"the Pitcher's Battle" Pinball-style Baseball Game
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"the Pitcher's Battle" Pinball-style Baseball Game
About the Item
There were many pinball-style baseball games produced throughout the middle of the 20th century, but few if any are as pleasingly in terms of both colors and graphics as this 1935 patented example, made by Robert G. Kollmorgen. Kollmorgan produced these boards in a cottage industry setting, featuring Tommy Bridges of the Detroit Tigers.
The background is made of lithographed paper, laid over a wooden backboard. The sides are aluminum. A wooden wheel turns to advance the runners and there is a spring-loaded, wooden plunger.
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges (b. Dec.8, 1906, d. Apr. 19, 1968) played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. Bridges was known for his outstanding curve ball, which he used to help the team to its first World Series championship in 1935. He retired with 1674 career strikeouts, then the eighth highest total in American League history, and held the Tigers franchise record for career strikeouts from 1941 to 1951.
Kollmorgen was born Aug. 29, 1913 in Coldwater, Michigan. In 1935, he invented and patented the Tommy Bridges Pitchers Battle Baseball Game Board, which was sold at J. L. Hudson’s in Detroit. He obtained five additional contracts from other baseball stars of the era to produce other game boards, but due to World War II, materials became unavailable and no more game boards were produced. He enlisted in U.S. Army Air Force during WWII and survived the war. He died on Sept. 28, 2008 in Clearwater.
Mounting: The case has been recessed in a mount made from archival foam core covered in 100% cotton twill, black in color, which has been washed and treated to reduce and set the dye. The wooden shadowbox frame is simple and black in color. The front is U.V. protective acrylic.
Condition: Beautifully preserved colors. Expected wear from regular use. Slight crack in wooden plunger casing. Marbles are vintage but not original to the game.
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1935
- Condition:See Item Description.
- Seller Location:York County, PA
- Reference Number:Seller: gbd-0971stDibs: U1104018497376
About the Seller
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