s Games Incorporated 'Billiard'o

This 1932 pinball machine from Gerber's Games Incorporated of Chicago is an early example from the dawn of coin-operated pinball. Its mechanical design and gameplay are simple by modern standards, offering ten balls for five cents -- an attractive price point that helped these early games find a foothold with the public.

The machine's core feature is its plunger, which pivots to allow players to aim and execute bank shots, along with 12 gobble holes, a felt playfield studded with brass pins, and a ball lift on the right side of the cabinet. Balls landing in holes are routed to scoring columns in the lower left area of the playfield, and landing a gold ball counts double.

The machine lacks the elaborate theming and artwork of later pinball machines, its design being purely functional. Despite its simplicity and age, it remains a notable artifact from pinball's formative mechanical era.