- ipdb_id
- 5487
- ipdb.image_urls
- ["https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-1.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-2.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-3.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-4.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-5.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-6.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-7.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-8.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-9.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-10.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-11.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-12.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-13.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-17.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-16.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-19.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-15.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-18.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5487/image-20.jpg"]
- ipdb.notable_features
- 10 balls for 5 cents. The balls are steel, one of them is anodized in a red color. All playfield scoring pockets are trap holes except for the 100-point hole in center playfield which allows the ball to fall through. This hole is the only way to score a payout.
Every fifth nickel from the coin slide does not go into the cashbox but instead goes into the jackpot of the payout mechanism (the 'Profit Sharer') located on the front of the cabinet and visible through a small window. This jackpot must be manually dispensed to the payout cup by pressing the button to the left of the coin slide. However, the button does not work until the jackpot is earned by dropping a ball through the 100-point hole in the center playfield. This is because pushing the button on the jackpot mechanism pushes a rod inside the game. The addition of the ball in this sequence provides the additional extension needed for this rod to make contact with another button under the playfield to release all of the jackpot coins to the payout cup. When the button is released, the ball is returned to the player to shoot again, although at this point there is no jackpot to win.
The cabinet appears to be made of mahogany or cherry wood. The trim around the top edges framing the playfield are not original as they were added by a previous owner.
- ipdb.notes
- This game is missing the panel that covers the lower part of the playfield where the ball serve alley and payout mechanism are now visible. An instruction card likely would have been on this panel to identify the name of this game. Without instructions, the significance of the red steel ball is unclear when any ball in play can score the jackpot.
The cabinet has slots where legs would insert. The legs may have been joined in pairs for sturdiness. The metal box underneath allows for a cashbox to slide in and be locked into place. We make note of one image of the cabinet side that may help with identification of this game or its manufacturer. It shows a diamond-shaped area of the wood where an applique had once been attached. There are five small nail holes, one at each point of the diamond and one at its center.
The shipping notice found inside the cabinet was a Railroad Express Agency (REA) shipping label sending the game to New London, Wisconsin. The name of the exact recipient and the name and address of the sender are no longer legible. Other than this notice and the serial number, there are no other numbers or patent numbers on the cabinet.
The Profit Sharer was an attachment offered for sale to operators and jobbers to allow a non-payout game to be converted to a payout game. It was also advertised to principal manufacturers for new games. Therefore, its presence on a game does not determine who made the game or if the game was originally produced with this device.
- player_count
- 1
- technology_generation
- pure-mechanical