Serenade

The Serenade is a rare electro-mechanical bingo machine from United Manufacturing Company. Its exact production year is unknown, adding to its mystique, though it is a distinct machine from United's later 1948 flipper game of the same name. Bingo machines like this one were a gambling-adjacent EM subtype, scored not with flippers but by landing the ball in numbered trap holes.

One of the most notable aspects of the Serenade is its extensive use of trap holes — 25 in total, an unusually high number for the type. Each hole carries two number values, ranging from 1 to 50, providing multiple scoring possibilities across two cards, selected via "A" and "B" buttons on the lockdown bar. Its ball is non-magnetic and 1 1/8 inches in diameter, standard for the EM era.

The Serenade's Pageantry-Women theme reflects the artistic conventions common to bingo machines of its day. Little else is documented about this machine — it is believed to be the only known surviving example, with no serial number stamped on the cabinet, though the backbox is tagged with the number 104 and the playfield is stamped 1104. Its rarity makes it a fascinating find for collectors and historians seeking insight into the bingo-machine era of pinball history.