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Bank-A-Ball


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Bank-A-Ball / IPD No. 170 / September, 1965 / 1 Player
 
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Average Fun Rating: [ 8 stars - Click for comments ]    7.5/10  (45 ratings/33 comments)        [ Add Your Rating! ]
Manufacturer: D. Gottlieb & Company (1931-1977) [Trade Name: Gottlieb]
Date Of Manufacture: September, 1965
Model Number: 217
Type: Electro-mechanical (EM) [?]
Production: 3,400 units   (confirmed)
Serial Number Database:View at The Internet Pinball Serial Number Database (IPSND.net)  (External site)
Theme: Sports - Billiards
Specialty: Mechanical Backbox Animation [?]
Notable Features: Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (3), Slingshots (2), Standup targets (7). Two backbox animations: at start of game, billiard table in backglass shows all balls lit up and all mechanical balls above it are reset out of view. Hitting lit numbered target on playfield turns off corresponding lit ball in backglass and mechanically drops that ball into view.

Maximum displayed score is 1,999 points.

Replay wheel maximum: 15

Sound: 3 bells, knocker

Design by: Ed Krynski
Art by: Roy Parker
Notes: The Add-a-ball version of this game is Gottlieb's 1965 'Flipper Pool'.

'Bank-A-Ball' was the first pinball machine produced with flipper return lanes, which are wireforms that allow the ball to roll behind the slingshot and towards a waiting flipper. According to the book All About Pinball, Paradise and its add-a-ball version Pleasure Isle were the first games designed to have return lanes. However, Gottlieb rescheduled the production of Bank-A-Ball so that it could be released first.

Pictured in this listing are Early Production playfields that match the playfield shown in the manufacturer's flyer. The return lane white arrows show the words "Lights Bumpers" in them. Also, the lower playfield shows the 8-ball as an actual illuminating insert. Sometime during production, the words were moved to be below the arrows and the illuminating insert was removed, leaving the 8-ball painted on solid wood. One example we picture shows a certificate with serial number 01072. We know that Sample games do not show the 'S' designation on the certificate but only show it stamped into the wood of the cabinet. It's possible this game is a Sample.

The backbox on this game is sufficiently crowded with mechanisms such that there was no room on the back of the insert for the connector jacks to be installed to allow the playfield plugs to connect to them there. Instead, the connectors were placed onto a separate "plug mounting panel" that just hangs down into the cabinet through the access hole between the backbox and the cabinet. Because of this, Gottlieb affixed to the inside bottom of the backbox an Assembly Instructions card to assist the operator with proper placement of this separate panel to allow the insert to be lowered to its service position without obstruction. The example card pictured here is A-9487-1 and was stapled inside a Bank-A-Ball backbox even though the card carries the Model Number 222 for the game that immediately preceded it in production, the 4-player 'Dodge City'.

Photos in: Pinball Collectors' Quarterly, Issue 4, front cover, pages 2, 5, and 6
Arcade TreasuresExternal Link, page 64
The Pinball Compendium 1930s - 1960sExternal Link, page 180
The Complete Pinball BookExternal Link, page 201
Mike Pacak's Pinball Flyer Reference Book A-F
Owners List URL:http://www.pinballowners.com/owners/170  (External site)
Documentation: 1 MB PDF Schematic Diagram (1 Coin Adj for 1 or 2 Plays - France, continuous) (Availability limited by copyright)     [D. Gottlieb & Co.]
Files: 386 KB PDF Backbox Assembly Instruction Card (color and bleached copies) (Availability limited by copyright)     [D. Gottlieb & Co.]
Images:
(click to zoom)
Image # 163: Bank-A-Ball Playfield
Playfield

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[Russ Jensen]
Image # 164: Bank-A-Ball Cabinet - Front View
Cabinet - Front View

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[Russ Jensen]
Image # 165: Bank-A-Ball Illuminated Front View
Illuminated Front View

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[Russ Jensen]
Image # 166: Bank-A-Ball Backglass
Backglass

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Image # 6341: Bank-A-Ball Backglass
Backglass

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[Riffhard]
Image # 6342: Bank-A-Ball Playfield
Playfield

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[Riffhard]
Image # 9062: Bank-A-Ball Illuminated Front View
Illuminated Front View

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[Dave Christiansen]
Image # 10339: Bank-A-Ball Illuminated Backglass
Illuminated Backglass

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Image # 10340: Bank-A-Ball Backglass Animation
Backglass Animation

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Image # 10341: Bank-A-Ball Cabinet - Left
Cabinet - Left

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Image # 10342: Bank-A-Ball Cabinet - Right
Cabinet - Right

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Image # 10343: Bank-A-Ball Cabinet - Front
Cabinet - Front

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Image # 12621: Bank-A-Ball Cabinet - Right
Cabinet - Right

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12622: Bank-A-Ball Cabinet - Left
Cabinet - Left

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12623: Bank-A-Ball Playfield
Playfield

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12624: Bank-A-Ball Right Playfield
Right Playfield

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12625: Bank-A-Ball Left Playfield
Left Playfield

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12626: Bank-A-Ball Backglass Animation
Backglass Animation

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12627: Bank-A-Ball Playfield
Playfield

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12628: Bank-A-Ball Cabinet - Right
Cabinet - Right

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12629: Bank-A-Ball Playfield - Ball View
Playfield - Ball View

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12630: Bank-A-Ball Backbox - Right
Backbox - Right

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12631: Bank-A-Ball Backbox - Left
Backbox - Left

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 12703: Bank-A-Ball Inside Backbox
Inside Backbox

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 23217: Bank-A-Ball Cabinet - Front View
Cabinet - Front View

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Image # 23218: Bank-A-Ball Backglass
Backglass

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Image # 23219: Bank-A-Ball Playfield
Playfield

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Image # 23220: Bank-A-Ball Backglass - Detail
Backglass - Detail

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Image # 29040: Bank-A-Ball Playfield - Ball View
Playfield - Ball View

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[Vic Camp]
Image # 34663: Bank-A-Ball Backglass
Backglass

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[Jon Scanlon]
Image # 65030: Bank-A-Ball Early Production Playfield 
(Serial number 01072.)
Early Production Playfield*

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[Joe Roth]
Image # 65031: Bank-A-Ball Early Production - Serial Number 
(Reportedly, later games in this production run had certificates printed with green borders. Serial number 01072.)
Early Production - Serial Number*

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[Joe Roth]
Image # 67694: Bank-A-Ball Backglass
Backglass

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[Jean-Pierre Renault]
Image # 67695: Bank-A-Ball Backglass  - Reverse
Backglass - Reverse

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[Jean-Pierre Renault]
Image # 69257: Bank-A-Ball Sample Game - Playfield 
(Serial number 1043 S.)
Sample Game - Playfield*

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[Niki Heim]
Image # 69258: Bank-A-Ball Sample Game - 8 is Lit 
(Serial number 1043 S.)
Sample Game - 8 is Lit*

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[Niki Heim]
Image # 77740: Bank-A-Ball Flyer
Flyer

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Image # 81829: Bank-A-Ball Early Production - Stripped Playfield
Early Production - Stripped Playfield

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[Doug Redfarn]
Image # 81830: Bank-A-Ball Early Production - Stripped Playfield - Detail
Early Production - Stripped Playfield - Detail

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[Doug Redfarn]
Image # 81831: Bank-A-Ball Early Production - Stripped Upper Playfield
Early Production - Stripped Upper Playfield

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[Doug Redfarn]
Image # 81832: Bank-A-Ball Early Production - Stripped Middle Playfield
Early Production - Stripped Middle Playfield

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[Doug Redfarn]
Image # 81833: Bank-A-Ball Early Production - Stripped Middle Playfield
Early Production - Stripped Middle Playfield

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[Doug Redfarn]
Image # 81834: Bank-A-Ball Early Production - Stripped Lower Playfield
Early Production - Stripped Lower Playfield

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[Doug Redfarn]
Image # 81835: Bank-A-Ball Early Production - Stripped Playfield - Detail
Early Production - Stripped Playfield - Detail

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[Doug Redfarn]
Image # 81836: Bank-A-Ball Backbox Assembly Instructions
Backbox Assembly Instructions

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[Will White]
Image # 82325: Bank-A-Ball Inside Backbox - Plug Mounting Panel
Inside Backbox - Plug Mounting Panel

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[Randall Delong]
 
Source: Photo [?]

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