# American Pickers Finds Super Rare Bally Pinball Machine

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-08-14  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/american-pickers-finds-super-rare-bally-pinball-machine

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## Analysis

American Pickers TV show featured a rare 1974 Bally Slap Stick electromechanical pinball machine discovered in a pool hall storage shed. According to IPDB, only 85 units were produced, making it highly collectible. The machine was valued at $3,000 unrestored but sold for $1,750.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Only 85 Slap Stick machines were ever produced by Bally according to IPDB — _Article cites IPDB as authoritative source for production numbers_
- [MEDIUM] Expert valued the unrestored Slap Stick at $3,000 — _American Pickers show consultant valuation, subject to expert opinion_
- [HIGH] The machine was purchased for $1,750 — _Transaction price stated as agreed between host and owner_
- [HIGH] The machine was in rough shape but salvageable — _Direct observation by show participants and article author_
- [MEDIUM] Recent inflation in the pinball market has increased vintage game values — _Author opinion based on market observation_

### Notable Quotes

> "only 85 Slap Sticks were ever produced by Bally"
> — **Article author (citing IPDB)**
> _Establishes rarity metric for the machine_

> "Back in the day that would have been crazy, but given the recent inflation in the pinball market and the rarity of the game I'm not surprised at all by these prices."
> — **Article author**
> _Commentary on market value trends and inflation in collectible pinball_

> "It's nice to see this piece of history being saved."
> — **Article author**
> _Sentiment about preservation of vintage pinball machines_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| American Pickers | event | History Channel television show featuring vintage item discovery and trading |
| Bally | company | Historical pinball manufacturer; produced Slap Stick in 1974 |
| Slap Stick | game | 1974 Bally electromechanical pinball machine; 85 units produced; rare collectible |
| Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) | organization | Online reference database for pinball machine specifications and production data |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Source of the article; pinball/arcade enthusiast blog |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Vintage pinball collecting and valuation, Rare machine discovery and preservation, Bally electromechanical era (1970s)
- **Secondary:** Pinball market inflation and pricing trends, Popular media coverage of pinball

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.78) — Author expresses appreciation for the discovery and preservation of a rare machine; positive tone about market values and rarity. Slight skepticism about reality TV authenticity ('love 'em or hate 'em') but ultimately favorable toward the outcome.

### Signals

- **[market_signal]** Pinball history and rare machines gaining mainstream media attention through reality TV shows like American Pickers (confidence: medium) — History Channel's American Pickers featured the Slap Stick discovery, indicating mainstream interest in pinball collecting
- **[market_signal]** Vintage electromechanical pinball machines commanding significant valuations; 1974 Bally Slap Stick unrestored value ~$3,000 reflects market appreciation (confidence: medium) — Article notes 'recent inflation in the pinball market' and $3,000 unrestored valuation for rare machine

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## Transcript

I know that the History Channel's, American James Piekarz, is a love 'em or hate 'em kind of show, but I still found one of their recent finds super interesting.  The fellas on the show came across a 1974 Bally Slap Stick electromechanical pinball machine in a guy's old pool hall storage shed. Now sometimes when guys like this say that a machine is rare I take it with a grain of salt, but according to The Internet Pinball Machine Database or IPDB for short (my go to source for this sort of information) only 85 Slap Sticks were ever produced by Bally.  That is indeed pretty darn rare.

The pin looks to be in pretty rough shape, but it is definitely salvageable. The expert who the show consulted pegged the unrestored value of this game at $3,000 and the host and the owner settled on $1,750 for it.  Back in the day that would have been crazy, but given the recent inflation in the pinball market and the rarity of the game I'm not surprised at all by these prices. Pretty cool find.  It's nice to see this piece of history being saved.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 811d93b1-10cd-43e8-b0bb-37a973dff292*