The French Collection

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Feb 7, 2007

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.013

TL;DR

French pinball museum near Paris showcases 200 classic machines from 1931-1975.

Summary

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

Raphael Lankar has been working towards the museum since the 1950s
high confidence · Direct quote from museum owner in article dated February 7, 2007
The collection was assembled over the past three years (as of 2007)
high confidence · Stated in article: 'has been getting the 200 pinball and 50 slot machine exhibits together over the past three years'
90% of the collection is of American origin
high confidence · Explicitly stated in article body
The majority of games cover 1931–1975
high confidence · Stated in article: 'The majority of the collection cover the years 1931-1975'
The museum includes 200 pinball machines, 50 slot machines, jukeboxes, and backglasses
high confidence · 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

Raphael LankarpersonPinball Museum (Aubervilliers)organizationPinball Hall of FameorganizationTim ArnoldpersonGottliebcompany Williamscompany BallycompanyGencocompanyChicago Coincompany

Signals

?
event_signal: Pinball News announces upcoming visit to Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas
high · Opening paragraph: 'Pinball News will be visiting shortly for a full report'

Topics

Pinball museum collections and preservationprimaryPinball history (1931–1975 era machines)primaryPinball Hall of Fame comparisonsecondaryPinball restoration and curationsecondaryEuropean pinball collectingsecondary

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.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

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