Parlor Bagatelle

The M. Redgrave Bagatelle Company's Parlor Bagatelle is an early piece of pre-pinball history, a Pure Mechanical bagatelle game from a New Jersey manufacturer that operated until 1925. As a bagatelle rather than a true pinball machine, it predates the coin-operated pinball machines that emerged in the early 1930s.

The game measures a compact 25 inches long, 11 1/4 inches wide, and 3 1/2 inches high when inclined on its stand, with players launching a ball onto a sloping pin-studded playfield. Unlike other Redgrave bagatelle games, this example lacks the bell normally found inside the circle of pins; instead, a small ornament sits in that spot, though it's unclear whether this was original to the game or added later to cover a hole left by a missing bell.

Little else is documented about this particular game's design or history, but its compact size and simple mechanical operation are typical of parlor bagatelle games intended for home or small-establishment use in the early 20th century.