Episode 274 - 1935 Gottlieb Match Play

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·8m 32s·analyzed·Dec 10, 2015

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.015

TL;DR

Deep dive into 1935 Gottlieb Match Play, a two-playfield payout game with matching mechanics.

Summary

Nicholas Baldrige discusses the 1935 Gottlieb Match Play, the second payout game released by Gottlieb. The game features two playfields (nine holes on upper, eleven on lower) and awards coins based on matching ball placements between them. Historical details include pricing ($87.50), battery operation, bakelite playfield options, and estimated weekly revenue of $200–$300.

Key Claims

Match Play was Gottlieb's second payout game, released in February 1935
high confidence · Nicholas Baldrige, sourcing from Internet Pinball Database
The game had two playfields: nine holes (upper, circular arrangement) and eleven holes (lower)
high confidence · Nicholas Baldrige, describing documented game mechanics
Payouts ranged from 2 coins (200 points) to 20 coins (2000 points) based on matching scores
high confidence · Nicholas Baldrige, citing payout table
Match Play cost $87.50 and was advertised to generate $200–$300 per week in revenue
high confidence · Nicholas Baldrige, referencing period billboard advertisement on Internet Pinball Database
The playfield came in two finishes: Chinese red or ebony black bakelite
medium confidence · Nicholas Baldrige, noting uncertainty about whether playfield was actually made of bakelite
The game operated on dry cell batteries rather than outlet power
high confidence · Nicholas Baldrige, describing early electromechanical payout unit design

Notable Quotes

“The fact that there are two separate playfields and you have to match exactly what you've done on the upper playfield is pretty cool, I think.”
Nicholas Baldrige @ mid-episode — Core game mechanic assessment and design appreciation
“The sturdy legs that they mention are these really beautiful tapered legs with a stair-step style top. Very, very attractive.”
Nicholas Baldrige @ late-episode — Cabinet design commentary; reflects on historical aesthetic detail
“when you look at the initial investment of less than $100, that's pretty good”
Nicholas Baldrige @ conclusion — Economic viability assessment of the game for operators

Entities

Nicholas BaldrigepersonGottliebcompany Match Playgame Internet Pinball Databaseorganization4 For Amusement Onlyevent

Signals

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historical_signal: Deep research into 1935 Gottlieb Match Play mechanics, pricing, and design based on period advertisements and Internet Pinball Database records
high · Episode reconstructs game mechanics, original pricing ($87.50), payout structure, playfield finishes, cabinet design, and operator revenue projections from historical sources
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design_philosophy: Analysis of early payout game design philosophy: two-playfield matching mechanic as central game concept with operator-adjustable difficulty (extra ball, spring tension)
high · Nicholas details the matching gameplay loop and mentions Gottlieb's documented recommendations for difficulty adjustment
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restoration_signal: Questions about playfield material composition (bakelite vs. other) relevant to restoration and maintenance of 1935 machines
medium · Nicholas expresses curiosity about bakelite playfield authenticity and maintenance implications, noting uncertainty in available documentation
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operational_signal: Historical operator profitability data: $87.50 initial investment, $200–$300 weekly revenue projection from period advertising
high · Billboard advertisement pricing and revenue claims cited from Internet Pinball Database

Topics

Gottlieb payout games historyprimaryElectromechanical game design and mechanicsprimaryEarly pinball cabinet design and aestheticssecondaryHistorical pricing and operator economics (1935)secondaryPlayfield materials and constructionsecondaryBattery-powered game operationmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.78)— Nicholas Baldrige expresses genuine enthusiasm for the game's design innovation (dual playfields, matching mechanic) and aesthetic qualities (cabinet legs, striped design). Tone is appreciative of historical engineering and game design thoughtfulness. No criticism or negativity present.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.026

What's that sound? It's 4 Amusement Only, the EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast. Welcome back to 4 Amusement Only, this is Nicholas Baldridge. Tonight I wanted to continue in my little mini-series on Gottlieb payout games. Yesterday I talked about their first payout The game is a second payout game which was purely mechanical. Tonight's venture is their second payout game which is an EM. This came out in February of 1935 and all the information that I have on this game is actually taken from IPDB. This game is played with two balls typically although apparently it can be adjustable lol you cut it Big So, the way it worked is you would shoot a ball and it would loop around this upper playfield area which was circular. There are multiple holes arranged, nine of them in fact, and if you landed in one of the holes, it would open up a gate to the lower playfield. You shoot your second ball and if it lands in the same number, As the one on the upper playfield, then you get a payout. Here's what you get. If you get matching 200 point scores, you get two coins. 400 points gives you four coins 600 6 800 8 1000 10 and so forth up to 2000 which gives you 20 coins which is pretty awesome Now apparently Godly recommended a couple different ways that you could tweak the game to make it easier on players. The first is including an extra ball which basically just gives you one extra chance on the lower playfield to land in the appropriate hole. The second is to adjust the springs on the sides of each pocket to allow the ball to enter more easily. Now the payout unit on this game instead of just beingmt. ,享しょう interiv hooksJHienceYT Poo right on the floor. Now I have no pictures of the units inside so uh... I am curious as to how the payout actually functions. But uh... this sounds like a pretty cool game. The fact that there are two separate playfields and you have to match exactly what you've done on the upper playfield is pretty cool, I think. Now this game as I mentioned was an EM And the electromechanical portion is the payout unit and how it tied via the switches in each of the numbered holes So this game operated on batteries As I mentioned before on these early games rather than plug into outlet power they just used dry cell batteries. Now the problem with dry cell batteries is that they are big and heavy. Of course this prevents you from easily lifting the machine up and cheating and on that note the flyer is quick to mention that this game comes on sturdy legs prior games were mostly countertop affairs that you'd sit on a counter now on IPDB There is a billboard ad that advertises three different games that Godleap has out at this time. Match play cost eighty seven dollars and fifty cents. The playfield itself apparently came in two different finishes Chinese red or ebony black bakelite. Now I'm curious if the playfield is actually made of bakelite. That would be really pretty interesting I think from a maintenance perspective. Now I should note that the playfield design on the lower playfield is slightly different than on the upper playfield. On the upper playfield you have these holes which are flanked by Spring on either side which are arranged in a circular pattern four on the left semicircle, four on the right semicircle and one in the center for a total of nine on the bottom playfield you have actually eleven holes now your guess is as good as mine as to what the extra holes do I guessing they just eat your ball And there's no special function that these holes have. Unfortunately there are no pictures of this game on IPDB. There's only a couple of ads which give you a black and white photo or drawing of these games. The sturdy legs that they mention are these really beautiful tapered legs with a stair-step style top. Very, very attractive. The sides of this cabinet, instead of having just a simple shape carved in or embossed on it or however you want to say it, is actually painted. There are stripes alternating white and black all the way up from the bottom left of the cab across the top and then back down to the bottom right. The flyer mentions that this game can take in between $200 and $300 per week, which when When you look at the initial investment of less than $100, that's pretty good. Well, that's all for tonight. Thank you very much for joining me. My name again is Nick Baldrige. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com or you can call me on the bingo's line at 724-BINGOS1, 724-246-4671. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocketcasts, Thank you for listening and I'll talk to you next time.