Roll Skill

Roll Skill, manufactured by Lincoln Novelty Manufacturing Company of Marion, Virginia in January 1932, is a pure mechanical pinball machine from the very earliest days of the coin-operated pinball industry, predating the later electromechanical and electronic eras entirely.

Gameplay on Roll Skill is characterized by simplicity: players roll 10 balls per play, one at a time, by hand through a slot on the front right of the cabinet, sending each 1 1/4-inch ball into the playfield to score. The machine's design emphasizes direct manual interaction rather than any powered or electromechanical assist.

The cabinet was advertised at 50 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 35 inches high at the rolling slot, and featured detachable legs for portability. While Roll Skill's theme and designer remain unknown today, its historical position as an early pure-mechanical game makes it an interesting artifact of pinball's pre-electromechanical origins.