Pigskin

Pigskin, manufactured by Peo Manufacturing Corporation of Rochester, New York, and dated November 1934, is an early sports-themed pinball machine, built around a football theme just two years after the company's founding in 1932.

Pigskin is a flipperless, single-player electro-mechanical (EM) machine -- flippers would not be introduced to pinball until 1947, so play relied on plunger strength, ball placement, and cabinet skill rather than active ball control. Notably, Pigskin existed in three distinct versions: an entirely mechanical totalizer game released in August 1934 with a pointer dial for the four quarters (with an optional bell-and-battery upgrade), followed in November 1934 by an electromechanical version with the bell and batteries built in and 'Start'/'Stop' markings added to the score pointer, and a final November 1934 electromechanical version that added a ball kicker to the lower right playfield.

The design and artwork of Pigskin are notable for their relative simplicity compared to modern pinball machines, consistent with the era's straightforward cabinet aesthetics. Given its age, little detailed information about its specific art or designer survives, making Pigskin an intriguing example of how early sports-themed pinball design evolved.