1947 Bally Electronic Slot Machine

Note: We have thousands of parts and take the time to clean, calibrate, and test in an actual machine before shipping, all pictures are for reference only and may not reflect the actual parts cleanliness.

Identifier:117.9889
The Bally-Midway-Williams records contain documentation from the Bally, Midway, and Williams pinball companies, with the bulk of the materials dated between 1947 and 1993. Materials within this collection include parts lists, bills of materials (BOMs), memos, notes, correspondence, reference, playfield drawings, parts diagrams, wiring diagrams, engineer change notices (ECNs), copyright registration information, tradename search reports, engineering logbooks, packaging testing information, and some financial documentation. The majority of information in this collection is on pinball games, though documentation on video arcade games, slot machines, billiards, and other amusements is also present. Additional scope and content information can be found in the “Contents List” section of this finding aid.
The Bally-Midway-Williams records are arranged into three series, one of which is further divided into subseries (and sub-subseries). The physical materials are housed in 108 archival document boxes and one map case drawer.

Dates

  • 1933 - 2000
  • Majority of material found within 1947 - 1999

Creator

  • Bally Manufacturing Corp. (Organization)

Language

The majority of this collection is in English, though there are instances of German, French, and Spanish.

Conditions Governing Access

Some materials of financial nature have been restricted by the museum. The documents in Box 108 will not be open for research use until the year 2048. They are denoted as such in this finding aid and are separated from unrestricted files.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is open for research use by staff of The Strong and by users of its library and archives. Though intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to any copyright, trademark, and associated rights therein) have not been transferred, The Strong may make copies in all media for museum, educational, and research purposes.

Extent

60 Linear Feet (108 boxes, 1 flat file drawer)

Abstract

The Bally-Midway-Williams records are an assemblage of documentation from the Bally, Midway, and (predominantly) Williams pinball companies. Materials within this collection include parts lists, bills of material forms, corporate memos, notes, playfield drawings, parts diagrams, wiring diagrams, packaging testing documentation, change notice forms, copyright registration information, engineering logbooks, and more. The majority of this collection is on pinball games, though documentation on slot machines and video games is also present. The bulk of the materials are dated between 1947 and 1999.

Historical Note

What we now recognize as pinball evolved during the 20th century in America, with several well-known companies leading the way.
Raymond Moloney founded the Chicago-based Bally Manufacturing Company in 1932 to make pinball games. Along with pinball, Bally fabricated mechanical slot machines and gambling devices. (During World War II, Bally halted production of recreational items and instead made ammunition and airplane parts.) The addition of flippers and bumpers transformed pinball from a gambling machine to a skill game. In 1969, Bally purchased Midway Manufacturing Co., another amusements manufacturer (previously established by Henry Ross and Marcine “Iggy” Wolverton). Midway operated under its own name for another decade, until Bally merged its own pinball division with Midway’s to form Bally/Midway Manufacturing in 1982. Meanwhile in 1943, Harry E. Williams founded Williams Manufacturing Company, also in Chicago, Illinois—the American center for pinball production. His company rose to prominence as one of the most important arcade and pinball game manufacturers in the United States after World War II. Williams pinball designers introduced many pinball innovations, including ramps, scoring reels, drop targets, and modern 3-inch flippers. The company was acquired and incorporated several times, resulting in company name changes (becoming Williams Electronics, Inc. in 1974 and then WMS Industries in 1987).
In 1988, WMS purchased competitor Bally/Midway. The pinball division of WMS closed in 1999, after more than 50 years of designing and manufacturing electro-mechanical and solid-state pinball machines. As of 2018, WMS is retained as a brand of Scientific Games.

System of Arrangement

Series I: Bally records, 1933-1983

Ballys Slot Machines For Sale

Series II: Midway records, 1966-1986

Series III: Williams records, 1946-2000

Subseries A: Williams Manufacturing Co., 1946-1974
Subseries B: Williams Electronics, Inc., 1972-1996
1. Game/part design documentation, 1972-1980
2. Engineering logbooks and notebooks, 1980-1996
Subseries C: WMS Industries, Inc., 1963-2000
1. Game/part design documentation, 1972-2000
2. Staff project files, 1963-1999
3. Packaging testing, 1982-1999
4. Financial documentation, 1983-1999

Custodial History

The Bally-Midway-Williams records were acquired by The Strong in October 2017 from James Loflin. The papers were accessioned by The Strong under Object ID 117.9889 and were received in 34 boxes and two rolled storage tubes.

Related Materials

Researchers interested in Williams pinball games may also want to access the Williams pinball playfield design collection in the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play. Other relevant collections include James Loflin’s Bally-Midway-Williams collection, the Steve Kordek coin-op and amusements collection, and the Atari Coin-Op Division corporate records.
The International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) houses several dozen pinball machines by Bally, Midway, and Williams.

Processed by

Creator

  • Bally Manufacturing Corp. (Organization)
  • Bally Midway Mfg. Co. (Organization)
  • Midway Manufacturing Co. (Organization)
  • Williams Manufacturing Co. (Organization)
  • Williams Electronics, Inc. (Organization)
  • WMS Industries, Inc. (Organization)
Title
Finding Aid to the Bally-Midway-Williams Records, 1933-2000
Status
completed
Author
Julia Novakovic
Date
25 September 2018
Description rules
dacs

Repository Details

Part of the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play at The Strong Repository

Contact:
The Strong
One Manhattan Square
RochesterNY14607USA
585.263.2700
585.423.1886 (Fax)
library@museumofplay.org
Bally-Midway-Williams records, Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play at The Strong http://archivesspace.strongmuseum.org/repositories/3/resources/164 Accessed December 08, 2020.

INFORMATION FOR VIEWING AND DOWNLOADING

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Bally Bingo Green Book -- Parts List and Exploded Diagrams of components.

Introduction to Bally Flipper Games.

Bally Broadway Bingo Pinball Operating Instructions. A schematic is available but must be commercially reproduced.

Pace Slot Machine Award Cards, Hi-Res Scan.

Autobell Circus Schematic.

Bally Sportsman Flasher Slot Machine operating instructions, pay tables, etc. A schematic of the machine is available on request.

For Amusement Only sign furnished with Bally bingo pinball machines. Print on cardstock and put one on your machine.

Mills Bell Machine Parts and Service Manual HiTop 7-7-7 Model.

PAR sheet for Fourth of July.

Example of a Bally Bally SMI Sheet (PAR Sheet) in PDF format.

PAR Sheet possibly for a Double Bucks machine in PDF format.

1947 Bally Electronic Slot Machine Sounds

Coin Mechanisms, Inc. See National Slug Rejectors and Coinco below.

Bally V-1088 and V-1090 Operator Instructions Manual.

Bally V-1297 Instructions and Bally V1297 Parts.

Bally Double Progrressive Operator Instructions using version 6 for use with Series 1000, E-2000, V-2000, S-5000 and V-5000.

Bally Deluxe Draw Bell Instructions and Award Cards. The award cards provided different values for the Special and Super Special for both Replay and Automatic Payout operation. Operators could tailor the payouts to the location. These cards are scanned at 300 dpi for quality reproduction. For other similar Bally machines, these cards can provide a guideline. Edit them with a photoshop-type program.

Two Mills catalogs from the early 1900's: The Mills Commercial trade stimulator and Mills Amusement, Skill & Vending Machines.

Keeney's Super Bell Operators Manual in PDF format. 1941 document.

Bally

Keeney's Bonus Super Bell Instruction Manual. This is a copy of a manuscript and is not the final manual, however it may assist you to understand the operation of the machine.

Mills Vest Pocket Slot Machine Operators Manual, 16 pages in PDF format.

Evans Consoles This is the 1941 Instructions and Parts Catalog for Galloping Dominos, Pacer, Bang Tails and Lucky Star. Much of this information can be applied to machines into the late 40's. The wiring diagram shows how it is laced together. This document is in PDF format. Adobe's free Acrobat Reader may be obtained Here.

Evans Winterbook Parts Manual in PDF format.

An Introduction to Bally Slot Machines, Manual 6000 1979. This is a good primer for Bally electro-mechanical slot machines. Page 22 corrects the myth of how the slot machine got its name--it certainly wasn't what I thought. This manual, in PDF format, is 45 pages in length and it is broken down into five parts for easier downloading. Adobe's free Acrobat Reader may be obtained Here.

National Slug Rejector and Coinco Service Manuals in .PDF format for some older equipment. Coin acceptors normally operate transparently, but they can surely be a nuisance when needing service or adjustment.

Mills Story and Catalog, Late '40s, an issue of Spinning Reels, has a brief history of Mills Novelty Co. with descriptions and depictions of then current Mills products. Ancillary equipment is described such as jack-in-the-box safes, regular safes, coin changers, coin counters and a bell machine tool set. In its day, the tool set cost about as much as a bell machine.

Jennings Chief Parts and Service Manual in PDF format. The scanned doucment was a poor copy so this is possibly just better than no manual at all.

Bally Slot Consoles parts list and description including Triple Bell and Deluxe Draw Bell. This includes pictorials of the reel assembly. A schematic for the Triple Bell is available from Internet Direct.

Bally Reflex Unit With Snap Switches used in Champion games through Serial No. 9053. They were not used in the companion game, Kentucky.

Buckley Track Odds 1938 Machine description, troubleshooting, partsand diagrams. About 80 pages. The file number = page number.

Buckley Track Odds Circuit Tracing Guide for machines 12,000-12,500.

***Some electrical drawings are available for the Buckley Track Odds machines on request. They must be commercially reproduced.

Buckley Track Odds Remote Control installation instructions.

Bally Electro-Mechanical Slot Machine Manual. Covers Money Honey up to the 'computers' took over. The file numbers = page numbers in the manual.

Need more than a manual? Bally Electro-lMechanical Video Guide is available at nominal costs.Bally Electro-Mechanical Troubleshooting Reference. File 0000 is the index.

Limited Bally Coil Reference in a zip file for quick download.

The Last of the Bingo Kings -- Not exactly the Sopranos.

Bally Victory Special Setup Instructions showing some adjustments available to the operator.

Be sure to check the Links page for additional resources.

Pace Slotmachine Manual. Print sheets 1 to 10, turn paper over and print sheets 11 to 20. Fold to make booklet.

Bally Citation and Lexington One Balls A schematic is also available, but too large to scan. Documents for Bally Trophy, Jockey Club, Turf King, Grandstand and Futurity are available on request.

Directions for Operating Mills Operator's Bell COK and FOK Mint Vender.

Bally Triple Draw Bell adjustments. Schematic and Relay/Switch chartsare available from Internet Direct Also available from Internet Direct are documents forBally Triple Bell, Bally Spot Bell, Bally Turf King and Kentucky.

Williams: An Introduction To Coin Operated Amusement Games This document is long --66 pages in .PDF format. Amusement machine components are discussed however many aspects apply to gambling machines. Schematics are explained. There is a lexicon of coin machine terms. Adobe's free Acrobat Reader may be obtained Here.

Metal Forms Products Company I have not seen this company referenced anywhere on the WWW, however they manufacture hard to find mechanical slot parts for Mills, Jennings, Caille, Watling, etc. Their inventory includes vendors, springs, reel tins, discs, disc plugs, cash boxes, back doors, decals and back door paper for restoration. If you have been looking for a hard-to-find part to get your project working, you may find it here. The file number = catalog page.

Mike Munves catalogstill missing 4 pages. Here is a look back in history to 1956 and the machines available. All these games were before video games. The pricing is interesting. Keep in mind that a very good job in 1956 paid $500 monthly. There are 6 files in PDF format to facilitate downloading. Adobe's free Acrobat Reader may be obtained Here.

This is a 16-page Mike Munves 1940 Catalog. The catalog was scanned from a b/w xerox copy of original (or perhaps another copy) and does not have very good detail. It does give a feel for what was then available. This file is in PDF format.

This Ray Oakes & Sons Amusement Trade Catalog from 1960 is of interest to our outdoor amusement friends. I do not believe that they are in business any longer.

Keeney Big Tent Manual. This is a flasher slot. I have the schematics but they are too large for my scanner. I can have them reproduced on request.

K. C. CARD CO CATALOG, 1960. This catalog is a textbook all its own in controlled gambling equipment. An 8-page supplement added near the middle of the catalog offered devices manufactured by H C Evans Co or their successors. The original H C Evans Co was liquidated in 1956 following the death of its owner. PDF format. Adobe's free Acrobat Reader may be obtained Here.

Tax Matters.The operators were not without their hassles. From my experience with bingos, it is hard to believe the payoff percentages of the machines discussed. This document is in PDF format. Adobe's free Acrobat Reader may be obtained Here.

H C Evans Co Catalog. For those who have never seen a copy, this catalog is a tell-all of controlled gambling and carnival equipment. If you ever thought that you were fleeced at a gambling game, you may find the answer here.

Evans Club, Park and Carnival Equipment with 1961 price list. This catalog was issued by the Evans Park & Carnival Device Corporation, successors to H. C. Evans & Co. I do not believe any catalogs of Evans equipment were published after this one. I do not know how long the company remained in business after 1961.

More for our outdoor amusement friends -- A collection of Wurlitzer Band Organ Music.

Games, Inc WILDCAT Service Instructions and Parts Catalog in a 10-page .PDF format document. Adobe's free Acrobat Reader may be obtained Here.

H C Evans 1909-1910 Catalog. This Evans catalog includes pages advertising sporting goods such as baseball gloves, firearms (a shotgun for $5) and fishing rods, reels and tackle.

Bally Series E Link Progressive System Operators Manual.

Mills Automatic Money Makers, a catalog of early Mills machines.

Caille Brothers Catalog of early slot machines and trade stimulators.

Mills Trade Stimulators catalog, early 20th century.

PEPLUS video poker machine info.

1947 Bally Electronic Slot Machines

Program Summary Reports examples for some S Plus machines.

Bally Slot Machines Model Numbers

IGT Program Index.

1947 Bally Electronic Slot Machine Randomizer

Williams Upright Video Slot information.

1947 Bally Electronic Slot Machine Games

Pot Of Gold manual.