@ourlostarcade.bsky.social
Discovering the arcade's past!
A journey through the history of coin-op. Games, jukeboxes, vending, and more from the 1st century to the 20th!
Also @playhistory.bsky.social
A journey through the history of coin-op. Games, jukeboxes, vending, and more from the 1st century to the 20th!
Also @playhistory.bsky.social
Pinned
This is Our Lost Arcade!
I talk about coin-operated devices of yesteryear: Pinball, jukeboxes, vending machines, binoculars, turnstyles - you name it!
Come along to explore over 100 years of mechanical and electro-mechanical devices of the #arcade that will astound and delight you.
I talk about coin-operated devices of yesteryear: Pinball, jukeboxes, vending machines, binoculars, turnstyles - you name it!
Come along to explore over 100 years of mechanical and electro-mechanical devices of the #arcade that will astound and delight you.
Out there to red rid of the snow and ice... Why not treat yourself with a visit to the Winter Book?
Sure, it may just be a horse race roulette machine, but when else could I talk about it?
Sure, it may just be a horse race roulette machine, but when else could I talk about it?
January 26, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Out there to red rid of the snow and ice... Why not treat yourself with a visit to the Winter Book?
Sure, it may just be a horse race roulette machine, but when else could I talk about it?
Sure, it may just be a horse race roulette machine, but when else could I talk about it?
Basketball always needs a good-sized cabinet. Here's a beaut from Richman Corp, Set-Shot Basketball.
January 22, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Basketball always needs a good-sized cabinet. Here's a beaut from Richman Corp, Set-Shot Basketball.
A classic early "maze" type game, the well-named Tilt Test from Atlas Games.
There are some concepts that no modern technology can really improve.
There are some concepts that no modern technology can really improve.
January 20, 2026 at 11:17 PM
A classic early "maze" type game, the well-named Tilt Test from Atlas Games.
There are some concepts that no modern technology can really improve.
There are some concepts that no modern technology can really improve.
Among the first coin-op amusements ever with an official media license, Nakamura Seisakusho's Obake no Q-Taro kiddie rides established the company as a force to be reckoned with in Japan's rooftop amusement scene.
January 16, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Among the first coin-op amusements ever with an official media license, Nakamura Seisakusho's Obake no Q-Taro kiddie rides established the company as a force to be reckoned with in Japan's rooftop amusement scene.
A 19th century coin-op machine catalog from the long-forgotten Clawson Company.
A wide variety of novelties, trade stimulators, and vending machines right at the dawn of the penny arcade.
A wide variety of novelties, trade stimulators, and vending machines right at the dawn of the penny arcade.
January 14, 2026 at 11:45 PM
A 19th century coin-op machine catalog from the long-forgotten Clawson Company.
A wide variety of novelties, trade stimulators, and vending machines right at the dawn of the penny arcade.
A wide variety of novelties, trade stimulators, and vending machines right at the dawn of the penny arcade.
Panzer Attack by Midway rolls into position!
A sophisticated EM game from the post-video era bringing the WWII thrills.
A sophisticated EM game from the post-video era bringing the WWII thrills.
January 12, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Panzer Attack by Midway rolls into position!
A sophisticated EM game from the post-video era bringing the WWII thrills.
A sophisticated EM game from the post-video era bringing the WWII thrills.
Perhaps I was a bit cheeky in defining the Automatic Entertainer as the "first jukebox".
The jukebox means more than a multi-selection phonograph, and it grew out of a very specific set of technologies in the 20th century.
This time, we'll be more specific: How electric sound created the jukebox.
The jukebox means more than a multi-selection phonograph, and it grew out of a very specific set of technologies in the 20th century.
This time, we'll be more specific: How electric sound created the jukebox.
January 6, 2026 at 11:25 PM
Perhaps I was a bit cheeky in defining the Automatic Entertainer as the "first jukebox".
The jukebox means more than a multi-selection phonograph, and it grew out of a very specific set of technologies in the 20th century.
This time, we'll be more specific: How electric sound created the jukebox.
The jukebox means more than a multi-selection phonograph, and it grew out of a very specific set of technologies in the 20th century.
This time, we'll be more specific: How electric sound created the jukebox.
Reposted
David Rosen, who helped create Sega and changed the coin-op industry forever, has passed away.
www.replaymag.com/segas-dave-r...
An absolute titan in video game history. May he rest in peace.
www.replaymag.com/segas-dave-r...
An absolute titan in video game history. May he rest in peace.
January 4, 2026 at 9:13 PM
David Rosen, who helped create Sega and changed the coin-op industry forever, has passed away.
www.replaymag.com/segas-dave-r...
An absolute titan in video game history. May he rest in peace.
www.replaymag.com/segas-dave-r...
An absolute titan in video game history. May he rest in peace.
A Happy New Year to all! May you find amusement - in all its forms - just around the corner.
December 31, 2025 at 11:08 PM
A Happy New Year to all! May you find amusement - in all its forms - just around the corner.
One of the companies that popped up at the dawn of the pinball boom in California was distributor National Amusement Co.
December 23, 2025 at 11:51 PM
One of the companies that popped up at the dawn of the pinball boom in California was distributor National Amusement Co.
Invention is an odd thing.
Sometimes, a new idea changes the world in an instant. Other times, you often wonder why it didn't take off at the start.
For decades, the coin-op industry was defined by the jukebox. And this is the start of it: The Gabel Automatic Entertainer.
Sometimes, a new idea changes the world in an instant. Other times, you often wonder why it didn't take off at the start.
For decades, the coin-op industry was defined by the jukebox. And this is the start of it: The Gabel Automatic Entertainer.
December 18, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Invention is an odd thing.
Sometimes, a new idea changes the world in an instant. Other times, you often wonder why it didn't take off at the start.
For decades, the coin-op industry was defined by the jukebox. And this is the start of it: The Gabel Automatic Entertainer.
Sometimes, a new idea changes the world in an instant. Other times, you often wonder why it didn't take off at the start.
For decades, the coin-op industry was defined by the jukebox. And this is the start of it: The Gabel Automatic Entertainer.
This week on Our Lost Arcade, we'll be looking at the very first multi-selection phonograph: Or Jukebox, if you prefer.
December 16, 2025 at 8:50 PM
This week on Our Lost Arcade, we'll be looking at the very first multi-selection phonograph: Or Jukebox, if you prefer.
Getting coin-op equipment across the country is no easy feat!
Here's a traincar full of jukeboxes in Depression era Cincinnati showing the whole enterprise.
Check out more 30s goodness in the latest collection from @cpi.pinball.horse : pinballnovice.blogspot.com/2025/12/scan...
Here's a traincar full of jukeboxes in Depression era Cincinnati showing the whole enterprise.
Check out more 30s goodness in the latest collection from @cpi.pinball.horse : pinballnovice.blogspot.com/2025/12/scan...
December 13, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Getting coin-op equipment across the country is no easy feat!
Here's a traincar full of jukeboxes in Depression era Cincinnati showing the whole enterprise.
Check out more 30s goodness in the latest collection from @cpi.pinball.horse : pinballnovice.blogspot.com/2025/12/scan...
Here's a traincar full of jukeboxes in Depression era Cincinnati showing the whole enterprise.
Check out more 30s goodness in the latest collection from @cpi.pinball.horse : pinballnovice.blogspot.com/2025/12/scan...
Sometimes, you just need a little... Oomph!
This rather strange double-playfield all-win by Daval Products gives a pachinko vibe with its flick-style launcher.
And don't miss out on that salacious art... Sometimes tells me they didn't put these around schools.
This rather strange double-playfield all-win by Daval Products gives a pachinko vibe with its flick-style launcher.
And don't miss out on that salacious art... Sometimes tells me they didn't put these around schools.
December 10, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Sometimes, you just need a little... Oomph!
This rather strange double-playfield all-win by Daval Products gives a pachinko vibe with its flick-style launcher.
And don't miss out on that salacious art... Sometimes tells me they didn't put these around schools.
This rather strange double-playfield all-win by Daval Products gives a pachinko vibe with its flick-style launcher.
And don't miss out on that salacious art... Sometimes tells me they didn't put these around schools.
Roll in the Barrel!
In the grand slew of skee-ball-alikes, this may be one of the smallest. They made it darned cheat proof as well with a very narrow hole for shooting.
Would this have been any fun?
In the grand slew of skee-ball-alikes, this may be one of the smallest. They made it darned cheat proof as well with a very narrow hole for shooting.
Would this have been any fun?
November 24, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Roll in the Barrel!
In the grand slew of skee-ball-alikes, this may be one of the smallest. They made it darned cheat proof as well with a very narrow hole for shooting.
Would this have been any fun?
In the grand slew of skee-ball-alikes, this may be one of the smallest. They made it darned cheat proof as well with a very narrow hole for shooting.
Would this have been any fun?
Reposted
中村製作所、1970年広告 (レジャー産業資料 1970年1月号より)
#Namco #1970 #arcade #arcadecabinet #classicarcade #retrogame #obslive
#Namco #1970 #arcade #arcadecabinet #classicarcade #retrogame #obslive
November 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM
中村製作所、1970年広告 (レジャー産業資料 1970年1月号より)
#Namco #1970 #arcade #arcadecabinet #classicarcade #retrogame #obslive
#Namco #1970 #arcade #arcadecabinet #classicarcade #retrogame #obslive
The War comes and goes.
Digital computer technology enters the world - first through relays, then solid-state circuits.
EMI moves into music - or something.
Spotlight Golf is forgotten; the few surviving units traded around Britain in auctions and classifieds.
Digital computer technology enters the world - first through relays, then solid-state circuits.
EMI moves into music - or something.
Spotlight Golf is forgotten; the few surviving units traded around Britain in auctions and classifieds.
November 21, 2025 at 10:07 PM
The War comes and goes.
Digital computer technology enters the world - first through relays, then solid-state circuits.
EMI moves into music - or something.
Spotlight Golf is forgotten; the few surviving units traded around Britain in auctions and classifieds.
Digital computer technology enters the world - first through relays, then solid-state circuits.
EMI moves into music - or something.
Spotlight Golf is forgotten; the few surviving units traded around Britain in auctions and classifieds.
Apologies for the issues with the photos in the last thread - apparently this just happens sometimes and it doesn't correct itself.
Will try uploading it again tomorrow.
Will try uploading it again tomorrow.
November 20, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Apologies for the issues with the photos in the last thread - apparently this just happens sometimes and it doesn't correct itself.
Will try uploading it again tomorrow.
Will try uploading it again tomorrow.
Reposted
The latest Origin of Game article is live! Pleased to bring you yet another of the great Japanese arcade companies.
Nick did a great job digging into sources and context to forge this riveting tale of true entrepreneurship under difficult circumstances.
Nick did a great job digging into sources and context to forge this riveting tale of true entrepreneurship under difficult circumstances.
We return with another amazing tale of video games past!
This time: The international story of Taito. Learn about the colorful Ukranian founder, the origin of the modern crane game, and how a peanut vending company redefines the world of video games.
www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2025/11/p...
This time: The international story of Taito. Learn about the colorful Ukranian founder, the origin of the modern crane game, and how a peanut vending company redefines the world of video games.
www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2025/11/p...
November 17, 2025 at 9:08 PM
The latest Origin of Game article is live! Pleased to bring you yet another of the great Japanese arcade companies.
Nick did a great job digging into sources and context to forge this riveting tale of true entrepreneurship under difficult circumstances.
Nick did a great job digging into sources and context to forge this riveting tale of true entrepreneurship under difficult circumstances.
Spotlight Golf contained very state-of-the-art technology for its time, which enabled it to create a unique gameplay experience.
According to the Australasian Golf Museum, this tech qualifies it as the "first computer game" and maybe the first electronic computer.
Let's investigate this.
According to the Australasian Golf Museum, this tech qualifies it as the "first computer game" and maybe the first electronic computer.
Let's investigate this.
November 14, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Spotlight Golf contained very state-of-the-art technology for its time, which enabled it to create a unique gameplay experience.
According to the Australasian Golf Museum, this tech qualifies it as the "first computer game" and maybe the first electronic computer.
Let's investigate this.
According to the Australasian Golf Museum, this tech qualifies it as the "first computer game" and maybe the first electronic computer.
Let's investigate this.
Taito is searching for a working Crown 602 crane game.
soranews24.com/2025/11/12/m...
I have to note that this was not the first crane game in Japan, and the design itself was based on an Italian model (see @cpi.pinball.horse):
earlyarcadesjapan.blogspot.com/2024/03/jagu...
soranews24.com/2025/11/12/m...
I have to note that this was not the first crane game in Japan, and the design itself was based on an Italian model (see @cpi.pinball.horse):
earlyarcadesjapan.blogspot.com/2024/03/jagu...
Maker of Japan’s first crane machine is looking for a working model, offering 100,000-yen reward
Taito is also giving away free games to fans with personal memories of the Crown 602.
soranews24.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Taito is searching for a working Crown 602 crane game.
soranews24.com/2025/11/12/m...
I have to note that this was not the first crane game in Japan, and the design itself was based on an Italian model (see @cpi.pinball.horse):
earlyarcadesjapan.blogspot.com/2024/03/jagu...
soranews24.com/2025/11/12/m...
I have to note that this was not the first crane game in Japan, and the design itself was based on an Italian model (see @cpi.pinball.horse):
earlyarcadesjapan.blogspot.com/2024/03/jagu...
Britain in the mid-1930s does not seem like a time or place of leisure innovation with the circumstances of war in Europe, yet it proved a fertile ground for the evolution of #arcade games.
Today we'll look at one of the most fascinating games from this period: Spotlight Golf!
Today we'll look at one of the most fascinating games from this period: Spotlight Golf!
November 10, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Britain in the mid-1930s does not seem like a time or place of leisure innovation with the circumstances of war in Europe, yet it proved a fertile ground for the evolution of #arcade games.
Today we'll look at one of the most fascinating games from this period: Spotlight Golf!
Today we'll look at one of the most fascinating games from this period: Spotlight Golf!
Reposted
7 more scans of The Billboard are now up! This concludes the large box of incredibly rare (though crumbling) Billboard magazines I was given at Ontario Pinfest.
1935-1946 represented, huge range
pinballnovice.blogspot.com/2025/11/scan...
#pinball #retroarcade #scans #slotmachines #skeeball
1935-1946 represented, huge range
pinballnovice.blogspot.com/2025/11/scan...
#pinball #retroarcade #scans #slotmachines #skeeball
November 8, 2025 at 2:34 AM
7 more scans of The Billboard are now up! This concludes the large box of incredibly rare (though crumbling) Billboard magazines I was given at Ontario Pinfest.
1935-1946 represented, huge range
pinballnovice.blogspot.com/2025/11/scan...
#pinball #retroarcade #scans #slotmachines #skeeball
1935-1946 represented, huge range
pinballnovice.blogspot.com/2025/11/scan...
#pinball #retroarcade #scans #slotmachines #skeeball
Another game capitalizing on war-time anxiety: Ace Bomber by International Mutoscope!
Lighting up the sky with artillery fire as in the Battle of Britain, this was among the most sophisticated war "simulators" before America was confronted with the real thing.
Lighting up the sky with artillery fire as in the Battle of Britain, this was among the most sophisticated war "simulators" before America was confronted with the real thing.
November 6, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Another game capitalizing on war-time anxiety: Ace Bomber by International Mutoscope!
Lighting up the sky with artillery fire as in the Battle of Britain, this was among the most sophisticated war "simulators" before America was confronted with the real thing.
Lighting up the sky with artillery fire as in the Battle of Britain, this was among the most sophisticated war "simulators" before America was confronted with the real thing.
Don't climb on the #pinball!
Well, if you have to, make sure there's stirrups.
Some lovely promotional pics for J. H. Keeney's Stable Mate as pointed out by @ftb1979.bsky.social
Well, if you have to, make sure there's stirrups.
Some lovely promotional pics for J. H. Keeney's Stable Mate as pointed out by @ftb1979.bsky.social
November 4, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Don't climb on the #pinball!
Well, if you have to, make sure there's stirrups.
Some lovely promotional pics for J. H. Keeney's Stable Mate as pointed out by @ftb1979.bsky.social
Well, if you have to, make sure there's stirrups.
Some lovely promotional pics for J. H. Keeney's Stable Mate as pointed out by @ftb1979.bsky.social