Angle Lite

The Angle Lite, produced by Coincraft Corporation of Chicago in June 1935, is an early electro-mechanical (EM) payout machine from the formative years of the pinball industry. Its "De Luxe" cabinet was advertised as 41 inches long and 20 inches wide, and it featured a lighted backboard that added visual flair to the game.

Notable features include ten trap holes, a kicker, a free ball return lane, and a time clock. Players received 10 balls for five cents, an attractive value proposition of the era (an early Billboard ad listing 5 balls for 10 cents was likely a printing error, as a later ad from the same distributor advertised 10 balls for 5 cents). One distinctive physical trait is its triangular backglass, described by an owner as appearing hand-painted on its reverse side; the triangular backbox connects to the lower cabinet via copper blades that press against matching blades in the cabinet.

The game was designed by Edward J. Wohlfeld, with mechanics by Herbert G. Breitenstein. Although little additional information survives about this machine, its place among the payout games of the mid-1930s makes it an interesting artifact for those drawn to vintage pinball machines and their mechanical intricacies.