Rocket

The Rocket, designed by Herbert G. Breitenstein (with mechanics by Bud Breitenstein) and manufactured by Bally in October 1933, is a significant piece of pinball history. It was the first automatic payout machine, using a payout mechanism invented by brothers Henry W. Seiden and Herman L. Seiden. According to a 1953 Bally newsletter, it was also the first game with a score totalizer that is electrically operated.

The gameplay features of the Rocket are straightforward yet innovative for its time. Players navigate the ball through a layout with 10 snap traps, and the machine operates on five dry cell batteries, a common feature in early EM machines. An anti-tilting device breaks the electric contact and locks the payout mechanism from dispensing coins if the player tilts the game.

The design of this first version of the Rocket features a black cabinet with a red and chrome "R" emblem on each side. Because the original design had flaws, it was reissued the following year as Bally's 'New Improved Rocket.' As one of the earliest electromechanical payout machines, the Rocket remains an important artifact in pinball's formative years.