Okoboji, IA
Interesting SK-IL-RO on ebay:
It's not bingo, but the 3-reel replay counter clearly marks it as a gambling game. ipdb states that only 100 units were produced. A gambling game with flippers... interesting.
(Topic ID: 152102)
Linked Games
County Fair
Bally, 1959
Topic Gallery
You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider BlackCatBone.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
4 months later
2 months later
Early bingos in non-working condition - as I'm guessing these are - are going to struggle to reach $400 for the pair. The photo leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but several first impressions: The Hi-Fi is the nicer of the pair. Appears to have original cabinet art and crisp corners below the front rail - a high-wear area and one I like to look at first. The backglass seems to have its ink pretty intact, but with the unfortunate fading that was previously mentioned. This is the kind of game I would like to buy just to bring back to life. The Big Time also may have a good (or acceptable) original backglass, but also presents several red flags: The cabinet art (what is visible) has been painted over. The removal of the knobs on the front rail raises the question of whether this game has been used as a parts donor for other games - removing those knobs is not trivial. Either way, the game is not playable without the knobs.
Final thoughts:
1. Are there keys for both games? Front door, rear door, and side rails.
2. Both games should have wood legs. Are they present?
3. Open and examine both games for evidence of dangling or cut wires that indicates parts have been removed.
4. If you plug the game in, turn it off quickly in order to avoid burning out any electrical components.
1 week later
I had no idea that Bally played around with the bingo concept as early as 1937. This is a very cool oddity - Bally Line Up from 1937. It has an extended flash cycle about 4x that of later bingos. The bingo card numbers flash and eventually 9 card numbers light (presumably at random). The game appears to have about 5 odds steps. They also flash along with the playfield numbers and the odds the player receives are (presumably) set at random. Game play then starts, with the player shooting 5 balls to fill in the numbers that were not awarded at the end of the flash (mixer) cycle. There are only 5-L winners. No replays are awarded for 3-L or 4-L, as in later bingos. There are 3 odds for each game, but, unlike later bingos, the 3 odds are not for 3-L, 4-L, and 5-L; the three odds are for scoring a 5-L winner horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. With the spotted 9 numbers, you can do all three. At least, that's the way the game play looks to me after viewing the video.
eBay listing:
ebay.com link: itm
YouTube gameplay of the game being sold on eBay:
1 week later
This one is a horserace one-ball, and hard for me to decode. The backglass is a Victory Derby or Victory Special that has been relabeled "Hold Your Horses." The playfield again appears to be a Victory Derby/Special but has had the A-B-C-D bumpers added, which were not present on the original game. The cabinet I do not recognize, but it is not from Victory Derby. Does anyone have any idea what this game really is?
ipdb for Victory Derby:
http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=2735&picno=2614
Quoted from DennisDodel:I can't even find a one-ball front rail with that 2 button arrangement. Perhaps it IS an unknown game with an altered backglass. I have e-mailed the seller for more info. Hopefully there is some paperwork or name tags somewhere as in other Bally one-balls.
It would be interesting to learn what the small print at the bottom left of the instruction card reads. I wonder if it is "Form - Victory Special - 1" or something else?
1 week later
Bally Spot-Lite in southern Washington state. $125 for the game, and that includes a separate upright darts game.
Photo is awful, and may conceal flaws, but the game appears complete (with possible exception of side service panel) and decent. Possibly a free game if you sell the darts game.
Quoted from bingopodcast:Went back and looked through - only Bally's Gold Cup had a similar button arrangement, but it's not the same (http://ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=1027&picno=22843), so I have a couple observations:
Updated ad at seattle.craigslist.org link
1) This appears to be a hand-painted title. I am making that assumption based on the paint marks on the left side, and the fact that the lettering is not centered within the title area. Plus it absolutely matches the same area as on Victory Special. Too much of a coincidence, I think!
2) Cabinet doesn't match any known, but the stencil artwork is very good - the backglass repaint is very good as well - someone cared about this conversion. The left side stencil you can see where they gave up in the middle. The second horse was not completed.
3) Buttons - I'm gonna guess this is a giant toggle switch for 'holding your horses' or keeping your selections static. Makes the name make sense, would be fairly easy to implement.
Because of the above, I think this was probably just a nice conversion. Unusual to see extra player-friendly features exposed, if indeed that's what the buttons are for, but neat to think about.
Now, a question of my own: this is a replay game - where are the replays shown on these early games? A credit projection unit?
I agree with you. ipdb shows a Bally Entry that has undergone a similar stenciling on the side cabinet, even down to the horse number (11):
http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=149&picno=10903
Bally Entry had artwork that reminds me of a Victorian parlor, so maybe it's not surprising that an operator would add eye-candy to the cabinet that would shout "horserace" from across the room. Perhaps some outfit back in the day sold stencils to "refresh" the games?
Nice Bally Arlington, a 1937 Bally horserace - payout version. Looks very nice except for backglass, unfortunately.
1 week later
Quoted from bingopodcast:Night Club! Great game, nice glass. Power cord replacement needed, in OR.
ebay.com link » Rare Bally Night Club Bingo Pinball Machine 1956 Ballys Complete Nice Condition
The seller earlier had this same Night Club on CL at $250, so anyone wanting it might do well to send him an email through eBay.... assuming it does not sell in the current eBay auction.
1 week later
United user manuals and schematics. I'm not sure if the manuals and schematics for United bingos are freely available in digital format, but there is someone on eBay who is selling the paper originals for many of the United games:
ebay.com link: 1955 United STARLET Bingo Pinball Instruction Manual Schematic
Click on the "show other items" link to see additional games.
2 weeks later
1 week later
NOS Bikini backglass in Maryland!
2 weeks later
Ryan - It was a typo on my part. I meant to type Golden Gate and it came out Silver Sails. I wondered where you saw the ad for the GG. Is there an online listing?
Thanks.
Quoted from bingopodcast:https://user.xmission.com/~daina/classified/search_for_sale.html
The Mr. Pinball Classifieds. Ryan's post is the complete listing. You can sign up on that site to receive a daily email with new listings.
Thanks.... Eugene is within striking distance. Silver Sails has been at the top of my want list - I'll check this out.
1 week later
2 weeks later
Touchdown parts game, but backglass looks like it could be nice. Photo is hard to read. You'll get a chuckle out of the seller's description - "complete with extra parts." Salt Lake City.
4 weeks later
Quoted from John41051:Just noticed a new post on Ebay...(as a newbie..I don't know how to use the Pinside Ebay link)
Tahiti, Dixieland and High Flyer all for one money...starting at $500
John - Just paste a link into your message and Pinside magically turns it into a button.
1 week later
2 weeks later
4 bingos offered as one lot. Seattle area. Ad meets the seeming-Craigslist requirement for poor and incomplete photography.
"They are complete but not working. Cash offers or trade for what you have to barter ?"
County Fair (original backglass with small but visible ink loss, dirty playfield)
Ballerina (original backglass that looks good, playfield condition not apparent)
Miss America Supreme
Manhattan (Belgian game)
No, or else I would have gone for it instead of posting the ad 
But yes, the games are in my back yard. We're going to be moving out of our house for several months for a bit of remodeling, so a purchase at this point would be unwise (but when did that ever stop me?). I'm looking for a great Gay Time (or Gayety) or Silver Sails to fill out my limited space.
1 week later
1948 Bally Citation (or Lexington?) one-ball horse race retitled "Play Feature." $700 or best offer. What caught my eye was what a slick job someone did to disguise the original name. Unfortunately, the title area appears to have degraded somewhat.
Quoted from DennisDodel:I wonder what the added 'E' and 'Z' is on the backglass.
I hadn't noticed that change! So they appear to have changed the circuitry and game play as well as altering the name. That's taking it to a whole new level.
Acapulco near Tacoma/Seattle. Looks like it might clean up nicely with some elbow grease. Backglass appears nice. Not working. $300. Was this the only bingo to have top odds of 1200?
Pretty clean Big Show near Seattle. Stated to be working. Asking $350. Acceptable, although not perfect, original backglass.
Quoted from bingopodcast:Yes, but notice how there are four sets of odds per position. One of the big features of an already unusual game. You have to light the horizontal line for the 'super score' and win on that line. Tricky and costly. Which, generally, equals fun!
Any other game with higher payout does so with multipliers.
Acapulco and touchdown have somewhat unique internals, aside from the obvious difference with the magic numbers.
Thanks for the info - I hadn't noticed the 4th odds line. Sounds like a neat player. Someone must have felt the same way because the ad is gone now.
2 weeks later
Nice looking Acapulco in Maryland, stated to be working perfectly. The backglass may have some sun-fading, or perhaps the photos are just overexposed. Playfield is clean as a whistle. $799 opening bid.
United Nevada, looks pretty decent, even has a soiled set of instruction cards. $599, but not working. In CA.
United Pixies in very decent condition. $125. Stated to be working, approximately. Near Santa Cruz, CA.
Three bingos in Salt Lake City. $400 for all, or "best offer." Acapulco and Key West are shown. The third game is not shown, at least not that I can see.
2 weeks later
Sweet looking Broadway north of Seattle. $400. Seller states that the "glass" is broken. Hopefully it is the playfield glass because the backglass looks great, with no apparent fading or paint loss. The game has a body armor on the front cabinet. I wish I could use this game.
Quoted from DashingDaryl:Here is a 1950 Bally Turf King for $125 phoenix.craigslist.org link
https://offerup.com/item/detail/324768417/?ref=Search&event_source=srch084473ed35b249a6bca41a3f4314c0c0
Wish I had been close enough to grab that one. It looked real nice, assuming the few missing parts could be obtained. Someone else must have felt the same because it appears to be sold now.
Quoted from northside-irish:Sorry, two games for $100 still won't get me meeting a stranger at 47th and Ashland, if you know Chicago you'll agree with me.
Im an long-time Chicagoan and I'm with you - the ad sounds dodgy as hell, especially with the repeats at different addresses. On the other hand, if you want to lure someone with cash in their pocket to a location where you can rob them, why list the intersection in the Craigslist ad text instead of just supplying the address later to someone who bites on the ad? And why make the price $100 instead of some higher number? Just thinking out loud here.
And who the hell has the muscle to get a bingo up to their attic anyway?
Pretty nice Yacht Club, stated to be working. Great backglass. $700. One of the prettiest early games, IMO.
ebay.com link: BALLY BINGO YACHT CLUB E M PINBALL MACHINE NICE
In the mood for a Bikini project? Here's one in Maine. You get four additional early EM non-bingo games for $800 or best offer. The backglass is toast and implies years of improper storage, but the little bit of playfield that is shown looks good. I bet you could get the seller to part with the Bikini individually for not much $$$.
ebay.com link: LOT of 5 Antique Pinball machines Chicago coin Kilroy United Bingo BEST OFFER
Ice Frolics south of Seattle, stated to be working. $200. Looks pretty clean, with a fairly good backglass.
This Broadway keeps getting closer to me. Maybe it's a sign. Appears to be the same Broadway that was recently sold in Portland. Now it is in Auburn, Washington. Exceptionally clean and offers the challenge of needing attention to get working. I wish I needed this game, but I don't. Would be a super addition for anyone wanting a corners game.
2 weeks later
Big Show in Seattle. Lousy photos, but they suggest the game may be in pretty nice condition. $150. Lights up but requires repair.
1 month later
Lexington one-ball horserace game for $1. This is a payout game. $1 in the Seattle area, discounted from the original asking price of $100. Basically, the guy just wants it gone. Backglass and playfield look very nice. Neat opportunity for someone.
Quoted from bingopodcast:That side art is fantastic. Well, except for the head - wonder how that rubbed off?
I agree about the side art - the best graphic and colors Bally used on any horserace game I can think of. Looks like some type of solvent was applied to a funny section on the head.
3 weeks later
Bikini in Georgia at $495 opening bid. Awful photos that still suggest the game is very nice, with some fading to certain backglass colors. Or was it just that my eyes were just swimming after trying to decipher the photos for one minute?
2 weeks later
Nice Bally Citation in West Virginia at $675. Working. Great cabinet art.
ebay.com link: Bally wood rail horse race pinball one ball game from 1949 ready to play
1 week later
Nice looking Night Club in Oregon garage sale. Backglass appears unfaded. No indication of price or operating condition.
This may be a very nice Big Time in Oregon (usual sketchy Craigslist photography). $200 obo. Has worked in the past but not now. A nice entry point for a Magic Lines game.
1 week later
Miss America 1957 NOS backglass in original shipping crate! $100 starting bid. Baltimore.
1 month later
Laguna Beach for sale in Portland at $600. Not working but does light up when plugged in. Backglass appears very nice, with just a few horizontal scrape marks. Overall condition appears pretty nice as well. It has lots of body armor, but artwork in visible areas appears original and largely intact, with just slight paint loss. The wood on the game looks like it may have been sanded in preparation for refinishing.
2 weeks later
Bally Silver Sails in Minnesota at $900 obo. Said to be working. Clean playfield, repro backglass, hand-painted cabinet art in original design:
ebay.com link: 1962 Bally SILVER SAILS Bingo Pinball Machine
2 weeks later
Laguna Beach is a nice game, Bally's second title with the orange OK section. This particular sample looks like it's had a hard life. The backglass is very faded out, with the reds mostly gone. Here's a good photo for comparison:
http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=1408&picno=40100
The highest realized price I've seen (it was on eBay) was a Lido in nice condition that sold at $1,600, so $1,500 for this Laguna Beach is a seller's fever dream, imo.
This is the same Spot-Lite that was listed earlier in this thread. The owner just wants someone to remove it from his property and will give it for free if you can load it. No steps - the game is on ground level.
This could be a nice one - a Magic Squares Broadway with just a single not-so-good photo, but the backglass, front rail buttons and wood rails suggest this could be worth checking out. Coy-boy seller doesn't want to reveal price until you make an appointment to see the game, but allows that he doesn't know if the game works, so he might not be out of his mind, price-wise. North of Seattle.
2 months later
1 month later
I visited the Spark Museum in Bellingham, WA (90 miles north of Seattle) and saw a Broadway they had advertised on Craigslist months earlier. They don't know much about it, and didn't realize it was a gambling game. The man who showed the game said they wanted it gone and suggested it must be worth something, maybe $200, so I'm thinking they would accept $100 or $50. It seemed pretty clean and worth posting, something that could be a fun project for someone who wants a magic squares game.
As for the game, here are a few things I noticed:
Cosmetically very presentable, with a very nice backglass.
Backglass has an area of paint loss at bottom right and a few spots along the top. Otherwise, excellent.
They don't know the working condition of the game, but it sounded like it has been stored for years.
No keys but the rear door is open and the backglass side rails are off. The front door looks like it is open but I didn't test it.
I didn't see the backglass side rails. The guy showing the game was not the owner. Maybe the owner has the rails - I didn't ask.
Front door has a chip out the top right corner.
Playfield has mild dirt rings but no paint loss. Original S/I cards are present. The playfied glass is cracked.
I didn't see loose wires or obviously missing parts in the head.
There is some odd plastic-coated wiring on the right side of the cabinet head in the photos. I'm not sure what that is, maybe someone else has an idea.
If someone is interested, here is a link to the museum:
http://www.sparkmuseum.org
DSC00689 (resized).jpgDSC00690 (resized).jpgDSC00691 (resized).jpgDSC00692 (resized).jpgDSC00693 (resized).jpgDSC00694 (resized).jpgDSC00695 (resized).jpgDSC00696 (resized).jpgDSC00697 (resized).jpgDSC00699 (resized).jpgDSC00700 (resized).jpgDSC00701 (resized).jpgDSC00702 (resized).jpgDSC00703 (resized).jpgDSC00704 (resized).jpgDSC00705 (resized).jpg 3 weeks later
If you like the early games, here is a pretty Bally Beauty near Portland, Oregon:
Sounds like they will take anything for it.
3 weeks later
Beach Time in Seattle area for $350. Lights up but does not work properly. Has body armor but looks pretty clean from what I can see. Backglass shows two small areas of paint loss. This was Bally's second-to-last Magic Squares game. They revisited the format one final time with Bonanza in 1976. The game has an interesting "stop and shop" feature where the player can drop additional coins in mid-game in a sucker's bet to boost odds. Pretty nice feature set, with the 4 Magic Squares and 2 Magic Lines.
1 week later
This Lido just south of Seattle looks like it has been fully restored. The backglass appears to be a reproduction - too bad. One of the best buys I've seen at $500 (negotiable).
1 week later
The Lido is the same one that was for sale on Craigslist for $500 12 days ago. Somebody saw a nice flip opportunity.
3 weeks later
Quoted from pleasespammelate:I'm interested in buying a Bingo Pinball (I'm an EM guy).
Any suggestions on what to look for and where I can get one?
I posted a Wanted ad in the classifieds: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bingo-pinball-wanted
I'm with you in my preference for wood rails, wood legs and mechanical elements in the head. If you stick with the wood legs requirement you'll be ruling out the Magic Screen games, as Bally switched to metal with the introduction of the first screen game. I find that the Magic Squares games where the squares cover all 4 corners are a lot of fun if they also have 4-corner scoring (most do) because you have a fighting chance of hitting the corners. The games in this category are Broadway, Night Club, Big Show and Key West. All are among the commonly seen bingos here in the northwest. That's just my take, and there are probably as many opinions as people on this forum.
What to avoid? I always look first to the cosmetic condition of a game, as long as it is complete. It is easier to fix a game's operational problems than its cosmetic condition. Body armor - after-market anti-fraud metal panels nailed to the front, sides, or top rails of the game - is a red flag for me and requires closer scrutiny of the rest of the game. I'd buy Bally and avoid all United games. One thing I like to see in an ad is "it worked fine when I last played it X years ago, but now it just lights up." A game like that will give you some nice learning opportunities.
If you haven't used searchtempest.com, check it out. It allows you to search all Craigslist boards within X miles of your zip code. Searching for "pinball" will usually pull in all bingo games. Welcome to the bingo world and good luck finding one of these mechanical marvels! I'm a bingo novice, and I can tell you from personal experience that you have some heavy-hitter experts on this forum ready to help with any questions you have. I'd also recommend picking up the Richard Gerlitz bingo repair DVD that he sells on eBay.
Quoted from Terry1:Or you can do this
Terry K
[quoted image]
Very sweet work, Terry. Looks gorgeous.
2 weeks later
This is an early ("A" serial number) Turf King with the neat Feature Build-Up reel below the Feature flag on the backglass. (The Build-Up reel was dropped in later "AB" games.) It allows a maximum payout of 900 nickels when the reel is at its 45 maximum. Nice backglass without fading, cosmetics appear good with exception of gold paint on backglass frame and playfield side rails. Could be a nice opportunity at the current bid of $22.50.
1 month later
A very nice looking and seldom seen Bally Trophy 1-ball horserace pinball in Spokane, WA. Backglass appears excellent. This is a coin payout game. Asking $699.
The seller wrote that he found 80 buffalo nickels in the coin box, so it looks like this game got retired pretty early.
Here's an interesting curiosity, a Golden Gate playfield and backglass in a Silver Sails cabinet. I've seen perhaps half a dozen Silver Sails with a Golden Gate playfield, but I don't recall ever seeing a Silver Sails with a Golden Gate backglass. An operator has scraped off the blue section scoring and has tied the blue section to the green odds, otherwise the backglass looks very nice. This game has been kicking around on eBay for quite a while. $1,000 or make an offer. South of Tacoma.
One of the prettiest of the earlier games, this Yacht Club may be in very sweet condition, based on the single photo included in the ad. The front rail suggests it may be in original condition, but who knows, maybe it has been touched up. In any case, it shows very well. $600. South of Portland, OR.
1 week later
Blue Diamond 6-card electronic bingo in Birmingham, starting bid of $100 with no bids to date. Looks pretty nice but it may be displaying several error codes in the backglass.
ebay.com link: Green Diamong Bingo Pinball and extra head unit golden game and lots of parts
Anyone know who manufactured this game and what year it was made?
I'd be picking this Yacht Club up myself instead of posting it here if I had space in my small gameroom. It looks gorgeous; either it's had cosmetic work or it is an exceptional original. The only thing I see wrong is the trim ring around the selector knob is missing, perhaps a sign of repainting. One lonely photo. Near Portland.
3 months later
This looks like a pretty clean Silver Sails beneath its current grime. Nice backglass, original cabinet art. Asking $500. Game lights up. Bend, Oregon.
1 week later
1 week later
For someone wanting an interesting challenge, there is a free Turf King in Salt Lake City. The wire harness has been cut and it looks like maybe the male parts of the jones plugs in the head are missing. The cosmetic condition is pretty nice. If you happened to have (or could find) a Turf King parts game and didn't mind doing a lot of wire splicing, you might get a real nice 1-ball game out of it.
3 weeks later
Anyone ever see or own a 1955 Williams Can Can? There's one for sale here. It has flippers like an amusement game but also 3-digit scoring with separate reels. ipdb explains how you can win 50 games with one ball. I don't believe I've ever seen another flipper game that was designed for gambling.
1 week later
Bally London with payout hopper in Tacoma for $280. Appears to be in excellent condition. Not running but lights up.
Quoted from MrBally:That added payout hopper was designed at the old Bally Nevada Research Center at 777 W. 2nd Street in Reno. Now known as Innovations High School.
Interesting. I always thought the payout hoppers were third-party products - I didn't know Bally produced them. Thanks for posting that information.
2 months later
Tahiti in Michigan that is described as HUO, and it does look pristine.
ebay.com link: bally tahiti bingo pinball game mint new out of box home use only will ship
5 months later
United Startdust in apparently very fine condition. Seller states he has owned it for 30 years. $375 in eastern Oregon.
eastoregon.craigslist.org link
00X0X_fccyUKbUqGB_1200x900 (resized).jpg01111_5LGAvJmM6JR_1200x900 (resized).jpgNice looking United Triple Play backglass at $125 near San Francisco. Seller states he has 4(!), so possibly NOS.
01313_8cV9AZcAZpZ_1200x900 (resized).jpg 2 months later
It looks to me like United cleverly did what operators were already doing in the field - substituting letters or symbols for the usual numbered odds. I'd guess that the payoffs were listed on the score card on the lower apron, but I've never seen the game in person and I don't know. Who knows, maybe they just let the players find out for themselves what the payoffs were for each pennant. Also note that the name of the game is United's Pennant Triple Play. The "regular" game omitted the word Pennant. To Nick's point about the scraped odds, that was a Washington state convention. A life-long resident and collector told me that bingos were operated here legally until 1969 with the requirement that the top odds couldn't exceed 160. I imagine the 160 figure was used because that was the top payout on the earlier 1-ball horse race games. Bingos and horse race games are pretty common here, and it's not unusual to come across one of the altered backglasses, as in this otherwise nice Key West.
Bally Key West #1 backglass for eBay sale - front view - high odds have all been replaced by 160 (resized).jpg 7 months later
For anyone who has to have a Bikini, there's one near Portland that looks pretty decent, with the exception of the backglass, which is just OK. The seller reports that the game is the "predecessor to pinball with flippers." It's probably more accurate to describe it as the predecessor to going home on Friday night with half a paycheck rather than a whole one. The game shows some signs of life but sounds like it needs some attention. $500.
You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider BlackCatBone.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
