The Internet Pinball Serial Number Database or IPSND collects serial numbers of pinball machines and publishes a database of these on the Internet. Our goal is to make available a registration of all pinball machines in existence and allow tools for slicing, dicing and visualization of the data.

Games: 6,703  Serials: 71,232  Visitors: 83,052,973  Members: 5,827  Photos: 46,597  Lat/Lng: 39,797  Masks: 71,232(1,062.69%)  Traits: 579  Nudges: 236,264  Backglasses: 1,865
  Most Serials: Twilight Zone(1,363)  Most Submissions: Dennis Braun(6,173)  Most Points: Dennis Braun(45,959)  Highest Quality: The Knight(17.00)  Most Nudges: pinballservice-nl(30,398)
Rocket III - IPSND/IPDB No. 1989 - April 1967
Backglass Image
Manufacturer: Bally Manufacturing Corporation (1931-1983)
Players: 1
MPU: None/Unknown
Production Run: 2,603
Game Type: Electro-mechanical (EM)
Model: 800
Submissions: 30 serials of 2,603 (1.15%)
Coverage help:

Coverage is a mathematical interpretation of the serial numbers that have been submitted so far. The term 'coverage' relates to the amount of the production run that has been 'covered' in the given submissions.

There are two coverage methods shown, each has a different approach of calculating an guess on the number of games produced by analysing the currently submitted serial numbers.

Linear: Linear coverage simply looks at the highest serial number and subtracts from it the smallest serial number to estimate the number of games produced. For some games, this works fine because the serial numbers were sequential and without gaps (Early Bally, Early Stern, etc). However, this approach starts to fail quickly for games that serial numbers are part of a bigger numbering scheme (Williams pre 1984, Current Stern) or that intentially had gaps/skips in the numbering sequence(Gottlieb post 1960). If you see a linear coverage number that is higher than the known production run, it is probably not the best way to look at the serial range and you should look at the clustered approach below.

Clustered: Clustered coverage assumes that there are gaps/skips in the serial sequence for a game. It groups the serial numbers together based upon how close they are to the next serial number in the sequence. If they fall within a certain threshold then the SerialBot assumes that there are valid serial numbers between the two. If they are far enough apart, then the SerialBot assumes this is a gap. Once all the gaps and groups are determined, it sums up all the linear ranges in each group. This way, if a sample run of games started at 15,000-15,100 and the production games started at 17,000 onwards, it would assume that the serial numbers between 15,100-17,000 were a gap an are not counted. Using this method, as more serial numbers are submitted the gap analysis will get more accurate.

2,352 (90.36%) linear / 835(32.08%) in 8 clusters 130 wide.
Cluster Serial Number SerialBot Submitted By Country Game Part

Submit a new Game Trait

The following traits help

Game Traits are properties for an individual game that you would like to see tracked along with the other information gathered for a serial number submission. Some examples of existing traits are... Joust: Black or Blue bottom Arch, Black Knight: Faceted Inserts or Normal Inserts, Twilight Zone: 3rd Magnet Installed or not.

have been submitted for this game...

Field NameDescriptonSubmitted BySubmit DateSubmitted
Left Outlane Special The game in the manufacturer's flyer and possibly other Early Production games did not have a Special insert for the left outlane. Jay St@fford11/14/201216
Left Outlane Kickback The game in the manufacturer's flyer and possibly other Early Production games did not have a kickback in the left outlane. Jay St@fford11/14/201215
Playfield Glass Style The game in the manufacturer's flyer and possibly other Early Production games have a glass that slides out from the front after the lockdown bar is removed, instead of a glass that lifts up in its metal frame. Jay St@fford11/14/201219
Backbox Replay Capability Several games in Italy (and maybe elsewhere) had no replay unit and no replay window in the backglass. Jay St@fford11/14/201217
Backglass Composition Bally produced backglasses for this game in both crystal glass and Plexiglas. If your backglass came from another game or is reproduction, select Replacement. Jay St@fford11/30/201510
Add-a-ball Relay This relay came as an option to operators when purchasing the game. It would change the mode of the game from Replay to one extra ball per ball in play. If installed, this relay can be found in a space made for it on the lower cabinet board, attached by two screws using starter holes (shallow dimples) made for them, and plugged into a nearby 10-position jack which otherwise has a shorting plug in it for replay operation. Photos can be found on the IPDB. Indicate if your game has this relay or not. Removal of this relay is expected for games shipped to areas that allow replays or due to owner preference. If you can discern from the depth or condition of the starter holes that the relay had been installed at one time but was removed (and a shorting plug re-installed), select "Removed". If the relay is present but is home-made or was made after-factory, select "Reproduction". Jay St@fford3/7/20189
Balls Per Game Option According to two different versions of schematics for this game, some games (probably Early Production) could be set for either 3 balls per game or 5 balls per game, while 7 balls per game was not an option. Other games could be set for 3, 5, or 7 balls per game. Select if your game has options for 3 or 5 balls only, or has options for 3, 5, or 7 balls per game. In case your schematic disagrees with how your game is optioned, make your selection based on what is actually equipped for your game, NOT what is printed on your schematic. Jay St@fford3/7/20185

Cluster Serial Number Country

This section lists any known game part serials that happen to match this game's serial mask (if defined). What this can tell you is if a game has any orphaned parts that might exist in other machines. This generally applies to CPU/MPU boards, Driver Boards, Display boards etc that are easily moved from game to game. Repair shops and distributors often robbed parts from other 'scrap' games laying around in a pinch if they were not able to fix the original part or of the original part was damaged beyond repair. If serials start showing up in the database as 'game parts', there is potentially a good chance that that game has been parted out completely, which is unfortunate. It is becoming more and more common for people to part out games and sell them on ebay simply because the seller can often make more money that way.... Please do not sacrifice complete games for money!!!

SerialBotSerial NumberTypeSubmitted ByCountryDetails
There are no submitted game part serial numbers for this game

This section lists any known information about how to physically find serial numbers on games created by this manufacturer. For all manufacturer tips, please visit the Serial Tips Page . (Please do not post serial numbers here on this form.)

Posted 1/11/2007 11:42:34 PM by Bill Ung

60's games most often had the serial number stamped into the wood cabinet directly below the right flipper button. The serial number was a 4-digit number.

For games manufactured from the mid 70's onwards, the serial number is located on the left- hand side of the headpiece (while facing the game), up near the top. The serial number I got off of Centaur was: ECE4682. From more recent data, it seems that Bally serial numbers of that era start with an E (perhaps for "Electronic") followed by two letters that identify the machine and then a serial number of three or four digits.

On Bally games from around 1986 to 1988 there are two numbers on the game. One is a six digit number sticker near the FBI warning on the back, and this is not the serial number. The real serial number is a three or four digit number printed at the top of the right-hand side of the head (while facing the game) and on a bar code sticker mid-left in the cabinet (although this sticker sometimes falls off.)

Posted 6/27/2007 12:09:07 PM by Jess Askey
I just noticed on my Centaur (1981), that my displays have serial number stickers on them. I didn't know that Bally games had serial numbers on the PCB's that matched the cabinet serial number. The stickers don't seem to be of the best quality though, I only had two stickers with serial numbers out of the 5 displays.
Posted 11/11/2007 11:15:26 PM by Jess Askey
On Pre-Flipper woodrails like 1946's Surf Queens, the serial number is stamped into the wood where the right flipper button would soon be.
Posted 10/7/2008 9:09:14 AM by Arm Binger
All Bally E/M-Machines have their serial-numbers stamped below or beneath the right flipper-button and also on the right side of the litebox. Serial always started with 1000. Solid-State Machines from Bally have the numbers on the left side.
Posted 11/17/2008 3:12:37 AM by Matt Rusk
Also on most 70's bally machines there is a manufacture's certificate stapled somewhere inside the cabinet, usually somewhere near the coin box.
Posted 4/23/2009 11:19:49 PM by King of Pinball
On a 1975 Air Aces, the serial number may appear in at least 4 places. As is typical of Bally machines, it is stamped into the wood under the right flipper button. Second, it is printed on a bar-code sticker on the inside of the coin door in the format "Air Aces xxxx." The 5 digit number just above that is not the serial number. In addition, the last 3 digits of the 4 digit number may be stamped twice in ink on the wood just behind the coinbox. You will need to remove the coinbox and these 2 numbers will be clearly visable on the wood facing you as you look into the coin door opening.
Posted 6/28/2009 8:28:14 PM by Paul Dadd
Found 'Hay Ride' serial on "manufacturers certificate" in far upper right of playfield under glass.
Posted 8/21/2009 12:05:35 PM by William Smith
I just had a bally CYPRESS GARDENS machine given to me. The serial number that I have found is located on the right side of the head piece near the top and forward of center. My serial number is C3471. I have no idea what it means or why it is what it is.
Posted 10/12/2009 11:36:38 PM by Jay Stafford
Bally EM numbers started with 1001, not 1000. The first game would be 1001.
Posted 7/30/2010 3:48:07 PM by Roger Fredrich
Space Invaders 1980 Number is on the left side at the cabinet near the left flipper button. Not easy to read it correctly :-(
Posted 10/23/2010 1:46:49 PM by King of Pinball
For early 30's games, the serial number can be in varying places. On a 1935 Jumbo, for example, it can be under the glass stamped into the metal frame holding the instruction card. Or, it can be stamped into the wood on the outside, on the back of the cabinet. However, it will not normally be in both locations.
Posted 8/17/2011 6:55:14 AM by Steve Fulton
My Ballys Space Invaders 1980 game has the serial in these places: stamped in the outside left side of main cabinet, stamped in the outside left side of backglass cabinet, stapled paper behind coin box, matching stickers on each electronic board behind the backglass, and also a matching sticker on the back of every LCD score screen.
Posted 11/15/2014 1:05:21 PM by DAVID KELLY
My 1976 Bally Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy has serial # carved in the outside left side of main cabinet and carved in the outside left side of backglass cabinet.
Posted 11/16/2014 10:21:40 AM by Charles Ritter
Found SN on power supply, and processor boards
Posted 3/7/2015 1:35:54 PM by Pistol Pete
On Bally Bingo games the serial numbers are found on the right side of the head/backbox, the top arch of the playfield and by one of the right light shields on the playfield.
Members can submit new tips on how to find serial numbers! Sign up for a free membership here!

This game has the following serial number formats defined in the database. As serial numbers are sumbitted, trends are recognized and defined or information about a serial number format is collected through historical information.

TypeExamplesRegExMaskLowerLimitUpperLimitAutoAssignable
Production Game 1472, 1533, 1570 ^((RO)?)(?<sortdata>[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9])$ 1001 False


The Serial Bot Summary information here gives a detailed explanation of the Serial Bot analysis for this specific game. The theory behind the Serial Bot is this...

Every game has many many serial number submissions, the goal of the IPSND is not to guarantee that *all* information is 100% correct but that over time, the system should automatically devalue inaccurate submissions while increasing the value of correct submissions.

You may click on the SerialBot score of any submission to see how it was calculated.

SerialBot Color Codes:
- Not Validated The serial number submission has not yet been validated by the submitter via email.
- Unknown There is no known information on the serial number format for this game yet. As more submissions are received we can start to make a best guess on the serial number format.
- Good If a serial does not fail any of the tests for a status of Warning or Bad, then it is good.
- Suspect A serial will have a suspect status if the format is technically correct but there is something wrong with the data. Examples might be that the number might be too high or low for the known range of serials for this game.
- Bad If a game has a serial number definition mask defined for it, then a serial may be marked as 'bad' if the number does not validate agains the mask. Masks are created for games by looking at known serial number formats and consist of a regular expression to define the format of a game serial.

SerialBot Scores:
1 Point Awarded if the serial number has a game assigned to it. This autoatically makes submissions with a known game more valuable than submissions without a known game.
1 Point Awarded if the serial number has been 'verified' by the submitter. A submission is 'verifed' if the submitter clicks on the link in the email sent to them for each submission. The basis for this rule is that submissions by people that do not take the time to respond to the email might be entering garbage data and/or giving fake email addresses. However, it is common for 'verification' emails to get stuck in spam filters etc, so, members may have 'verification' emails re-sent at any time.
1 Point Awarded if the submitted serial number matches one of the predefined serial number masks for this game.
1 Point Awarded if the serial number was marked as 'Physically Viewed' during the submission process. This is an interesting distinction as there are many times that serial numbers are submitted off owners lists, Ebay auction, etc. While these serial numbers are valuable, they may also be innacurate. In comparison, Physically Viewed serial number submissions are numbers that the submitter has actually been in front of the machine reading the number and then submitting it. Since it is more likely to get a good visual from a physically viewed machine, this gains an extra point.
1 Point If a photo is uploaded with the serial number submission. The submission automatically gains an additional point. Be aware however that this opens the submission up to 'Nudges' by members where even more points can be added or subtracted based upon the quality and accuracy of the photo.
-3 to +3 Points Members can 'Nudge' every sumitted photo once and give it an extra boost of 1 point or take away 1 point depending if the photo matches the submitted serial number. While any number of members may nudge a serial, the nudging can only affect the score by +/- 3 points in either direction.

The following map shows the locations of all serial numbers that were submitted with a geolocation...