Electro

The Electro, manufactured by Exhibit Supply Company (ESCO) in June 1934, comes from the early days of electro-mechanical pinball. This flipperless, single-player game offered a distinctive twist on the coin-drop economics of the era through its buy-back feature, which allowed players to retain their balls on the playfield while lost balls were returned for replay.

Key to the Electro's appeal was its value: 10 or more balls for a mere five cents. The buy-back feature added a layer of strategy, letting a player insert another coin in the coin slide while pressing the nearby plunger to keep the playfield balls in place and get the out-balls back for another try.

While the theme and artwork of the Electro are not documented, a Billboard ad from the period touted the buy-back feature, stating it could be used "as many times as desired" yet also capping spending at 35 cents per game, which works out to a maximum of six buy-backs. The Electro remains an interesting relic from pinball's formative, pre-flipper years, offering a glimpse into how early games experimented with player incentives.