Bells

Bells, manufactured by the California Exhibit Company of Los Angeles in September 1935, is an early electro-mechanical pinball machine from an obscure manufacturer that operated for only about a year (1935-1936).

As an EM game of the mid-1930s, Bells would have relied on relays, switches, and electromagnets to handle its scoring -- but this was more than a decade before the invention of the flipper, so play would have centered on launching balls into scoring holes and around pins rather than any player-controlled ball action. Specific details of the machine's playfield layout and rules are unknown.

No information survives about the machine's theme or artwork beyond its manufacturer and date of production. This scarcity of documentation adds to the machine's mystique, making Bells an intriguing puzzle for collectors and historians seeking to uncover more about pinball's formative years.