Tops

Tops, manufactured by Exhibit Supply Company (ESCO) of Chicago in 1937, is an early example of electro-mechanical pinball. The game was released in both a 5-ball payout version and a 5-ball novelty version.

Gameplay is simple and direct, as was typical of the era: players get five balls for five cents, working a metal playfield studded with 13 spring bumpers. This flipperless, single-player design rewards accumulating points through bumper contact rather than shot-making skill.

Little specific information survives about Tops' designer, artwork, or original sales figures, which is common for games from this early period of the industry. Its age makes it a machine of interest primarily to historians and collectors of pre-war pinball.