New Star Jiggers

The New Star Jiggers, produced by The International Automatic Company of Ipswich, England in 1932, is an early example of a pure mechanical pinball machine, from a period when the game was just beginning to take shape. With its compact tabletop/counter design and simple gameplay, it offers a glimpse into the earliest days of coin-operated amusement.

One of the most striking aspects of this machine is its use of 10 balls for 1d (an old English penny), a common pricing scheme at the time. The game features 24 trap holes, giving players plenty of chances to test their aim. A "jigger" hole at the top of the playfield doubles the player's score when a ball lands in it, adding a clever risk-and-reward element to play.

Notably, the New Star Jiggers' playfield layout and artwork are nearly identical to Genco's 1932 'Jiggers (Jr)', but with a different name at the top of the playfield and different playfield colors -- suggesting a close, possibly licensed, relationship between the two games. Little else is known about the machine's designer or history, but it remains an interesting artifact of early 1930s British pinball.