World's Series (Second Model)

Meet "World," a rare and intriguing example of early pinball history. Manufactured by Rock-ola in May 1934, this Pure Mechanical (PM) machine predates the electromechanical and electronic pinball games that would follow in later decades, making it a genuine artifact of the medium's earliest days. It carries a baseball theme and was originally introduced at the February 1934 Coin Machine Expo in Chicago as the "World's Series Champion Model."

Gameplay is straightforward, offering 1-cent or 5-cent play with 15 balls and 3 outs per game. Early production games featured an upper playfield with chrome rails; when actual production began in May 1934, Rock-ola redesigned it to use pins instead, a change made to reduce fabrication time and materials cost. Later production runs also displayed the game's design and mechanical patent numbers directly on the playfield.

Rock-ola's own patent history is tied closely to this game: its playfield design patent (DE90,927) was filed in August 1933, and later production versions added the ball shooter patent (1,842,863) and a mechanical patent (1,975,374) granted in October 1934. As one of Rock-ola's earliest offerings, and a very early pinball machine overall, "World" is a notable piece for collectors focused on the pre-flipper mechanical era.