Silver Cup

The Silver Cup, manufactured by Genco Manufacturing Company in July 1933 and designed by Harvey Heiss, is a Pure Mechanical machine from an era well before flippers existed -- play relied on the plunger and the layout of mechanical scoring elements rather than any flipper control. Despite its age, the game was an international success that helped reposition Genco favorably within the industry.

Silver Cup went through several running changes during production: the original model offered 10 balls for 5 cents with a patterned casting frame around its totalizer, an improved version switched to 7 balls for 1 cent with a smoother totalizer frame, and the final September 1933 version added aluminum castings shaped like silver trophy cups to the playfield -- the detail that gives the game its name. Six snap traps on the playfield round out its scoring features.

The cabinet itself is notable for its black ebony natural wood inlay, advertised at 36 inches long, 19 inches wide, and 40 inches high. Genco's use of playfield castings followed an earlier example set by Lundick Mfg.'s 1932 'The Marble Prince', but Silver Cup's commercial success made it an influential and sought-after piece of early-1930s pinball history.