Salute

The Salute pinball machine, manufactured by Baker Novelty and Manufacturing Company in January 1941, is an example of early electro-mechanical (EM), flipperless pinball design from a manufacturer that was only active for a short period (1939-1941).

The gameplay features of the Salute are characteristic of flipperless EM pinballs from this era, with five balls for a cost of five cents and 18 passive bumpers. The lower playfield carries the instruction "BUMPERS MUST BE HIT FIRMLY TO REGISTER," indicating that players needed to strike these targets with force for them to score - a design detail typical of the flipperless, bumper-driven games that preceded the flipper era.

The Salute's Warfare theme was a common motif in games of this period, reflecting contemporary events as the United States approached entry into World War II. Little further information is available about the machine's design or art, but as a product of Baker Novelty's brief two-year run as a manufacturer, the Salute is a notable find for collectors of pre-flipper pinball history.