The Arrow

The Arrow, released by the W. N. Manufacturing Company of Los Angeles in May 1932, comes from the very first wave of the coin-operated pin game boom that began in 1931. As a Pure Mechanical (PM) machine, it predates electromechanical and solid-state technology entirely, relying on nothing but gravity, springs, and the player's touch on the plunger to send balls around the playfield - flippers were still fifteen years in the future.

The Arrow is a table top/counter game offered with 1-cent or 5-cent play. Its cabinet was advertised as having a walnut finish and measuring 23 inches long, 12 inches wide, 4 1/2 inches high at the front and 5 1/2 inches at the rear - a compact footprint designed to sit on a store counter rather than stand on the floor. Specific rules and artwork details are not documented.

The company itself is a footnote of the era: according to the Encyclopedia of Pinball Vol. 1, owner William Nathanson took on a partner named Bud Lieberman in June 1932 and renamed the firm A.M. Amusement Games. Given the scarcity of surviving details, The Arrow remains a fascinating piece for enthusiasts interested in pinball's earliest days.