Chicago Coin was a major manufacturer of arcade and pinball machines, active primarily from the 1940s through the 1970s. The company produced notable titles including Royal Flash, Par Golf (1965), Sally (1948), Two Player Baseball, and Twinkie, and was known for integrated manufacturing capabilities including coil winding, stack switches, transformers, and plating. The company was acquired by Sam Stern before he founded Stern Pinball, marking a significant transition in pinball manufacturing leadership. Chicago Coin represented an important era of electromechanical (EM) pinball production and remains represented in vintage arcade collections and museum exhibits.
No aliases
The 1974 Chicago Coin Turf Club uses an 8-track player to provide sound effects including the iconic 'call to the post'
Festival was Chicago Coin's first game with flipper return lanes
Chicago Coin did not make any other games utilizing a roto unit in the same fashion as Festival
Chicago Coin previously made Basketball Champ in 1947 with similar mannequin offense/defense mechanics
Pinball manufacturer whose remnants were acquired by Stern in late 1970s
Manufacturer of EM arcade games; produced Derby (1952/1954) 4-player horse racing skill shot game in Todd's collection.
EM-era amusement manufacturer, notable for twin-rifle gun games
Vintage pinball/EM game manufacturer; produced Fox Hunt (1940) and Showboat (1934)
Manufacturer of 1961 Pro Basketball and 1947 Basketball Champ arcade games
EM arcade game manufacturer known for gun games, shooting galleries, and ball bowlers
Pinball manufacturer; produced machine 'Thing' which Gordon Hasse cited as favorite from that manufacturer
No linked glossary terms
Chicago Coin manufactured Pro Basketball in 1961 as a single-player EM arcade game
Champion was made by Chicago Coin in 1949
The game has no outlanes; the only way to drain is right through the center.
Completing the T-H-I-N-G sequence advances a question mark counter and awards replays based on the final number reached (example: 9 = 1 replay, 12 = 2 replays, 14 = 3 replays, 16 = 4 replays, 18 = 5 replays).
The score motor on Thing is set up to pop the bumpers for each full revolution whether the ball is in there or not, simulating knocking on the mystery box.
The mystery box in the center playfield features a hidden kick-out hole inside that shoots the ball back out after the score motor plays its tune.
The V post on Thing functions in reverse compared to Gottlieb designs—it prevents draining in the down position and lifts at a score threshold to light the drain hole.
The machine features 12 individual slingshot kickers located around the playfield.
Chicago Coin games were looked down upon by collectors, especially in the 60s and 70s, despite having innovative features
Chicago Coin was well known for driving simulators with mechanically moved plastic car images via wires and reverse-projected rotating screens
Pinball manufacturer; produced Festival (1967) and Twinkie (referenced as having add-ball version)
Pitch-and-bat manufacturer; internals resembled pinball games more closely than some competitors
Historical pinball manufacturer that produced Champion in 1949
Manufacturer of the wood rail machine being restored; known for larger-than-standard cabinet design and unique stepper/scoring architecture
Manufacturer of turret shooter games including Criss Cross Pop and Pinball High Score Pool
Pinball and arcade game manufacturer; produced the 1973 Baseball Champ that Nick Baldridge recently restored
Pinball manufacturer founded in the 1930s
Manufacturer of the 1947 Gold Ball game being discussed
Pinball manufacturer historically underappreciated by collectors; produced games like Kilroy (1947) and Twinkie; known for innovation despite poor collector reputation
1960s EM pinball manufacturer; produced Twinkie (1967) add-a-ball machine owned by Nick Baldridge
Historic manufacturer of gambling devices, pinball machines, and shuffle bowlers. Eventually acquired by Stern.
EM pinball machine manufacturer; Matt purchased EM from them for $150
Manufacturer well-known for driving simulators with mechanical wire-pulled plastic car images and projected rotating screens; also made baseball-themed stand-up arcade games
Classic EM pinball manufacturer with standard ball arch construction shared across industry
Early pinball manufacturer; possibly made Hollywood, the game Scott played at resort in 1970s
Pinball manufacturer; Jerry Cosey associated with this company regarding flipper design claims
Pinball manufacturer mentioned as early adopter of sealed relay technology
Referenced as manufacturer of early solid-state boards with hand-drawn traces, used as comparison point for Big Wheel/Magic Ring board design
Historical pinball manufacturer; produced the 'Twinkie' game (1967)
Pinball manufacturer that produced Moon Shot in 1969; competing against Bally and Williams in the electromechanical era
Manufacturer of Fox Hunt (1940); early pinball game manufacturer
Vintage pinball manufacturer; 1951 Chicago Coin machine being restored by Nicholas Baldrige, acquired from Virginia
Manufacturer of 1938 Swing flipperless machine
Pinball manufacturer characterized as 'bottom of the barrel,' used for testing new artists before assignment to major manufacturers, employed Roy Roy Parker and George Christian Marsh
Historical pinball manufacturer; games with Roy Parker backglass art on display
EM pinball manufacturer mentioned in chime box comparison
Manufacturer of the 1951 Thing pinball machine
Historical pinball manufacturer that produced Big Flipper and Cowboy games with experimental five-inch flippers in 1970
Major historical pinball manufacturer; one of 'the big four'; Patti acquired The Royal Flash from this manufacturer
Arcade game manufacturer known for Around the World Trainer, Basketball Champ, and hockey-themed games; used distinctive round-headed character artwork in late 1940s-early 1950s
Manufacturer whose assets Stern acquired, including calendar artwork used for first Stern pinball backglass
1930s pinball manufacturer; produced Rugby game with player-figure bumper scoring mechanics
Pinball machine manufacturer, represented in the French museum collection
Historic pinball manufacturer; Dolphin machine from 1974 is oldest in collection
Historic amusement machine manufacturer; featured machines include Turf Club (1974), Thing (1951), and Majestic bowler (1964)
Historic pinball/arcade manufacturer with Chicago roots
Pinball manufacturer that produced Big Casino with hidden payout drawer feature
Pinball manufacturer; Star Attraction (1941) flipperless EM game noted at show
Historical arcade/pinball company whose remnants were acquired by Stern family in 1977 to form Stern Electronics
Pinball remake manufacturer; partnering with Haggis Pinball on Valley remakes; also handles AFM remakes
Vintage arcade game manufacturer represented in museum's collection.
Arcade/pinball manufacturer producing games like Twinkie; known for quality products
Pinball manufacturer that Gary Stern took over, which Gary extracted from a bank foreclosure using his legal expertise; operated with integrated manufacturing including coil winding, stack switches, transformers, and plating
Manufacturer providing Cactus Canyon game for Chicago Expo tournament
Pinball manufacturer; Arnold received factory training from them
Company purchased by Sam Stern before founding Stern Pinball
Pinball manufacturer; Osborne owned Chicago Coin Sally (1948) game but received poorly-written letters from company
Vintage pinball manufacturer; produced Par Golf (1965)
Manufacturer referenced in game purchasing anecdote
Arcade game manufacturer; created Two Player Baseball version that was inferior to Gottlieb's Two Player Basketball; players couldn't aim, machine controlled player movement
Pinball manufacturer where Ken Anderson previously worked; related to Game Plan's origins.
Pinball machine on display; described as 'cool' and rarely seen
Major EM pinball manufacturer; Royal Flash machine referenced