Buccaneer

The Buccaneer, designed by Harry Mabs with artwork by Roy Parker, was manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Company in October 1948. Arriving in the first year of the flipper era, it is a significant piece of pinball history from the very period when the game was being transformed - and it came equipped with four flippers, twice the number that would soon become the standard.

Key to the Buccaneer's gameplay are those four flippers and eight passive bumpers, providing players with ample opportunities to navigate the playfield and score points. Three kick-out holes add an element of surprise and strategy as they capture and eject the ball back into play, and a time clock rounds out the feature set. The machine's sound package - two bells and a knocker - provides classic 1940s audio feedback.

The Buccaneer's pirate theme and Roy Parker artwork reflect the aesthetic of early postwar pinball. Production figures for this game are unknown (a quantity of 3,650 once attributed to it actually belongs to Gottlieb's unrelated 1976 'Buccaneer'), but its place among the earliest flipper games from Gottlieb makes it an attractive find for collectors and enthusiasts looking to own a piece of gaming history.