Silver Chest

The Silver Chest, designed by Harvey Heiss and manufactured by Genco starting in April 1953, is a single-player, upright electro-mechanical machine with a vertical playfield -- a distinctive format compared to the standard horizontal pinball layout of the era. Its pirate/adventure theme is reflected in the name and cabinet art.

Gameplay centers on a single flipper, controlled via a "Skill Control" button located on the lower left of the backglass frame, and a buy-back feature that lets players purchase up to six extra balls at one coin per ball on top of the standard six balls per play. Genco's production records did not specify an end date or total production run, so the length of Silver Chest's manufacturing run is unknown.

Design credit is a bit more layered than usual: while Heiss is credited as designer, surviving schematics also bear the initials of Steve Kordek, who likely handled the electrical circuit design while Heiss worked out the physical playfield. Beyond these production details, relatively little else about Silver Chest has been documented, making it a somewhat obscure but interesting entry in Genco's early-1950s lineup.