"Trio"

The "Trio" pinball machine, manufactured by Daval Manufacturing Co. of Chicago in March 1939, is a rare and fascinating piece of electro-mechanical (EM) pinball history. Very few examples are known to survive, and even the meaning behind its name (the game name appears in quotation marks on the backglass) remains a mystery to researchers today.

Key gameplay features include 11 spring bumpers and two trap holes, which added a level of challenge and unpredictability to the game. Players could earn skill points by achieving a minimum score of 4,000 combined with landing a ball in either skill hole, with additional skill points awarded for further bumper hits or for sending a ball through the skill channel. These skill points were recorded in lights on the backboard, and separate high-score awards were given according to a scorecard, providing a layered scoring system for the era.

The machine's Art Deco theme and design reflect the stylish aesthetic of the late 1930s. Intriguingly, an inspection of surviving backboxes reveals unused, unwired numbered positions behind the backglass, hinting at a more elaborate scoring display than what was ultimately wired into production units. For collectors and researchers, "Trio" remains a genuinely obscure and lightly documented piece of pre-war pinball history.