I actually really enjoyed owning punchy the clown. It was a fun game and getting a jackpot was very satisfying. It is the rarest game I have ever owned.

If they are not rare, what are they?

Never mind, keep telling yourself that one of 103 is better than one of a few or a dozen. I didn't realize it was a competition.

I understand your distinction, but not your evident need to disparage. How does it impact you if others consider their protos and samples to be rare? Is it not harder to find a proto or sample than a production game? That is rarity.

Prototypes and samples are clearly more rare than Punchy the Clown, but that would cheapen his contribution to this thread. It’s easy to disqualify things to better fit your own agenda.

I have one of these but it doesn't have a coin door. Lights up and makes a pretty coffee table though, but this game is huge. I may just pull the playfield out and make it into a smaller coffee table.

I have no agenda except education.

Rarity is dependent on physical independent numbers of built games, not trying to roll it up into subcategories of a formally produced one. This is the same manner that sites such as the IPDB/IPSND operate and I support.

I own prototypes, samples, and low export versions of games which allow people to undertand the documented differences of title design. In some cases nearly 25 years or many more, when titles were developed.

If a game was actually made, it defines it is part of a title. A sample (test) game is still part of the initial production run, as is an early production. If it was not formally produced, it fits this category as true rarity, meaning a full prototype, and certainly qualifies. I have written articles and threads on PinSide that explains these differences of all types of categories of games.

As a direct example which I explained briefly in one post, Gator version Alligator both "rare" games in my inventory. Alligator is very rare export (especially today), Gator generally rare Ted Zale zipper flippers. However, there are physical differences in the components of both games other than artwork, which might look identical otherwise to an enthusiast. They are formally classified as different games for this reason, just like an EM version of a large production SS game. Most people never even realize these aspects today, as games continue to age and we are in a new age of collectors, and I document for history. However, neither of these specific titles qualify for this thread based on original production numbers made, hence they were not formally presented.

Today, the concept of most "limited edition" games are examples of "artificial rarity", which in some cases have little if nothing different except cosmestics.

Keep flipping.

Ah, this "category" being

I had forgotten/ignored the very first sentence of the thread, but so had a multitude of others, and it is arbitrarily exclusionary anyway, when the thread title asks what it asks.

But I'll trim my earlier list to comply with the 1000 thing:

Roy Clark 'The' Entertainer cocktail (300)
Williams Roto (AAB version of Expo, only one on Pinside)
Chicago Coin Fire Cracker (1 of 2 on Pinside)
Gottlieb Diamond Jack (650)
Williams Skill Ball (650)

While I'm at it, to follow everything to the letter, one should only state which one game is their RAREST.
Gotta be the Roto. I should get that sucka working!

That is awesome!

Having mostly AABs, I think half the machines that I have may qualify, but this one for sure.
I was unable to research another. I don't collect Bingos, but since this one was produced close to
home, I always hung onto it..

IMG_0945 (resized).JPG

IMG_0950 (resized).JPG

One of my favorites for its artwork package.
Also being kinda rare as the first one off the production line apparently
with Serial#WW1001. Prod run of 580 per IPDB.
Also one can not separate the head from the body
as instead of Jones plugs, all wires connecting the two are soldered on directly,
thus confirming it was likely a proto sample.

7c9934d30a4869d59e5a07d18f332e94a735c1fc (resized).jpg
698e7cff0661fe908ca3970b294d27314c4d3478 (resized).jpg
bd51f6dbe91d3fe888849613a00dcc4db42dcb03 (resized).jpg
6b9d7b12949dd0341e1d344e9090799bece075c1 (resized).jpg
07b1fd636b841641317a068119b6dbb9afc2d240 (resized).jpg
d8aeca0af6176c316885c2d4405f3a9a4e9761a4 (resized).jpg

I would highly think so, and looks in great condition. That's one I haven't had,
and probably not seen. Looks like it may be a nice player also. It's strictly Replay,
no "Shoot Again" right?
Being a Proto, have you noticed anything different cosmetically?

I have this really nice Gottlieb Striker. Only 910 made and mostly all in Europe.

20200322_111620 (resized).jpg

Mine with under 100 owners listed on Pinside from least to most. Several of these are still listed in the collections of the people I bought them from, so I subtracted one on those. Of course there's more of these out there in working condition than are listed on Pinside, but I'm not sure how you can estimate this anyway, so, whatever, just a rough guide.

Lucky Draw - 3
Disco '79 - 7
Quartette - 8
Cosmic Carnival - 10
Star Shooter - 12
Hearts Spades - 19
Mayfair - 24
Take Five - 37
Star Trip - 39
Caribbean Cruise - 42
Eros One - 42
Sky-Line - 43
Full Throttle - 45
Orbitor 1 - 72
Night Moves - 90

Lots of cocktails. Most of 'em had small runs from the start, plenty ended up at bars and other non-arcade/pinball places where they just trashed 'em at some point, were mostly made by small companies who went out of biz decades ago, so it has been fun to hunt them down, and almost always at prices less than fullsize pins. And they fit under my dormered ceilings on the 4th floor, which is how this all started.