Handicap
About This Machine
Handicap is a purely mechanical, single-player countertop game produced by Universal Novelty Manufacturing Company of Chicago in March 1932. Dating from the first big wave of the pinball craze, this horse racing-themed game gave players six balls for a penny or a nickel, each ball a different color — and that detail is the heart of a genuinely clever design.
The playfield is divided into upper and lower halves, each with its own outhole trough. Balls shot into play enter the upper playfield, where six trap holes await, each color-coded to score double if the matching colored ball lands in it; a horseshoe diverter adds to the action. Balls that miss collect in the upper outhole trough. Once all six have been played, the player pushes the red knob on the left front of the cabinet, releasing the collected balls into the lower playfield for a second chance to score. There they filter down into the lower trough — the "Handicap Line-up" — where points are awarded for each ball whose final position matches the color-coded strip beside it. The release can be used only once per game; the mechanism locks until a new coin is played.
At 33 inches long and 17 1/2 inches wide, Handicap was compact enough for any counter, and Universal Novelty offered steel stands with adjustable legs for an extra $2.00. Its two-stage, color-matching play makes it a notably inventive design for 1932 and an appealing find for collectors of pre-flipper games.
Images (16)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Sports - Horse Racing
- Notable Features:
- 6 balls for 1 cent or 5 cents. Trap holes (6), Horseshoe diverter (1). Each ball is a different color. Playfield is divided into upper and lower halves. Each half has its own outhole trough. Balls shot into play enter the upper playfield and if they do not land in a score hole then they fall into the upper outhole trough. Each of the six score holes is color-coded to score double if a matching ball lands in it. Player is to wait until all balls are played in this manner, then is instructed to push the red knob on the left front of cabinet, releasing the upper outhole balls into the lower playfield for a second chance to score. These balls filter down to the lower outhole trough (the Handicap Line-up). Points are awarded for each ball if its position in the lower trough mat ches the color-coded strip next to it. The player can release the balls to the lower playfield only once during a game, as the mechanism locks until a new game is started. We include images to show this mechanism. When this playfield is in place in the game, the wider lever on the mechanism (on the left) is pushed forward by the red knob on the front of the game resulting in the release of the captive colored balls to the lower playfield. Once the balls are launched, the gate is not operable until the start of the next game. Inserting a coin and pushing in the coin slide returns the captive gate to the ready (closed) position. Cabinet advertised as 33 inches long and 17 1/2 inches wide.