The end of 1996 marked the twentieth anniversary of the formation of the Pinball Owners Association. It was in December 1976 that Ken Berry formed Britain's first club for collectors of coin-operated equipment. Simon Holman has been trawling through the archives to find out how it all began...
As the Pinball Owners Association starts to celebrate its 20th anniversary year we look back to how it all began, back in the seventies when electro-mechanical games were king. The club was formed by Ken Berry, who introduced himself to me while I was running the POA stand at this year's Jukebox Madness Show.
Ken has always been interested in mechanical things, such as vintage cars. 20 years ago he owned an immaculate 1937 Baby Austin Ruby. As a youngster, he took the family television set to pieces and got it working again.
However, he was introduced to what was to become the love of his life - pinball - as a schoolboy while on holiday with his parents at Cromer in Norfolk. He played pinball for the first time there and was fascinated with the bells, flashing lights and whole mystique of the game. Little did he know that one day he would have his own private collection of games, and then a business operating not only pin tables, but all types of amusement equipment.
The idea of having his own machine at home came when he discovered a friend had bought one, and this idea turned into reality within weeks of seeing the film, Tommy. Ken, then a plastic toy manufacturing company production manager in his mid twenties, bought his first machine from a junk shop: a 1958 Williams' Kick Off; an apt name with which to start his collection. This machine cost Ken £25. He tampered with it and using his knowledge of electronics, acquired as an Army cadet and at the Royal School of Signals, he discovered how all the relays, bells and bumpers worked. Later, with the aid of a wiring diagram obtained from the manufacturers, it took him six months to sort out all the problems with it.
Soon, the search commenced for some more machines which hopefully would not be as troublesome. He found three in an antiques shop which he snapped up. He found that a lot of shops who dealt in pin tables assured him that they were in perfect working order, but when he got them home, they were not. He learned that unless they were tested at the shop, he could easily be 'had'.
Soon Ken was touring the country attending auctions where he was picking up machines for around £20. (New games, incidently, cost about £500 at the time.) Asking local operators and placing adverts in local newspapers turned up some useful sources of other games. If they weren't working, he soon fixed them. Among the first games he bought were Kings and Queens and Buckaroo, which were featured in Tommy. In the film these games were played by Roger Daltrey and Elton John during the Pinball Wizard scene of the film.
Every time a new machine arrived in the living room of his two-up two-down house, in Worcester Park, Surrey, out went another piece of furniture, until there was only part of a three piece suite left. The tables shared their new accommodation with other amusements such as a pair of fruit machines and a couple of football tables along with an electronic darts game. Disco Vibra-Sound lights added extra atmosphere to the house, which he shared with his cat, Tiddles. Luckily his neighbours and his girlfriend shared his interest in the unusual hobby. He often had pinball nights with his friends, where everyone brought round a beer, and played against each other on the tables. He thought it was a good job he wasn't married as no wife would probably stand for it!
As Ken's collection grew, he decided to rent a garage to store his games and reduce the number in his house which was getting a bit crowded. By utilising the garage he cut the number of games at home from six to three. He could now rotate games at home with the tables in storage. He also loaned games to friends for safekeeping and even persuaded his mother to have a game in her living room. When his collection totalled eleven tables, the local press reported it to be the largest private collection anywhere.
Pinball was going through a high level of popularity around this time which was also helped with the publication of two books on the subject, one in which Ken was mentioned. He soon got to know other private owners, but no owners of multiple games like himself. He helped repair their games, and bought, sold, and swapped with them. He also did a deal with Rick Wakeman who owned a couple of machines, and found out that Elton John and members of The Who were pinball fans too.
More local interest followed which was subsequently picked up by the London evening papers, then by local and national radio, and finally by television when Ken took five machines to the BBC Pebble Mill studios. After the publicity, flipper fans young and old alike wrote to the locals, nationals, and the BBC asking for more information on pinball. It was realised that there were a lot of other pinball fanatics out there, and because of all the interest, Ken and six others decided to form a club. This was in November, 1976.
They put advertisements in the amusement trade weekly newspaper, Coin Slot, and in the Exchange and Mart. Ken expected no more than 50 replies, but was amazed to get nearly 300 within a week! They came from people all over the country and from all walks of life such as an undertaker, racing driver, cinema projectionist, printer, airline pilot, accountant, teacher, local government officer and a bricklayer.
By the end of the year a proper association with a committee had been formed and within six months there were 200 members. One of these was a freelance film editor who, in 1977, worked at Shepperton film studios, where Tommy was made. In the props dump he found a pile of smashed up, rusting old pinball machines which were used in the film. They let him have one, a Bank-a-Ball, which he then restored to as good as new. The POA address was at Ken's house which was known as The Pinball Wizards Cave.
In February 1977 the association newsletter, Replay was launched. In March a penny slot section was added by members of another newly formed group - The Penny Slot Collectors club -which was for anyone interested in collecting, renovating and preserving vintage penny slot machines. From then on, the magazine became a joint publication of both associations. It told members where to get spare parts, gave advice for first time buyers, had competitions and contained private adverts offering games for sale. Early adverts included a Captain Kidd for £100 and a Magic City for £30.
The association grew, and soon attracted members from all over the world. One notable addition to the ranks of POA members in early 1978 was Tom Nieman from Chicago, USA. Tom was a senior executive at Bally, and the owner of a Captain Fantastic pin table, serial number 0001!
The association was also becoming well known within the amusement trade, with regular articles in the Coin Slot, which generated further members. Ken wrote to Elton John, asking him to become president of the POA, but unfortunately he declined, saying he wouldn't have the time to give it his proper attention due to other commitments, such as Watford Football Club.
It was decided to have a meeting on the third Thursday of every month at The Black Lion Pub in Chelsea where there were three tables, which attracted members from all over the country. They had a competition and whoever scored the most was named the champion of the month.
The first 'convention' was a Christmas party held at the Sutton United Football Club, whose press officer was also the press officer of the POA. By this time there were 300 members, and 150 of these attended the party, many bringing their own machines. Ruffler and Deith, the fore-runner of today's Deith Leisure, lent their very latest game on which the finals of the competition to find the 1977 Pinball Wizard were held. This was the first ever official championship held in Britain, and the finalists were the winners of the monthly meetings held at the Black Lion. Tony Clarke from Portsmouth was the overall winner that year. Both Tony and Ken are still members of the association.
So there you have it. One article about one man's hobby in a local newspaper led to the entire existence of the Pinball Owners Association; now with nearly 500 members and many conventions behind it.
