Zingo

The Zingo is a rare example of early mechanical pinball, manufactured by The National Speciali-ty Company of Youngstown, Ohio. While its exact production date is unconfirmed, this Pure Mechanical (PM) pinball machine offers a glimpse into the formative years of the industry. One notable feature is its ball count: 10 balls for just 5 cents.

The gameplay features that make the Zingo distinctive are largely speculative due to the lack of documentation, but as with contemporary mechanical pinball games, players would likely have aimed to accumulate points by rolling balls into scoring positions.

Despite its uncertain theme and lack of distinctive artwork on record, the Zingo stands out for its build. Its size is typical of early pinball machines, measuring 41 inches long, 20 1/2 inches wide, and 37 inches high. Some references list a similarly named "Zingo" made in November 1931 by The National Standard Company, also of Youngstown, Ohio—this may represent a name change by the same company or a separate listing error. Little else is known about this particular machine's history, but its rarity offers an interesting artifact from the nascent days of pinball.