# The French Collection **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2007-02-07 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/museum2.html --- ## Analysis Pinball News reports on the Pinball Museum in Aubervilliers, France, operated by owner Raphael Lankar. The collection features 200 pinball machines and 50 slot machines, primarily from 1931–1975, with 90% of American origin. The museum is not yet open to the general public but welcomes visitors by appointment. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Raphael Lankar has been working towards the museum since the 1950s — _Direct quote from museum owner in article dated February 7, 2007_ - [HIGH] The collection was assembled over the past three years (as of 2007) — _Stated in article: 'has been getting the 200 pinball and 50 slot machine exhibits together over the past three years'_ - [HIGH] 90% of the collection is of American origin — _Explicitly stated in article body_ - [HIGH] The majority of games cover 1931–1975 — _Stated in article: 'The majority of the collection cover the years 1931-1975'_ - [HIGH] The museum includes 200 pinball machines, 50 slot machines, jukeboxes, and backglasses — _Listed in article description of collection_ ### Notable Quotes > "Mention the words 'pinball' and 'museum' in the same sentence and your thoughts might turn to Tim Arnold's Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas" > — **Pinball News author**, Opening paragraph > _Establishes Pinball Hall of Fame as the primary reference point for pinball museums before introducing the French alternative_ > "a lot of money, a lot of people, a lot of organization and a lot of me" > — **Raphael Lankar**, Mid-article > _Owner's characterization of the effort required to establish the museum; emphasizes personal dedication_ > "All the games have been restored to the highest quality possible" > — **Pinball News author**, Collection description section > _Indicates commitment to preservation and restoration standards_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Raphael Lankar | person | Owner and founder of the Pinball Museum in Aubervilliers, France | | Pinball Museum (Aubervilliers) | organization | Museum in Aubervilliers, just north of Paris, housing 200 pinball machines and 50 slot machines, not yet open to general public as of February 2007 | | Pinball Hall of Fame | organization | Tim Arnold's museum in Las Vegas, referenced as the established benchmark for pinball museums | | Tim Arnold | person | Owner of Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas | | Gottlieb | company | Pinball machine manufacturer, heavily represented in the French museum collection | | Williams | company | Pinball machine manufacturer, represented in the French museum collection | | Bally | company | Pinball machine manufacturer, represented in the French museum collection | | Genco | company | Pinball machine manufacturer, represented in the French museum collection | | Chicago Coin | company | Pinball machine manufacturer, represented in the French museum collection | | Pinball News | organization | Publication covering the pinball museum and announcing plans to visit Pinball Hall of Fame | ### Topics - **Primary:** Pinball museum collections and preservation, Pinball history (1931–1975 era machines) - **Secondary:** Pinball Hall of Fame comparison, Pinball restoration and curation, European pinball collecting ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Article is celebratory and respectful toward the French museum project, highlighting the quality of restoration and Lankar's dedication. Tone is informative and appreciative, with no critical notes. ### Signals - **[event_signal]** Pinball News announces upcoming visit to Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas (confidence: high) — Opening paragraph: 'Pinball News will be visiting shortly for a full report' --- ## Transcript Story dated February 7, 2007 . Mention the words "pinball" and "museum" in the same sentence and your thoughts might turn to Tim Arnold's Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas (which Pinball News will be visiting shortly for a full report). But the city in the desert is now joined as home to a superb collection of classic pinball games by Paris. This is the Pinball Museum located in Aubervilliers, just north of Paris in France and although not yet open to the general public, the collection can be viewed by appointment with the Museum's owner Raphael Lankar who welcomes visitors to his creation. Raphael told Pinball News how he has been working towards this museum since the 1950's and has been getting the 200 pinball and 50 slot machine exhibits together over the past three years. There are also several jukeboxes and an extensive collection of backglasses on display around the museum building. The majority of the collection cover the years 1931-1975 with 90% being of American origin. It includes some rare European conversions of well known US games alongside some genuine classics from the era. All the games have been restored to the highest quality possible as you can see from these pictures. It hasn't been easy either. Raphael said making his dream a reality took "a lot of money, a lot of people, a lot of organization and a lot of me." But his search for games hasn't finished with the opening of the museum. He is still on the look out for rarer games and examples which are closer to perfection to compliment the existing collection. Although it is intended to eventually open the doors for general admission, until then visitors wishing to experience this superb collection for themselves should contact the museum's owner at raphael-lankar@wanadoo.fr You can get more details at the museum's website pinball-gallery.com where you can also view images of each machine in the collection and all the backglasses. Here is a complete list of the pinball games at the museum at the time of writing: 1931   BAFFLE BALL     GOTTLIEB 1931   BALLY HOO       BALLY 1931   BINGO       GOTTLIEB 1931   BUSTER BALL     GENCO 1932   CLOVERLEAF     GOTTLIEB 1932   FAVORITE       BUCKLEY 1932   LE REX BOULE     BOULET 1932   RO-LAY       WAL-BIL NOVELTY CO. 1932   ROLLS ROYCE     A. M. WATZER CO 1932   ROUND       BALLY 1932   WHIZZ-BANG     GOTTLIEB 1932   WOW         MILLS NOVELTY 1933   AIRWAY       BALLY 1933   FIVE STAR FINAL     GOTTLIEB 1933   SCORE BOARD     GOTTLIEB 1933   SKIPPER       BALLY 1933   WINGS       ROCKOLA 1934   PONTIAC       GENCO 1935   CHICAGO EXPRESS   DAVAL MFG CO. INC 1935   TURN TABLE     GOTTLIEB 1936   TOPLER       CHICAGO - COIN 1936   TRICKS SENIOR     GENCO 1937   ZEPHIR       BALLY 1939   CHEVRON       BALLY 1939   COMMODORE     CHICAGO COIN 1939   SUPER CHARGER     KEENEY 1940   JOLLY       CHICAGO COIN 1941   BELLE HOP       GOTTLIEB 1946   MIDGET RACER     BALLY 1946   SEA BREEZE       UNITED 1946   STAGE DOOR CANTEEN   GOTTLIEB 1947   BALLY ROCKET     BALLY 1947   HAWAII       UNITED 1947   HUMPTY DUMPTY     GOTTLIEB 1947   KILLROY       CHICAGO COIN 1947   LUCKY STAR     GOTTLIEB 1947   RANGER       EXHIBIT 1947   ROLL DOWN       CHICAGO COIN 1948   ALI BABA       GOTTLIEB 1948   BARNACLE BILL     GOTTLIEB 1948   BUCCANEER     GOTTLIEB 1948   CINDERELLA     GOTTLIEB 1948   CONTACT       EXHIBIT 1948   EL PASO       WILLIAMS 1948   JACK AND JILL     GOTTLIEB 1948   LADY ROBIN HOOD   GOTTLIEB 1948   OLDE KING COLE     GOTTLIEB 1948   TENNESSEE       WILLIAMS 1948   TRIPLE ACTION     GENCO 1948   WISCONSIN       UNITED 1949   PLAY TIME       EXHIBIT 1949   SHARP SHOOTER     GOTTLIEB 1949   ST LOUIS       WILLIAMS 1949   UTAH         UNITED 1950   BOWLETTE       GOTTLIEB 1950   GEORGIA       WILLIAMS 1950   HITS AND RUNS     GENCO 1950   JUST 21       GOTTLIEB 1950   KNOCK OUT       GOTTLIEB 1950   PUNCHY       CHICAGO COIN 1950   SOUTH PACIFIC     GENCO 1951   NIAGARA       GOTTLIEB 1951   SEA JOCKEYS     WILLIAMS 1951   SELECT A CARD     GOTTLIEB 1951   SHOO SHOO       WILLIAMS 1951   SPARK PLUGS     WILLIAMS 1951   TRI-SCORE       GENCO 1952   CROSS ROAD     GOTTLIEB 1952   DISK JOCKEY     WILLIAMS 1952   HAPPY DAYS     GOTTLIEB 1952   HONG KONG     WILLIAMS 1952   QUEEN OF HEARTS   GOTTLIEB 1952   SHOOTING       MARCHAND 1952   SKILL POOL       GOTTLIEB 1953   ARABIAN KNIGHTS   GOTTLIEB 1953   FLYING HIGH     GOTTLIEB 1953   GRAND SLAM     GOTTLIEB 1953   GUYS AND DOLLS     GOTTLIEB 1953   PIN WHEEL       GOTTLIEB 1953   VOLLEY       MARCHANT 1954   DIAMOND LILL     GOTTLIEB 1954   GREEN PASTURES     GOTTLIEB 1954   HAWAIIAN BEAUTY   GOTTLIEB 1954   LADY LUCK       GOTTLIEB 1954   STAGE COACH     GOTTLIEB 1954   SUPER JUMBO     GOTTLIEB 1955   GYPSY QUEEN     GOTTLIEB 1955   SLUGGIN CHAMP     GOTTLIEB 1955   SOUTHERN BELLE     GOTTLIEB 1955   TWIN BILL       GOTTLIEB 1955   WISHING WELL     GOTTLIEB 1956   AUTO RACE       GOTTLIEB 1956   BALLS A POPPIN     BALLY 1956   CLASSY BOWLER     GOTTLIEB 1956   DERBY DAY       GOTTLIEB 1956   GLADIATOR DELUXE   GOTTLIEB 1956   HARBOR LITES     GOTTLIEB 1956   RAINBOW       GOTTLIEB 1956   SCORE BOARD     GOTTLIEB 1957   MAJESTIC       GOTTLIEB 1957   ROYAL FLUSH     GOTTLIEB 1957   SILVER       GOTTLIEB 1957   SUPER CIRCUS     GOTTLIEB 1957   SUPER JUMPING     ALBEN 1957   WORLD CHAMP     GOTTLIEB 1958   BRITE STAR       GOTTLIEB 1958   CONTEST       GOTTLIEB 1958   ROCKET SHIP     GOTTLIEB 1958   ROTO POOL       GOTTLIEB 1958   SITTIN PRETTY     GOTTLIEB 1958   SUNSHINE       GOTTLIEB 1958   WHIRL WIND     GOTTLIEB 1959   AROUND THE WORLD   GOTTLIEB 1959   ATLAS       GOTTLIEB 1959   CROSSWORD     WILLIAMS 1959   HI DIVER       GOTTLIEB 1959   LIGHTNING BALL     GOTTLIEB 1959   MISS ANNABELLE     GOTTLIEB 1959   QUEEN OF DIAMONDS   GOTTLIEB 1959   SEA ISLAND       BALLY 1959   STRAIGHT SHOOTER   GOTTLIEB 1959   SWEET SIOUX     GOTTLIEB 1959   THE KING       ALBEN 1959   TIC TAC TOE     WILLIAMS 1959   UNIVERSE       GOTTLIEB 1959   UNIVERSE       GOTTLIEB 1960   BEACH QUEEN     BALLY 1960   CAPTAIN KIDD     GOTTLIEB 1960   DANCING DOLLS     GOTTLIEB 1960   LITE A CARD     GOTTLIEB 1960   MELODY LANE     GOTTLIEB 1960   SERENADE       WILLIAMS 1960   SPOT A CARD     GOTTLIEB 1960   WAGON TRAIN     GOTTLIEB 1960   WORLD BEAUTIES     GOTTLIEB 1961   BIG CASINO       GOTTLIEB 1961   BOWLING FLIPPER     VICTOR SALMON 1961   CORRAL       GOTTLIEB 1961   FOTO FINISH     GOTTLIEB 1961   SHOW BOAT       GOTTLIEB 1962   COVER GIRL       GOTTLIEB 1962   LIBERTY BELLE     GOTTLIEB 1962   OLYMPICS       GOTTLIEB 1962   RACK A BALL     GOTTLIEB 1962   TROPIC ISLE       GOTTLIEB 1963   GAUCHO       GOTTLIEB 1963   SLICK CHICK     GOTTLIEB 1963   SWEET HEARTS     GOTTLIEB 1964   HAPPY CLOWN     GOTTLIEB 1964   NORTH STAR     GOTTLIEB 1964   SHIP MATES       GOTTLIEB 1964   WORLD FAIR     GOTTLIEB 1965   BANK A BALL     GOTTLIEB 1965   BIG CHIEF       WILLIAMS 1965   BUCKAROO       GOTTLIEB 1965   DODGE CITY     GOTTLIEB 1965   HI DOLLY       GOTTLIEB 1965   ICE REVUE       GOTTLIEB 1965   POT O GOLD       WILLIAMS 1965   SKY LINE       GOTTLIEB 1966   A GO GO       WILLIAMS 1966   CROSS TOWN     GOTTLIEB 1966   HURDY GURDY     GOTTLIEB 1966   MAYFAIR       GOTTLIEB 1967   KING OF DIAMONDS   GOTTLIEB 1967   SHANGRI-LA     WILLIAMS 1968   HAYBURNERS II     WILLIAMS 1968   ROYAL GUARD     GOTTLIEB 1972   FLYING CARPET     GOTTLIEB 1972   ORBIT       GOTTLIEB 1972   TWIN JOKER       BALLY 1972   WILD KINGDOM     WILLIAMS 1973   HIGH HAND       GOTTLIEB 1973   PRO FOOTBALL     GOTTLIEB 1974   BOOMERANG     BALLY 1975   ABRA CADA BRA     GOTTLIEB 1975   ATLANTIS       GOTTLIEB 1975   ELDORADO       GOTTLIEB 1976   BUCCANEER     GOTTLIEB 1976   CARD WHIZ       EUROPLAY ITALIE 1976   SHIP AHOY       GOTTLIEB 1976   SPIRIT OF 76       GOTTLIEB 1976   SURE SHOT       GOTTLIEB 1976   SURF CHAMP     GOTTLIEB 1977   CENTIGRADE 37     GOTTLIEB 1977   GOLDEN ARROW     GOTTLIEB 1977   JET SPIN       GOTTLIEB 1978   BLUE NOTE       GOTTLIEB 1978   NEPTUNE       GOTTLIEB 1978   QUEEN CASTLE     ZACCARIA 1979   INCREDIBLE HULK     GOTTLIEB 1979   ROCKY GIRL     EMG 1980   ASTEROID ANNIE & THE ALIENS  GOTTLIEB 1996   BARB WIRE       GOTTLIEB 1997   MEDIEVAL MADNESS   WILLIAMS 1998   CACTUS CANYON     BALLY 1998   MONSTER BASH     WILLIAMS Back to the news index Back to the front page _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: f85d2d2a-daad-4942-a617-b30d9ee0f114*