousands. Some of theearliergames
latest patent date appearing on it.
of the period however used projected
scores
Pinballs of the 'pioneer' period,
1932 to 1936, are probably the easiest
on
the
backboard
with
increments of 1 or 10.
to date, with the possible exception of
During World War II pinball produc
the 1946 to 1949 era. The scoring
tion was discontinued "for the dura
objective in almost all games of this
tion". The only "new" games coming
period was the hole in the playfield,
out during this period were "conver
until the introduction of the bumper at
sions" of prewar games. A discussion
the end of 1936.
on conversions is beyond the scope
Most of the games in 1932 were
of this article.
counter-top models with only holes
available
accessory on
as
some
an
separated from those made before the
RUSS JENSEN
legs later in that year. Stands were
also
Most games made in 1946 can be
By
and pins on the playfield. A few had
war by the fact they had 'kickout'
holes. The only exceptions to this
were the prewar Exhibit games
optional
of the earlier
models.
By
1933
previously mentioned.
most
machines
came
During the period from the end of
equipped with legs, but the games still
We are very happy to have this first
World War II to 1950 several changes
had passive holes and no type of
article from Russ Jensen on pinballs.
were made to pinball making games
action.
It will be a regular feature in The Coin
In
1934
games
with
battery
operated kickers or 'guns' started to
appear and by the second half of the
year many games had such action
devices. By the end of 1934 electric
lights could be found on the playfields
of a few games. This year also saw the
Slot.
This article, in somewhat different
form, originally appeared in AMUSE
MENT
REVIEW
Magazine,
1853
Ashby Ave., Berkeley, CA 94703.
==_=====^^
mgg^^gg
introduction of bells on a few models.
____^^
made during this
period easier to
date. The most significant of these
changes of course was the introduc
tion of the flipper by Gottlieb on
HUMPTY DUMPTY in December
1947. Within a month or two all
amusement
pinballs
had
this
■■■■■■■■■■1
revolutionary new device.
After flippers, the next significant
development was 'pop bumpers' in late 1948. By mid 1949
Most pinballs of 1935 had electric kickers and lights,
either on the playfield or on the short (approximately 4 to 6
virtually all pinballs were so equipped. Also, in the late
inches high) backboards which started to appear on many
forties the switch to drop-in coin mechanisms began. As
games. By the later part of that year about one out of every
far as flipper games are concerned, United was first in mid
three games had some form of backboard. Also in this
rapidly as did the use of A.C. power, which by the end of
1949, follwed shortly by Gottlieb. Williams was the last to
make this change in about 1952. It should be noted that
Bally used a drop-in coin acceptor on their 1-ball horse
race multiple coin machines starting with VICTORY
SPECIAL in late 1945.
The year 1936 was also very important in pinball history
Another characteristic which can help in determining
the date of games made between 1946 and 1950 is the
value system used in scoring. When pinball manufacture
began again after the war the score values at first were the
same as before the war. Maximum scores ranged from
40,000 to 90,000. The first change to this was in 1947 when
year, the switch from battery power to 'house current'
(A.C.) began.
om
m.c
:
u
m
e
the year was used on most
ro machines.
us In June 1936
m
d f (Totaiite)
-
e
e
Rockola introduced a d
game
with an electric light
d
loa . which
n totalizer
indicating score
arca would become the com
w
o
w
D of pinball
w
mon method
://w scorekeeping until the end of the
p
t
fifties.
t
h
In 1936 the number of games with backboards increased
because in December Bally introduced the bumper to
pinball: The hole was no longer the principal pinball
©
International
12 The
—THE
COIN Arcade
SLOT Museum
scores reaching into the hundreds of thousands were
used. Then, late in 1947, Williams introduced games with
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
FEBRUARY, 1981