All-Star Basketball Game (with bell)

All-Star Basketball Game (with bell) is a historically interesting example of early pinball's evolution. Produced by Gotham Pressed Steel Corporation in 1947, near the end of the company's roughly decade-long run (1936-1947), this Pure Mechanical game is a pioneering entry in the sports-themed bagatelle category.

The machine's selling point is its ball-shooter mechanism, which propels marbles ("basketballs") toward a hoop at the top of the game, letting players attempt jump shots, long shots, and pivot shots by pressing and releasing specific playfield devices to send the balls airborne. A bell adds an auditory element to successful shots. Multiple backboard variants of this playfield are known to exist, some marked "G-650" and others "G-660," and a related model with a hoop instead of a bell was also released the same year.

Design-wise, All-Star Basketball Game features a compact metal frame, a hardboard base with a paper surface, and a modest 22x12 inch footprint. Its sports theme and physical ball-shooting mechanism offer a glimpse into the sport's early days and the development of gameplay mechanics that would shape the industry for decades to come.