SKEE-BALL AMUSEMENTS
A
typical row of Skee-Ball machines of the type found on the Rockaway boardwalk
during the 1960s.
One of the most popular of boardwalk attractions was a simple game of skill known as "skee-ball." It is claimed that the game was developed (invented) in Philadelphia in 1909 and it is one of the very first redemption games - that is, points or prizes are awarded for high scoring. The player drops a coin in a chute and a series of brightly colored round hard balls (usually nine) each about the size of a small grapefruit are delivered and the player "rolls" each ball up a ramp and hopefully, the ball lands or falls into sections indicated by point values - from 10 to 50 points. The harder it is to reach a particular hole, the more value is assigned to that hole. Score is kept "automatically" by a display window over each particular unit. At the end of the "rolling," depending upon the final score achieved, the player is awarded points as advertised on wall posters which delineate how many points are issued for any particular score. Tickets are collected by the player for his achievement and are then ultimately redeemed (traded in) for prizes which are on display in a special counter within the store. The more tickets presented, the better the prize. Tickets could be collected over the period of a season (or many seasons) and most shop keepers would even allow you to "bank" your tickets within that particular establishment which made record keeping for both the player and the concession operator a lot easier - it also saved the operator money in the long run because he didn't have to print up as many tickets.
During each season, the different arcade owners would "get together" and exchange or trade points and coupons with each other that they had incorrectly accepted - a result of the massive amount of activity occurring over the summer season. Most of the prizes were "ticketed" or marked at retail value. For example: a travel alarm clock normally retailing for $5.00 would be redeemed at a 500 point value - so it was generally figured that each point was worth approximately one cent each - and a coupon (10 points) was worth a dime.
Back in the early 1960s, it was an amusing and inexpensive way to spend a few afternoon hours. If you decided to play, you simply stopped in to any of the many skee-ball palaces that lined the north side of the boardwalk and with a dollar bill in hand, one of the many young fellows (and gals) who worked as attendants would exchange that paper bill for ten silver dimes (and they actually WERE real silver back in those days!) You would then choose from an array of machines (naturally selecting one that was not occupied) and then you would have the fun of rolling the balls up the ramp until you either ran out of money - or had had enough "fun" for that particular day. You would collect up all the points that had been distributed to you for your play (care had to be taken that you received your appropriate tickets after each and every play - if the attendant did not see your score, you did not get the points) and you would saunter over to the prize counter -either to make a selection at that time or if you happened to see something that you wished to save up for, you would simply pocket your tickets, planning on returning for more play on another occasion.
Prizes in the display counter ranged from a piece of wrapped bubble gum (Bazooka) for one point, to comic books (10 points each) to large stuffed animals that were in the 700 point bracket. The majority of prizes redeemed were probably in the area of between 20 and 25 points. However, during the period of any particular season, it was not uncommon for local area residents to redeem points for some of the larger gifts. It really all depended upon what you wanted to do and how much money and time you wanted to devote to playing skee-ball. Like one amusement operator stated back in 1962, it wasn't about the winning; it was about the playing!