Always Seven

Always Seven, manufactured by EMA of France in 1950, is an electro-mechanical (EM) pinball machine typical of the early flipper era. Flippers had only been introduced a few years earlier, in 1947, so their use here reflects one of the newer innovations in pinball design at the time.

The gameplay features seven holes strategically placed on the playfield; the objective is likely to guide the ball through each one, accumulating points along the way. It is not confirmed whether these holes are trap holes or gobble holes, nor exactly how the flippers were activated, as no flipper buttons are visible in surviving photos. The ball is served into play via a hole in the left side of the playfield.

Little else is documented about Always Seven, but its early production date and French EM lineage make it an interesting artifact for collectors and pinball historians, illustrating the era's experimentation before pinball design conventions were standardized.