Gold Medal

Gold Medal, manufactured by Genco Manufacturing Company of Chicago in December 1935, is an early electro-mechanical pin game from the years when powered features were still novel. Notably, it was sold in both payout and non-payout versions, placing it in the gambling-adjacent category of games that flourished, and stirred controversy, in the mid-1930s.

Its signature design is a split layout with two playing fields. As Genco's own December 1935 advertisement for the six-ball non-payout version put it: the first ball travels past the rebound spring to the lower playing field, where holes designate the reward for skillful play; the player then has five balls to spell the words Red, Blue, or White on the upper field. Extra-large holes and one-inch steel balls, in the ad's words, "add plenty of pep to the action." How many balls per game the payout version offered remains uncertain.

Beyond its clever two-field gameplay, little is documented about Gold Medal's artwork or theme, and it remains an enigmatic piece of Genco's prolific 1930s output that continues to intrigue enthusiasts and collectors alike.