Golden Nugget

The Golden Nugget, manufactured by Genco Manufacturing Company in January 1953, is an unusual machine: an upright game with a vertical playfield rather than a conventional pinball layout. It was designed by Harvey Heiss, who confirmed his authorship in interviews for The Pinball Compendium; schematic evidence suggests Steve Kordek handled the electrical circuit design while Heiss designed the physical playfield.

Players get six balls per game and a single flipper, controlled by a button on the lower left of the backglass frame labeled "Skill Control." A buy-back feature lets players purchase up to six extra balls at one coin apiece. The scoring ladder is the heart of the game: lighting 1-2-3 in green or red awards 3 replays, with escalating awards up to 20 replays for lighting 1 through 6, plus a replay through the Center Special Lane when lit. A single bell rings when a replay is awarded - an operator-selectable option.

The backglass carries a Dancing - Girls - Pageantry theme typical of early-1950s glamour styling. An interesting footnote from the game's development: a marked-up schematic from Steve Kordek's files shows the game was originally to be called "Show Boat," a name likely abandoned after United released its own Show Boat in December 1952.