For Father's Day, my wife prodded me into visiting the National Pinball Museum. We enjoyed three fascinating hours there learning about the history of pinball and the future plans for David Silverman's museum.

The Road to the National Pinball Museum

When David Silverman described his vision for a National Pinball Museum at his Smithsonian lecture on Halloween 2009, I wanted to see if first hand. My plans were delayed again and again by the holidays, the blizzards, and family affairs. Finally, my wife called Silverman and scheduled our visit. That's why I love her.

The daunting drive "halfway around the Beltway" to the Colesville area of Silver Spring, Maryland proved to be a 50-minute jaunt in light Saturday morning traffic. We parked on a quiet side street and walked up a tree lined driveway to discover magic.

Amidst a Japanese garden, a covered wooden walkway zigzagged toward Silverman's house. We later learned that Silverman's landscaping business specializes in Japanese gardens such as this. We felt completely immersed in the environment that Silverman had created.

Signs guided us around the house to the backyard, where a giant silver ball revealed the purpose of the second building on the property. We climbed up the stairs, examined two pinball games on the porch, opened the double doors, and stepped into the National Pinball Museum.

Dozens of Pinball Machines

The sight of over four dozen pinball machines overwhelmed us. Pinball machines from every era filled row after row. We hardly knew where to start. A five-ball game from the '50s had nickels piled on the glass, so I started to play.

Silverman came over to greet us. He began explaining his collection in the context of the history of pinball.

The oldest games, now hanging on Silverman's wall, were tabletop bagatelle games from the 1870s. These introduced the spring loaded ball shooter.

Next were the earliest countertop coin-operated games from around 1930. I had seen photos of Baffle Ball and Ballyhoo; now I could see their actual playfields displayed on the wall.

Silverman led us to games that showed the technical progress of pinball machines: electric bells, lights, bumpers, flippers, score reels, electronic displays, and final Williams game, Revenge From Mars, in which a half-silvered mirror superimposes a video display image onto the pinball playfield. Silverman was briefly distracted by an employee, so I played Revenge From Mars.

While we had been talking to Silverman, a technician methodically worked on a Williams Indiana Jones. After two visits to the museum, he diagnosed and repaired a broken trace on the processor circuit board. I played a test game. It worked perfectly.

Silverman returned and directed our attention to the score of backglasses displayed on a plate rail above the games. Most were original backglasses with their ink stabilized to prevent further flaking. Some were reproductions. Silverman lamented the unsuccessful attempts to match Gottlieb's unique purple hue.