Four Five Six

The Four Five Six, produced by Baker Novelty and Manufacturing Company in February 1940, is a charming flipperless novelty-play game from the pre-flipper era of pinball. Made by a manufacturer that operated for only a few years (1939-1941), it is an uncommon sight today and an interesting piece of early pinball history.

Play on the Four Five Six offers 5 balls for 5 cents, with novelty play only — no replays are awarded. The game features 12 spring bumpers that illuminate from within, adding to the visual spectacle, and its rollover switches are not wireforms but small metal plates shaped like bicycle seats. Every 6,000 points, red and green lights alternate to change the scoring potentials, and skill points are awarded for rolling over the top-most rollover or the lowest two rollovers. A time clock is also fitted to the game.

The machine's art theme depicts childhood toys — toy trains and numbered blocks, or perhaps Jack-in-the-boxes, with the spring bumpers placed over them suggesting the toy clowns springing out. The cabinet measures 48 1/4 inches long, 23 1/4 inches wide, and 62 inches high on its legs. Notably, the game has no bells or sound effects at all: the only sounds heard during play are the clicks of the score and skill point wheels, a stark contrast to the audio-rich pinball machines that would follow.