Experimental Wooden Bowling Pin
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Experimental wooden bowling pin is machine turned maple. The pin is cut in half vertically and marked in ink with diameters and other numerical markings. These were used during the invention process of the automatic pin setter machine developed by the donor's grandfather Fred Schmidt. In the late 1930s, Schmidt patented "a method for picking up and re-setting bowling pins through the use of mechanical suction cups." Schmidt first went to the Brunswick Corporation but was turned away. Without financial backing, Schmidt sold the rights to his invention and American Machine (AMF) bought the patents. It took them until 1951 to perfect the design and create the first pin setting machine based on Schmidt's patented design.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: name of sport
content: Bowling
label: web subject
content: Sports
label: level of sport
content: recreational
label: web subject
content: Invention
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Keith Schmidt
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1997.0306.01
label: accession number
content: 1997.0306
label: catalog number
content: 1997.0306.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pin, bowling
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood, maple (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 37.2 cm x 12 cm x 5.5 cm; 14 21/32 in x 4 23/32 in x 2 5/32 in