Cocktail Tray Bagatelle

The Cocktail Tray Bagatelle is an unusual pure mechanical (PM) novelty item made by Sheraton Crafts of New York City. Rather than being a standalone pinball cabinet, it is an unnamed bagatelle built into a cocktail serving tray. Based on the awards assigned to its various playfield score pockets, it's believed a waitress would offer a group of customers the chance to shoot the ball before ordering drinks — a playful way to decide what drinks would be ordered or who would be paying for them, with some pockets assigning trivial consequences like surrendering pocket change.

Gameplay is simple: a single ball is shot across a compact playfield measuring 18 inches long, 12 inches wide, and just 1 1/2 inches thick, making it easy to carry as a serving tray between uses. This slim, mechanically simple design reflects its dual purpose as both a game and functional barware.

No information is available on the designer or a specific production date for this piece. Its charm lies in its novelty concept — blending a bagatelle-style game directly into a piece of nightclub or bar equipment — making it a curious artifact for collectors interested in the more unusual corners of pinball's mechanical history.