Horseshoe

The Horseshoe, manufactured by A.B.T. Manufacturing Company of Chicago in June 1933, is a small tabletop/counter game rather than a full-size pin table. Built with a pure mechanical (PM) design, it predates the electro-mechanical machines that would come to dominate the industry later in the decade.

The Horseshoe's features include a horseshoe diverter that lets the player influence ball direction, and a 10-balls-for-1-cent play format aimed at casual players. The cabinet, advertised with a cedar finish, measures a compact 23 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 6 inches high. Its game board was covered by Design Patent D87379, filed May 19, 1932 and granted July 19, 1932 to inventors Archie H. Bechtol and Walter A. Tratsch. The game shares its playfield design with A.B.T.'s larger 1933 pin table, Marbl-Jax.

Themed around the game of horseshoes, this counter-top machine offers a glimpse into the small-format coin-operated amusements common alongside full-size pinballs in the early 1930s. Detailed information about its designers or original marketing is limited, but its rarity and patented game board make it notable to collectors of early coin-op history.