Traffic

Meet Traffic, a pinball machine from February 1935, crafted by Bally Manufacturing Corporation. This electro-mechanical machine, model 17, was designed by Harry Williams with mechanics by Herbert G. Breitenstein, and represents Bally's early-to-mid 1930s payout machine lineup.

Traffic's gameplay is characterized by its straightforward design: players insert five cents for the chance to play five balls. The machine carries an NRA stamp, a mark associated with the National Recovery Administration, underscoring its status as an artifact of 1930s America, and used 1-inch glass balls.

The game was available in three variants - Model A (with both a ticket unit and payout), Model B (payout only, no ticket unit), and Model C (no payout and no ticket unit) - otherwise identical in appearance. The design and artwork reflect the era's travel and transportation theme, though little else is documented about the specific artistic intentions. Nonetheless, this machine remains an interesting relic of the Depression-era coin-op industry and its pioneer designer, Harry Williams.