Favorite

The Favorite, manufactured by Buckley Manufacturing Company in 1932, is a pure mechanical (PM) tabletop/counter pinball game from the earliest years of the pinball industry, predating the electromechanical designs that would come to dominate later decades.

Favorite offered players 7 balls for a penny, or 10 balls for a nickel. A distinctive touch was the inclusion of one solid brass ball among the standard set, along with a walnut cabinet finish and a cashbox secured with a solid brass lock — details that gave the small counter-top unit an air of novelty and craftsmanship. Measuring roughly 15.5 by 30.5 inches, it was compact enough to sit on a store counter, and operators could purchase an optional collapsible wooden stand or a folding steel stand.

Little else is documented about Favorite's designer or any specific theme. Still, as an early counter-game example from Buckley Manufacturing's 1930s catalog, it offers a glimpse into the humble beginnings of coin-operated pinball.