Coinbox/Cashbox Identification Guide

Note: This page is a work in progress. Please help get it to a completed state by adding any useful information to it.

1 Introduction

All pinball machines had a coinbox (aka cashbox) to catch and secure coins as they were fed into games. However, each manufacturer and each era of games had their own shape and style throughout the years. Often times, coin boxes went missing from games for various reasons as they were removed from locations.

2 Manufacturers

2.1 Allied Leisure

2.1.1 Generation 1

• Bin Measurements:
• Cover Measurements:
• Distinguishing features:

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  Parts catalog drawing

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2.1.2 Generation 2/3

• Box Measurements:
• Lid Measurements:

2.2 Atari

2.2.1 Generation 1

There are two known styles of coin boxes. One that is made of folded sheet metal and with "wings" on the cover's coin holes; found in Atarians. The other style is molded and the cover lacks "wings"; found in all other generation 1 games.

2.2.1.1 Atarians

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• Lid Measurements:

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  Side

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  Open

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  Cover

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  Bin without cover

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  Front

2.2.1.2 All Other Titles

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2.3 Bally

2.3.1 Woodrail Era (1960s)

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2.3.2 EM Era (1970s)

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2.3.3 Classic (-17/-35 MPUs)

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2.3.4 Hybrid (Baby Pacman / Granny & The Gators)

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2.3.5 6803 MPU

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2.8 Gottlieb

EM and System 1/80 are often confused with each other because of their similar appearance, but slightly different measurements. One easily identifiable visual difference is that the handle on EM coinboxes have a single rivet on each side of the handle, while System 1/80 coinboxes have two rivets on each side of the handle. Additionally, the EM coinboxes have a sliding cover, while System 1/80 have a cover that lifts up and out.

System 80A coinboxes are a different shape than System 1/80 because of the narrower coin door.

System 80B games returned to a more traditional-sized coin door, and the size of coinboxes also followed that change.

2.8.1 Woodrail Era (1950s-1960s)

• Bin Measurements:
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• Distinguishing features:
• Games:

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  There are two bins for each game (one for each coin drop)

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2.8.2 Wedgehead Era (1960s)

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• Distinguishing features:
• Games: October 1959 - December 1962 (dates/games unconfirmed)

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2.8.3 EM Era (1960s-1970s)

• Bin Measurements:
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• Distinguishing features: Cover slides off the bin. There is one rivet on each side of the handle

2.8.3.1 1960s-1975

• Distinguishing features: The cover's middle hole for coins is off-center
• Games: Nov 1966 (Dancing Lady) to Nov 1975 (Abra Ca Dabra)

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2.8.3.2 1975 & Later

• Distinguishing features: The cover's middle hole for coins is centered.
• Games: Nov 1975 (Gold Strike) and later

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2.8.4 System 1 & 80

• Bin Measurements: 10-7/8 wide x 8-1/4" deep x 3-7/8" tall. Rear panel with the lock hole is 4-3/4" tall.
• Cover Measurements:
• Distinguishing features: Cover lifts up and out of the bin. There are two rivets on each side of the handle.

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  Coinbox with label on lid. Post-Nov/1975

2.8.5 System 80A

2.8.5.1 Steel Coin Door (textured)

• Games: A few titles released with the steel coin door also had versions released with the narrow black coin door.

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2.8.5.2 Narrow Black Coin Door

• Games: The narrow black coin door can be found on at least a few different titles, such as Alien Star, Bounty Hunter, Jacks to Open, Royal Flush Deluxe, The Games, and Touchdown. Many of these games can also be found with the wide black coin door or steel coin door. It's currently unknown why the cabinets for these games had the different coin doors available. Production numbers for each variation are currently unknown.

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2.8.5.3 Wide Black Coin Door

This coin door is slightly wider than the coin door found on later System 80B and System 3 games.

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2.8.6 System 80B

Gottlieb System 3 alphanumeric games used the same coin door and coinbox as found on System 80B games.

• Bin Measurements:
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• Distinguishing features: The lid fits inside of the bin and hooks into the front of the bin. Bin has a wire handle, unlike all other Gottlieb coinboxes.

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2.8.7 System 3

System 3 games had different coinboxes depending upon whether it was an alphanumeric game or a DMD game.

The DMD games have three known versions of coinboxes--one for standard domestic 2-chute coin doors, one for foreign 1-chute coin doors, and one for foreign 3-chute coin doors.

Also, note that most Williams System 3-11 and WPC coinboxes will fit inside of Gottlieb System 3 games.

2.8.7.1 Alphanumeric Games

Gottlieb system 3 alphanumeric games used the same coin door and coinbox as found on System 80B games.

• Bin Measurements:
• Cover Measurements:
• Distinguishing features: The lid fits inside of the bin and hooks into the front of the bin. Bin has a wire handle, unlike all other Gottlieb coinboxes.

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2.8.7.2 DMD Games

2.8.7.2.1 Domestic (2-Chute)

Domestic 2-chute coin door

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2.8.7.2.2 Export (1-Chute/3-Chute)

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  German 1-chute coin door

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• Bin Measurements:
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• Distinguishing features: Elongated center hole. This coinbox could also be used with a foreign 3-chute coin door. The Bin is identical to the domestic coinbox bin.

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2.8.7.2.3 Export (3-Chute)

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  German 3-chute coin door

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• Bin Measurements:
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• Distinguishing features: Plastic suitcase style coinbox found in German export games, similar to Williams' German export games. Unconfirmed if games were actually shipped with this suitcase style coinbox.

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2.11 Recel

2.11.1 EM Era

• Game(s): 1975 Top Speed
• Measurements: 28cm wide x 21cm long x 10cm deep. 10mm hole for padlock.
• Additional Details:

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2.13 Sonic

2.13.2 Solid State Era

• Bin Measurements:
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• Distinguishing features:
• Note: Unconfirmed if this box is EM or SS or both.

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2.15 Stern

2.15.2 MPU-200

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2.16 Williams

2.16.1 Woodrail Era

• Game(s): 1957 Williams Jig Saw
• Measurements: Box is 8" wide x 6-1/2" long x 2-1/2" deep
• Additional Details: Used with a deluxe 5/25¢ coin door

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  Note that cover for coin box slides into grooves in cabinet and does not attach to box.

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• Style: 1965-1966 Drop-Front Cabinet
• Measurements: Box is 10" wide x 8-1/2" long x 3-3/4" deep
• Additional Details:

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  (Painted)

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  (Painted)

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  (Painted)

2.16.2 Wedgehead Era

• Style: Williams "inverted wedgehead"
• Measurements: Box is 8” wide X 8-1/2” long and either 2-1/2” or 4-1/2” deep
• Additional Details: Shallow box part number C-5669, Deep box part number C-5669-1, Lid part number C-5592

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2.16.3 EM Era (1960s-1970s)

• Style: 1966 Hot Line through 1969?
• Measurements: Box is 10" wide X 10" long X 3-1/2" deep
• Additional Details: It wasn't very long before the tin dividers got phased out in favor of plastic bins. Hot Line came with bins. The 1969 catalog shows bins and a box with tabs. The 1972 catalog has new bins and a box with no tabs. The 1977 catalog adds the wire handle.

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• Style: Late 1960s-1970s
• Additional Details:

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  First coin tray design B-6931 (Narrow)

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  First coin tray design B-6931-1 (Medium)

• Style: Early 1970s. Seen in the Williams 1971-1972 parts catalog.

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  Second coin tray design 3C-7293 (narrow)

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  Second coin tray design 3C-7292 (medium)

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  Part #: C-6855

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• Style: 1970s EM through 1970s early solid-state
• Measurements:
• Additional details: The cash box with wire handle. There are a few variations of this type as it was used from late 1960s up through the 1970s into the solid-state era, and was finally replaced with black plastic bins in the early 1980s.

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  Double Chute Lid

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  Double Chute Lid (reverse)

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  Triple Chute Lid

2.16.4 System 3-6

It is currently unclear which style of coinbox went to which system or game since coinboxes tended to be similar, but with variations on the handles, covers, etc. The metal coinboxes with the wire handle were used in the late 1960s EM games, up through early solid state games until they were replaced in the early 1980s by black plastic bins with a metal cover.

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  Metal dividers

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2.16.5 System 7-9

Beginning with System 7, metal bins were replaced with black plastic bins, but still had a metal cover.

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2.16.6 System 11 & WPC Era

Cash boxes from the system 11 to WPC era are fairly consistent. Most had a plastic bin and a metal top. The one exception is games that were exported to Germany. Those machines had an entirely plastic box with a handle on it, which can be pulled out and carried like a small suitcase. The mounting bracket for this style of cashbox is different than the traditional plastic box with the metal lid, as seen in North American games.

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  Suitcase style coinbox

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