The precursor to all pinball machines is acknowledged to be the 19th century 'Bagatelle-Table', a sort of pin table / pool table hybrid. Players tried to hit balls with cue sticks and get them into pockets or slots surrounded by nails and pins. Another step towards the modern pinball form occurred sometime at the end of 19th century, when inventor Montague Redgrave patented a device called a 'ball shooter', which was based on the recently invented steel spring.
By the end of 1932 there were approximately 150 companies manufacturing pinball machines, most of them in the city of Chicago, and Chicago has remained the centre of pinball manufacturing ever since. However, competition between the companies was brutal, and by 1934 there were only 14 companies left.
Today, there is only one manufacturer of brand new pinball tables left in the world, Stern Pinball, based in Chicago and run by Gary Stern, the son of electronics founder Sam Stern.
Some tables that you might have played in the past were brought to you by the likes of Bally, Williams and Gottlieb but sadly, these companies no longer exist.
At the Games Room Company, we love to collect these little pieces of nostalgic history. Here at The Games Room Company HQ we fully restore original vintage tables such as The Addams Familly or The Harley Davidson from Bally - both great examples of classic tables that are no longer made today.
However, if you prefer future to past, new technology over old, then we are also offer the best, brand new, top of the range pinball machines available with high-tech devices such as colour LCD and plasma flat panel monitors which have replaced the traditional pinball playfield.
Click here to see our updated stock of pinballs
