Diamond Jim

The Diamond Jim is a solid-state electronic pinball machine from 1977, manufactured by The Henry W.T. Mali & Co., Inc. of New York. Unlike the commercial machines filling arcades at the time, the Diamond Jim was a home model - a non-commercial machine built for domestic play. Its 1977 date is nonetheless notable, falling right in the period when the pinball industry at large was transitioning from electromechanical designs to solid-state electronics.

The machine, model number 101, offers a simple single-player layout with two flippers, two pop bumpers, two slingshots, and a single standup target - a modest feature set typical of home machines, which were built lighter and simpler than their arcade counterparts. Its backglass measures 21 by 15 inches, smaller than commercial standards.

Little information survives about this machine beyond its basic specifications, and its maker was not one of the established pinball manufacturers. That obscurity makes the Diamond Jim an intriguing curiosity from the home-pinball corner of the 1970s market.