Lighthouse

The Lighthouse, manufactured by A.B.T. Manufacturing Company of Chicago in 1936, stands as an interesting relic from the early days of pinball history, arriving during a period when EM pinball was still flipperless and more than a decade before flippers would be introduced in 1947.

What makes Lighthouse especially notable is its origin story: according to a March 1936 article in The Coin Machine Journal, Lighthouse has a hand-painted playfield and is actually a repainted version of another, unidentified A.B.T. game. It was one of several winning entries in a contest the manufacturer held to boost operator profits, inviting artists to paint eye-catching, profit-making playfield art; each repainted game was then tested side-by-side on location against its original version to see which playfield brought in more money. This makes Lighthouse a fascinating early example of playfield art being treated as a driver of a machine's earning potential.

While little is known about the designer or specific gameplay details beyond its EM, flipperless construction typical of the era, the fact that A.B.T. Manufacturing Company operated from 1927 to 1962 underscores its importance in shaping the early pinball industry. For collectors and enthusiasts, the Lighthouse offers a rare glimpse into both the mechanics and marketing experiments of 1930s pinball.