Bank-A-Ball

The Bank-A-Ball, manufactured by General Novelty Manufacturing Company of Chicago in February 1933, is an early purely mechanical countertop pinball game from the first boom years of the industry, when dozens of makers produced tabletop marble games. Its existence highlights the early experimentation with game design and mechanics that paved the way for later pinball machines.

The Bank-A-Ball offered flexible pricing: 10 balls for either 1 cent or 5 cents. The playfield features 16 trap holes, each surrounded by a small rubber horseshoe, and rubber trim along the sides and top of the playfield allows players to bank balls into the trap holes - hence the name. A pivoting ball shooter in the center front of the cabinet lets the player aim each shot.

Advertised with a walnut playfield and a cabinet measuring 31 inches long by 20 inches wide, the game shows the manufacturer's attention to materials and finish. Little else is known about the machine - no theme or designer attribution has been recorded - but as an early pure-mechanical table game it remains a useful artifact for understanding the formative years of the pinball industry.