Triumph (Model 2)

The Bally Manufacturing Corporation's Triumph (Model 2), released in April 1940, is a one-player electro-mechanical pinball machine and a variant of Bally's original Triumph (Model 1). Announced by Bally president Ray Moloney as intended for 'second string locations,' Model 2 was nicknamed the 'Dime-Limit' Triumph because it restricts players to two buy-backs, compared to the up-to-five buy-backs allowed on Model 1.

Gameplay centers on 15 spring bumpers, each numbered and linked to a corresponding light on the backglass. Hitting a bumper lights its number, and a randomly selected bumper scores a replay when hit; once all fifteen numbers are lit, every bumper scores a replay when struck. Bumpers 6 and 7 are linked together, so scoring either one lights both. Players can buy back into the game for 5 cents per additional attempt, up to the model's two-buy-back limit.

The game's specific designer is not recorded, but subtle differences between Model 1 and Model 2 - such as a 'third knob' that appears in Model 1 promotional photos but is absent from surviving Model 2 units - continue to intrigue collectors trying to distinguish the two versions today. As a lower-cost variant aimed at markets where the original Triumph wasn't viable, Model 2 offers a window into how manufacturers tailored games for different types of operating locations during the pre-war era.