Box Score

The Box Score pinball machine is a rare and fascinating piece of electro-mechanical (EM) history, manufactured by Daval Manufacturing Co. of Chicago in June 1935. A baseball-themed payout-style game from pinball's earliest boom years, it holds an interesting place in the development of the sport's presence within the industry. Unusually for a payout machine, Box Score does not itself dispense coins, tickets, or tokens: it was advertised as giving payouts from the location for high scores, with the operator able to enable a hidden register that counted each winning score so the operator knew what payouts the location had made.

This unique arrangement sets Box Score apart from its contemporaries, and its operational features showcase an inventive approach to game design. If a player took too long to play, the machine's illumination would shut off; the location could then press a concealed button to re-light the game and check the score. This clever mechanism adds an extra layer of interaction between the player, the location, and the game itself.

Box Score's compact size, measuring 41 1/2 inches long by 23 inches wide, is typical of countertop-era games and belies its significance as an early example of payout-style pinball design. The baseball theme is a charming nod to America's national pastime. No information about the game's designer or artwork survives, but the machine's rarity speaks to its enduring value among enthusiasts of 1930s electro-mechanical games.