Stevo-Ball No. 4

The Stevo-Ball No. 4, manufactured by A. J. Stephens and Company of Kansas City, Missouri in April 1932, is another of the four numbered Stevo-Ball models cataloged in the Encyclopedia of Pinball Vol 1. Produced during the depths of the Great Depression, it reflects the resourcefulness of small manufacturers still entering the young pinball market in the early 1930s.

As with the other Stevo-Ball pin tables (Nos. 2 and 3), the No. 4 is a Pure Mechanical (PM) machine - meaning it operated without electricity and, notably, without flippers, an innovation that wouldn't reach pinball until 1947. Players would have relied on gravity, plunger launches, and the cabinet's tilt to guide the ball toward scoring pockets, rather than any active ball control.

Beyond its manufacturer, model designation, and production date, little else is documented about the Stevo-Ball No. 4's specific gameplay, theme, or artwork. It stands as a small but genuine piece of pinball's earliest commercial history in the United States, from an era when the industry itself was just taking shape.