Basketball Champ

Basketball Champ, manufactured by Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company beginning January 2, 1947, is not actually a pinball machine at all - it is an electro-mechanical arcade game that often appears on pinball lists, and it is included in pinball databases largely for clarification. Chicago Coin's own documentation refers to this Model 103 simply as 'Basketball', and the game made its debut at the Coin Machine Convention held February 3-6, 1947 at the Sherman Hotel in Chicago.

The game gives players 15 balls per play, with the action viewed through a plexiglass window. Its upright cabinet is imposing: advertised at 6 feet 5 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 42 inches deep, it towers over the pinball machines of its day. A confirmed 802 units were produced, with a list price of $499.50 when new ($379.50 to distributors).

As a post-war arcade novelty riding the popularity of basketball, Basketball Champ remains an intriguing piece for collectors of vintage coin-op - just not one that belongs on the pinball floor.