Sportsman

The Sportsman pinball machine, produced by Genco Manufacturing Company beginning February 23, 1951, is an extremely scarce example of early electro-mechanical (EM) pinball, with company documentation indicating a production run of only about 5 units (though this number may be approximate, and no end date for production is recorded).

A search of Billboard magazine from February through May 1951 turned up no advertisements from Genco or their distributors for this game. However, later issues from April and May 1955 show an ad from a Columbus, Ohio distributor selling a "Genco SPORTSMAN (Match)" for $350.00; the significance of the word "Match" in that listing is unknown.

Without further information on its design, art, or theme, specific gameplay details of the Sportsman are difficult to confirm. Its extreme rarity, with so few units apparently produced, makes it a particularly obscure entry in Genco's catalog and an intriguing subject for collectors and historians alike.