Caravan

The United Manufacturing Company's Caravan, released in February 1956, is an intriguing example of the bingo machine - a distinctive branch of the coin-op family tree. Rather than flippers and bumpers, bingo games challenged players to land balls in a field of trap holes to complete number patterns on a card displayed in the backglass. United, based in Chicago and active from 1942 to 1962, was one of the major producers of these games.

What sets the Caravan apart is its array of features. The machine boasts 25 trap holes, two rollover buttons, a single card with Lite-A-Name and diagonal scoring, and an '8 Balls next game' feature. If the corresponding features were purchased through play, the player could press a button on the lockdown bar to rearrange the numbers on the backglass card via the Roto feature before shooting the fourth or fifth ball, or rotate a knob on the coin door to select from any lit 'selection feature' - adding a genuine layer of strategy to each game.

As a single-player electro-mechanical bingo from the mid-1950s, the Caravan is a fascinating study in the era's mechanical ingenuity. Enthusiasts who appreciate the art and science of vintage coin-op machines will find its scoring logic and feature-purchasing system rewarding subjects for closer inspection.