Brokers Tip

Brokers Tip, manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Company in April 1936, is an early electro-mechanical (EM) payout machine, a game that dispensed awards directly, from the era when the line between pinball and gambling equipment was still being drawn. As a product of the pre-war coin-op boom, it reflects Gottlieb's efforts to serve the lucrative payout market of the mid-1930s.

A notable aspect of Brokers Tip is its versatility: the machine could be configured for 1, 2, or 3 balls per play, with the choice made when ordering new (2 or 3 ball play cost $5 extra). It featured a multiple coin chute and came equipped with an ElectroPak power unit; a DC AdaptoPak (list price $12.00) could serve any number of machines in the same location. The game was advertised as 50 inches long and 24 inches wide, and priced at $125 new, with a ticket model at $135 and options including a check separator ($5) and mint vender ($10).

Gottlieb promoted the ticket model in the trade press, announcing in The Billboard in May 1936 that it was "now ready for immediate delivery", after advertising it the previous month in The Coin Machine Journal. Details about the machine's artwork and theme are scarce, but its option list and pricing offer a vivid picture of how coin machines were sold and operated in the mid-1930s.