Improved Sharp's Shooter - Baseball Bagatelle

The Improved Sharp, manufactured by The Sharp-Boyd Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1933 (per the Encyclopedia of Pinball Vol. 1), is a small pure mechanical (PM) bagatelle with a baseball theme. Measuring approximately 19 by 11 inches, it is a compact tabletop-style game typical of the small bagatelle machines produced in this era.

The machine's documented history centers on a patent: Charles L. Sharp applied for U.S. Patent #1,890,950 on March 31, 1932, and it was granted on December 13, 1932. Though titled 'Game Board,' the patent text specifically sought to protect the ball shooter in combination with the runway, suggesting the shooter mechanism was the machine's key innovation.

Beyond its compact size and baseball theme, little else about the Improved Sharp's design, art, or specific gameplay has been documented. As one of a handful of surviving pure mechanical bagatelles from this period, it offers collectors and historians a small but interesting glimpse into early sports-themed pin games.