How to identify cocktail underlay reproductions / originals?

pookdolie

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How to identify cocktail underlay reproductions / originals?

Hi folks. What's the easiest way for me to determine if my cocktail has a repro underlay, or an original one? Are there generally some identifying marks repro professionals are putting on their work to distinguish them? Can it be done by looking at materials / fonts / etc?

I've heard "if it's not wrinkled, it's not original". Seems a little hit or miss to me.

In this case, it's a Journey cocktail underlay.
 
Now that I think about it, I might have screwed up re: where I put this.

Could an admin move this to Restorations?
 
Hi folks. What's the easiest way for me to determine if my cocktail has a repro underlay, or an original one? Are there generally some identifying marks repro professionals are putting on their work to distinguish them? Can it be done by looking at materials / fonts / etc?

I've heard "if it's not wrinkled, it's not original". Seems a little hit or miss to me.

In this case, it's a Journey cocktail underlay.

As far as I know, most originals weren't underlays. In most cases, the graphics were screened directly onto glass. I know Pacs, Tappers, etc were screened, as were all Atari cocktails. I think underlays were more of a recent repro option. There are bound to be exceptions, but I think most original cocktail glasses were screened.
 
As far as I know, most originals weren't underlays. In most cases, the graphics were screened directly onto glass. I know Pacs, Tappers, etc were screened, as were all Atari cocktails. I think underlays were more of a recent repro option. There are bound to be exceptions, but I think most original cocktail glasses were screened.

^^^^^This.
 
As far as I know, most originals weren't underlays. In most cases, the graphics were screened directly onto glass. I know Pacs, Tappers, etc were screened, as were all Atari cocktails. I think underlays were more of a recent repro option.

You might be right. But I've been browsing through other threads on the topic, and I can't seem to find a consensus on this. Were all Bally/Midway cocktail glasses screened? Did they go with underlays at some point? Were underlays an option BIID, as opposed to just being a newer option? I know I've seen Ms. Pac cocktails with underlays that look pretty ancient...maybe they were just incredibly bad underlays.

My Food Fight cocktail artwork looks like it's screened onto the glass, which makes sense...but did they bother doing it with games like Hat Trick? Gaplus?
 
Found a Journey manual, 1983. Under parts list for the Journey cocktail:

2. DECORATIVE ARTWORK UNDERLAY

For fun, checked Ms. Pac-Man maual, 1982. Under parts list for Ms. Pac Man cocktail:

2. ARTWORK UNDERLAY

No such underlay listed in the Pac-Man manual. Nor in the Galaga manual.

Was there ever a list made of cocktails and which used underlays from the factory? Looks like it might be time to make one...

EDIT: adding possible Bally / Midway factory underlay candidates...

Ms. Pac-Man cocktail: underlay
Bosconian: underlay
TRON cocktail: underlay
The Adventures of ROBBY ROTO cocktail: underlay
Blue Print cocktail: underlay
Satan's Hollow cocktail: underlay
Journey cocktail: underlay
Domino Man cocktail: underlay
Tapper cocktail: underlay
Mappy cocktail: underlay
 
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I think they were pretty much all screened but the underlays were sold as replacements for damaged glass? I could be wrong there.
 
I think they were pretty much all screened but the underlays were sold as replacements for damaged glass? I could be wrong there.

Easy way to tell: anyone with the cocktails listed in my post as having underlays just needs to chime in as to what theirs has.

My gut is that they came from the factory with underlays.

EDIT: Just did a search on TRON cocktails and found both used and repro underlays.
 
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the tapper cocktail I had did not have screened glass. It was an underlay. One if the reasons I sold it was it was wavy.

Adding Tapper as having an underlay. I've seen wavy Tapper underlays as well.

Just did some internet research, and found used and worn Mappy underlays, too. Adding Mappy.
 
My MsPac has an original underlay. Wrinkled and stained from spills, finally replaced it with a repro.

Yup, I remember Ms. Pac-Man cocktails as having them. I really don't remember any that had silkscreened art on the glass...although I guess it was possible, especially earlier in the run. Seems like Bally / Midway switched to underlays.
 
Another member with a Tapper cocktail says he has a warped underlay in his. Again, sounds factory to me...
 
Looking at the list, it seems that anything after 1981, 1982 was underlay.

Anyone have info on games like Rally X? Space Invaders?

Based on what I saw in the manuals for Rally X and Pac-Man, I think these were silkscreened onto the glass.

I'm not sure about Bosconian but I *think* it might have been an underlay...
 
On Ms. Pac-Man, keep in mind too that many of them were sold as kits. So they included an underlay so you could use it with the original glass (after scraping the paint off!) on your Pac-Man.

I had a Bosconian, it had an original underlay. Here's a pictuah. Another thing: a lot of these games never had repro stuff done for them, nobody ever did a repro Journey underlay, did they?
 

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I own a Journey cocktail and your research was correct ...they did have an underlay from the factory. Mine had some waves and I was able to make it look almost perfect by heating it up at those points with a hair dryer and quickly putting heavy books on top. I did avoid getting the artwork too hot and I was lucky it came out great. It did not take but a few seconds with the hair dryer to get it hot enough to get it back in shape putting the weight of the books on it. I just took it slow.

~Jeff
 
On Ms. Pac-Man, keep in mind too that many of them were sold as kits. So they included an underlay so you could use it with the original glass (after scraping the paint off!) on your Pac-Man.

I had a Bosconian, it had an original underlay. Here's a pictuah. Another thing: a lot of these games never had repro stuff done for them, nobody ever did a repro Journey underlay, did they?

Not that I know of. Thanks for posting a picture; Bosconian rules!

I own a Journey cocktail and your research was correct ...they did have an underlay from the factory. Mine had some waves and I was able to make it look almost perfect by heating it up at those points with a hair dryer and quickly putting heavy books on top. I did avoid getting the artwork too hot and I was lucky it came out great. It did not take but a few seconds with the hair dryer to get it hot enough to get it back in shape putting the weight of the books on it. I just took it slow.

~Jeff

Good advice. What did they make the original out of? Looks like plastic or something similar to me...
 
Added Domino Man to list of Bally/Midway cocktails with factory underlays...
 
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