Lucky Strike

The Lucky Strike is a rare pure mechanical (PM) pinball machine, believed to have been made in France around 1933. No manufacturer name or other identifying information could be found on the game itself, though it appears to be a close copy of Peo's 1933 'Mat-Cha-Skor.' The machine was purchased in France at an old warehouse sale, suggesting its coin mechanism was built for French coinage of the period, though this has not been confirmed.

Measuring 76 cm long and 39 cm wide, with a front height of about 18.5 cm rising to roughly 23.5 cm at the rear, this compact machine is a tabletop/counter game rather than a full-size cabinet. Text on the lower playfield states that 40,000 points is the average record set by good "Lucky Strike" players, challenging players to beat that mark - a tall order, since nine steel balls have been found with the game, meaning most would need to score at or near the maximum single-ball value of 5,000 points to reach it. A "RECORD" feature, described by one owner as a high-score indicator with a slide to change its center color, tracked players' best results.

The game's cat emblem is thought to represent Felix the Cat, a popular 1920s cartoon character (the name "Felix" derives from the Latin word for "lucky"), and its red-circle-on-green color scheme echoes the Lucky Strike cigarette packaging used until 1942. With no flippers, gameplay relied purely on tilting, timing, and the mechanical layout of the playfield to guide the balls. Given its age, rarity, and lack of documentation, the Lucky Strike remains a treasured curiosity for pinball historians.