Gusher by Williams
What exactly would be considered vintage pinball machines? Well, when I think of vintage pinball machines, I think of the old woodrail pinball machines, which were made back in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. Woodrail pinball machines had wood rails down the side of the machine, and a wood frame around the back glass. If you’ve got a game room with a bunch of vintage pinball machines, you’re going to want to have at least one woodrail machine. I used to own a woodrail machine called “Gusher”. It was lots of fun - my dad bought it for me from a bar back in the late 60’s.
If you’re a little younger than me, you will probably consider some of the machines that came out in the 1960’s and 1970’s to be vintage pinball machines. I really think that this was the heyday of pinball machines, back before video games were invented and pinballs were the only game in town. Back in the era of vintage pinball machines, there were thousands and thousands of different models, from manufacturers like Williams, Bally, and Gottlieb.
Drop-A-Card - A Simple, Fun Vintage Pinball Machine
One of my favorite vintage pinball machines was called Drop-A-Card. It was a poker themed machine that had playing card drop targets along both sides and along the top. It was a very simple machine, but offered hours of enjoyment, possibly because it was fairly easy to win free games. I remember putting my quarter on the glass and waiting for the guy before me to finish playing his free games so I could play. Drop a card had the older, smaller flippers that say “FLIPPER” on them. As machines got a little newer, they had bigger flippers that were quite often another color, with yellow rubber around them.
Back in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, all pinball machines were what were known as Electromechanical, or EM machines. They had reels that turned around to show the score, or lights that shown through the backglass. If you’re looking for vintage pinball machines, you would probably be talking about any of the machines that were built before 1977. In 1977, the advent of the Solid State, or SS pinball machine came about, and the industry was changed forever. Now, circuit boards and digital displays took over.
Williams introduced their first solid-state pinball machine called “Hot Tip” in 1977 and because of this new technology, they and Bally thrived in this era as they both sold large amounts of games with fancy sound effects, speech, and game features that only a computer could make possible. In fact, during this time companies put out machines in both styles, and Hot Tip was one of those. Here are pictures of both backglasses, so you can see the difference.
 Hot Tip Electromechanical |
 Hot Tip Solid State |
Solid state pinball machines can be really cool, with all the music, talking, and computer effects. Still, there is just something about the old EM machines that can’t be beat, with their spinning reels and bells and lights!
If you're looking for your own vintage pinball machines, one of the best places to search is . Here are a few vintage pinball machines available on Ebay right now.
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 Vintage Ballys BOWL O Pinball Machine 1970s  US $750.00
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 1970 Four 4 Aces pinball machine vintage arcade games jukebox video US $800.00
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 VINTAGE PINBALL MACHINE GULFSTREAM BY WILLIAMS US $700.00
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 Williams HOT LINE Vintage 1966 Classic Arcade Pinball Machine US $1,295.00
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 Bally EIGHT BALL Vintage Classic Arcade Pinball Machine US $2,995.00
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 VINTAGE WILLIAMS DEALER PINBALL MACHINE ARCADE US $1,500.00
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Anyone that’s been around pinballs at all for any length of time is familiar with William’s pinball machines. They were one of the main pinball machine manufactures for 55 years, from their first machine called Zingo which was manufactured in 1944 to their last machine, Star Wars Episode One in 1999, they were always one of the most popular manufacturers of Pinball Machines.
I have a special place in my heart for William’s pinball machines. I’ve personally owned 3 for them myself, and some of my very favorite’s growing up were William’s pinball machines. The ones I owned were Gusher, High Speed (I still have this one), and Road Show. These were 3 very different machines from different eras.
Gusher by Williams - Disappearing Bumper is near the top and says "Spots" on it
Gusher
Gusher was made in 1958, when I was just 2 years old. It was a wood rail machine that my dad bought for me from a bar for $200. It’s worth much more than that now – that’s for sure! Gusher was the first William’s pinball machine to have a disappearing jet bumper. It was an extremely fun machine to play, and I had many, many hours of entertainment from it. One of the only problems I had with this machine was it had a big hole right in the middle of the field that was easy to drain the ball down, thereby losing your ball and possibly ending your game.
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Vintage Ballys BOWL O Pinball Machine 1970s US $750.00
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1970 Four 4 Aces pinball machine vintage arcade games jukebox video US $800.00
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VINTAGE PINBALL MACHINE GULFSTREAM BY WILLIAMS US $700.00
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Williams HOT LINE Vintage 1966 Classic Arcade Pinball Machine US $1,295.00
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Bally EIGHT BALL Vintage Classic Arcade Pinball Machine US $2,995.00
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 VINTAGE CHICAGO PINBALL MACHINE BOWLING ALLEY US $499.00
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High Speed
High Speed is a great game, and you can find it pretty readily nowadays if you want to look around on . It has a flashing red light on top that comes on when you escape from the cops! High Speed 2 – The Getaway is a later model of this game, which is also lots of fun.
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 Williams High Speed Pinball Machine US $1,999.00
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 Getaway High Speed II pinball machine US $3,500.00
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Road Show Red and Ted
Road Show
Road Show was a later machine that I had also. It has lots of ramps, tunnels, and holes, and also 2 talking heads, Red and Ted. At one point of the game you shoot the ball in Ted’s mouth and he swallows it! It’s pretty funny, and really a blast to play. This machine was manufactured in 1994, and is one of the newer types of William’s pinball machines.
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 RED TEDS ROAD SHOW PINBALL MACHINE By Williams VERY NICE US $3,500.00
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 Williams Roadshow Pat Lawlor pinball machine coin op COLLECTOR QUALITY US $3,299.00
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Spanish Eyes
One of the older William’s pinball machines that I used to love to play was called Spanish Eyes. It was a very fast moving game for its time, and I spent a lot of time and money at a place called P. M. Jacoy’s in downtown Spokane, WA playing this game. I remember that like it was yesterday, but it was more than 35 years ago!
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Williams HOT LINE Vintage 1966 Classic Arcade Pinball Machine US $1,295.00
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Bally EIGHT BALL Vintage Classic Arcade Pinball Machine US $2,995.00
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VINTAGE WILLIAMS DEALER PINBALL MACHINE ARCADE US $1,500.00
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 RARE Vintage Baseball Pinball Game Bubble Gum Vending Machine Antique 7049 US $1,189.95
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I could go on and on – I’m really a lover of William’s pinball machines, but why don’t you check them out for yourself? Ebay is a great place to look for William’s pinball machines – who knows? You might even end up having one in your own basement!
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 WILLIAMS NO GOOD GOFERS PINBALL MACHINE COLLECTIBLE US $3,299.99
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 1979 WILLIAMS GORGAR PINBALL MACHINE FIRST TALKING EXCELLENT CONDITION US $1,476.00
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 Star Wars Episode 1 Williams Pinball Machine 1999 Excellent Condition US $2,799.99
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 1989 Williams Black Knight 2000 Pinball Machine US $1,800.00
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RED TEDS ROAD SHOW PINBALL MACHINE By Williams VERY NICE US $3,500.00
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 JOHNNY MNEMONIC Pinball Machine by WILLIAMS MINDGAME US $2,295.00
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 PINBOT Pinball by WILLIAMS THE ULTIMATE MACHINE US $1,795.00
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 Williams Cyclone Pinball Machine US $1,200.00
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 BIG GUNS Pinball Machine by WILLIAMS FEEL THE POWER US $1,695.00
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 CREATURE CFTBL ARCADE PINBALL MACHINE by Bally Williams With Brand New Hologram US $4,995.00
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Pinball Machines For Sale Locally
If you’re looking for pinball machines for sale, you’ve got several options, some of which are better than others. One place you can find pinball machines for sale is locally, by going through the want ads in your paper or looking on Craig’s list. This option for finding pinball machines for sale has it’s pros and cons.
On the plus side, if you buy a pinball machine locally, you can look at it before you buy, and try it out to make sure it works well. Plus, you don’t have to pay for shipping, which can be quite expensive, depending on where it’s coming from and how it’s shipped.
On the negative side, if you buy locally, you don’t have near the selection of pinball machines available as if you found them online. If you find pinball machines for sale locally, you basically are limited to what people have to sell. If you buy online, you can pick the machine you want and go in search of it. The other bad thing about buying locally is that you might not get the same quality or machine that you can find online.
Pinball Machines For Sale Online
There are many options for finding pinball machines for sale on the internet. You can look on Google for independent dealers, you can buy them on Amazon, or you can look on the auction sites like Ebay. In my opinion, this is the preferred method for buying pinball machines.
Spiderman Pinball Machine From Amazon
Independent Dealers
In searching Google, I found several independent dealers that looked to be very reputable, but you are taking your chances. They aren’t as regulated as some of the auction sites like Ebay, or have the reputation of Amazon. Plus, you’re going to be paying a premium price, compared to Ebay where there is a lot of competition.
Pinball Machines For Sale On Amazon
Amazon is a great place to find pinball machines for sale if you want a new one. They have dealers that sell through Amazon, which is nice because Amazon stands behind them. When you’re buying something that expensive, you’re going to want someone with a good reputation like Amazon standing behind it. Only problem with Amazon is that Stern is the only company the manufactures pinball machines today, so you’re limited to their offerings. Still, they’ve got some pretty cool ones.
Pinball Machines For Sale On Ebay
At any one time on Ebay you can probably find more than 200 different pinball machines for sale. This location gives you the best selection – not only can you find new machines, but you can find wood rail machines, and everything in between. You just want to be sure you look for a reputable dealer on Ebay, so make sure you check the feedback and ratings, and make sure they’ve sold a bunch of machines. You can find some beautiful refurbished machines on Ebay – some of these dealers are real craftsmen that take great pride in their work. Some of them even add their own toppers and other special trick stuff to the machines, so yours will be unique.
My opinion? If you want a new machine, look at Amazon. If you’re looking for an older, refurbished machine, stick to Ebay.
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 Stern AC DC Pro Model Pinball Machine US $4,795.00
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 Bally Champion Pub pinball machine coin op COLLECTOR QUALITY 1998 US $5,395.00
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 DISNEYs PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN PinBall Machine by STERN US $4,750.00
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 Chicago Coin Pinball Machine 1976 Cinema MInt US $800.00
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 Gottlieb Buckaroo Pinball Machine US $875.99
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 VINTAGE 1965 GOTTLIEBS PINBALL MACHINE ICE REVUE EVERTHING WORKING CONDITION US $999.99
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 Stern AC DC Premium Model Pinball Machine US $6,999.00
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 1971 Gottlieb Home Run Pinball Machine US $1,950.00
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Star Wars Episode 1 Williams Pinball Machine 1999 Excellent Condition US $2,799.99
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 Stern Tron Legacy Pro Pinball Machine US $5,999.00
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