Pin Up

The Pin Up is a rare and enigmatic electro-mechanical (EM) pinball machine from an unknown manufacturer, known from only a single surviving photograph, taken of an example located for sale in Fčves, France. Its title and artwork - a woman posing in a Catalina bathing suit on both the backglass and playfield - reflect a lighthearted 'pin-up' theme. The seller dated the game to 1947, the year electromechanical flippers first appeared on American pinball machines, though this date is unconfirmed and no manufacturer name is visible in the photograph.

The playfield layout is unusually open, similar to Gottlieb's 1950 'Bank-A-Ball,' with no apparent kick-out holes. Two long, dark blue flippers flank a turret-shooter opening at the top center of the playfield, and side lanes in the lower half are each formed by a triangle of three rubber-encased posts. Notably, the machine has no pop bumpers. Scoring is handled by bulb lights on the backglass, up to six million points.

Beyond this single documented example, little else is known about Pin Up - its manufacturer, true production date, and history remain unconfirmed, making it an intriguing mystery for collectors and historians of early flipper-era pinball.