Contact (Junior)

The Contact (Junior), marketed under the PAMCO name in February 1934, is a significant artifact from the formative years of pinball. It is a smaller companion to Pacific Amusement Manufacturing Company's 1933 'Contact (Senior)'. According to the Encyclopedia of Pinball, PAMCO was only interested in manufacturing the 60-inch model, so designer Harry Williams produced this 44-inch version at his own firm, Automatic Amusements Company, with PAMCO later adding a 36-inch 'Master' version. The game's production speaks to the booming popularity of coin-operated entertainment during the Great Depression.

As a flipperless game of its era, Contact (Junior) had players launching balls onto a playfield of scoring holes. Its two electrically powered kick-out holes were a notable feature, kicking balls back into action and adding an element of unpredictability to gameplay. The machine ran on three dry cell batteries, a common power source for early electro-mechanical games.

The involvement of Harry Williams, who would go on to become one of the most influential designers in pinball and found the Williams company, adds greatly to the machine's historical significance. As an early example of electro-mechanical action in a pin game, Contact (Junior) offers a unique glimpse into the early days of the hobby and the pioneers who helped shape the industry.