Founded in 1932 in Chicago, Illinois, by Samuel H. Gensburg, Chicago Coin was a significant early manufacturer of pinball tables. Originally starting as a trade-in business for coin-operated games, the company eventually expanded into manufacturing its own pinball tables, with their debut being Blackstone in 1933. Despite not being known for innovation, Chicago Coin saw immense success around World War II, notably with their Beam-Lite table in 1935 and the flipperless Kilroy in 1947, the latter becoming the best-selling pinball table until the 1970s. The company also ventured into sports tables and shuffle alleys. In 1977, the assets of Chicago Coin were acquired to establish Stern Electronics, Inc.