Top Hand
About This Machine
The Top Hand, manufactured by Zaccaria of Bologna, Italy, is an electro-mechanical (EM) single-player pinball machine with a playing-cards theme and artwork by Lorenzo Rimondini. Its playfield closely resembles Gottlieb's 1973 game of the same name, and, like many early Zaccaria machines, it reportedly used parts salvaged from dismantled Williams games.
What sets the Top Hand apart is its dual-mode scoring system: an add-a-ball mode where a 100,000-point backglass lamp extends the displayed score up to 199,990 points and WOWs award an extra ball, versus a novelty mode where the add-a-ball unit instead steps through backglass lamps up to 9,999,990 points, with WOWs scoring a flat 50,000 points each. The playfield includes two flippers, a pop bumper, four 4-bank drop targets, two standup targets, and two kick-out holes.
A quirky design detail: although the backglass is silkscreened for up to 10 balls to play, it can only count 9 in add-a-ball mode, since the '10' position has no lamp or insert hole behind it. For enthusiasts seeking a glimpse into early Italian EM pinball, the Top Hand is a distinctive example, notable for its dual-mode scoring rather than any rarity of flippers themselves.
Images (6)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Playing Cards
- Notable Features:
- Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (1), 4-bank drop targets (4), Standup targets (2), Kick-out holes (2). Only a maximum score of 99,990 points is displayed by the score reels. Higher scores are displayed using backglass bulb scoring and is dependent upon either of two modes of play: In add-a-ball mode, a 100,000 light is used on the backglass via a relay. The maximum score that can be displayed is 199,990 points. Other lamps for higher scores (200,000, 300,000, etc.) are not used. In this mode, WOWs award an add-a-ball then reset. The maximum Balls To Play is 9. A design error exists in this mode that allows a player to insert a second coin just before shooting the first ball in play, and this adds additional balls to play. In novelty mode, the 100,000 relay is not used. Instead, the add-a-ball unit is used to step through the backglass bulb scoring, lighting from 100,000 to 900,000 and from 1,000,000 to 9,000,000. WOWs score 50,000 points each time when hit and do not reset until end of ball in play. The maximum score that can be displayed in this mode is 9,999,990 points. Although the backglass is silkscreened for up to 10 balls to play, it can count up to only 9 (in add-a-ball mode) because the "10" has no lamp or insert hole behind it.
Credits
- Artist:
- Lorenzo Rimondini