Auto Roll
About This Machine
The Auto Roll, manufactured by Seaboard New York Corporation in May 1948, is an electro-mechanical rolldown game -- a conversion of Genco's 1946 'Advance Roll.' Rolldown games differ from standard pinball: rather than flipper-based play, balls roll down a sloped playfield into scoring holes or lanes, with players earning points based on where the ball lands.
Little is documented about Auto Roll's specific gameplay mechanics beyond its rolldown format. Seaboard New York Corporation was primarily known for reconditioning and reselling other manufacturers' games, though period Billboard advertising suggests the company took direct ownership of this particular title rather than merely distributing it for the original maker.
As a late-1940s rolldown conversion of an established Genco design, Auto Roll reflects a common industry practice of the era, where successful playfield concepts were licensed, cloned, or repackaged by multiple operators and manufacturers. Its history remains sparsely documented, typical of many games from this period of the coin-op industry.