Eureka

The Eureka, manufactured by Bally in November 1938, is a flipperless electro-mechanical pinball machine from the prewar era of the game. Carrying Bally model number 268, it features a compact short backbox design and a coin slide on the front of the cabinet, hallmarks of late-1930s pinball construction.

Gameplay-wise, Eureka offered operators considerable flexibility: it could be set for 1, 2, 4, or 5 ball play, and could operate on a single coin or multiple coins, allowing the machine to be tailored to different locations. Trap holes on the playfield added an element of unpredictability to each ball.

Eureka also has an interesting afterlife. Bally issued a single-coin-only version of the game in 1938 as 'Arrowhead', and after World War II reissued the design as the 1947 'Eureka', updated with a full-size backbox and a deeper cabinet - a testament to the durability of the original layout.