The fourth year of Pin Headz issues (2023 #37-48) are now posted.

2023 – year in pinball review.

Erik Wurtenberger won 2022 KY State Championship in January at Arcade Legacy: Newport. Jesse Baker finished 2nd. Just a few months later AL: Newport would close for good leaving just one location (Sharonville) to rule them all!

And late in 2023 the Sharonville location expanded from about 27 pinball machines to 74 which is where we are today in 2026. I was sad to see the games moved out of the beloved pinball pit, but I got over it when I saw the expansion in all its glory.

The biggest tournament of the year was The Open with 269 players. Escher Lefkoff won and took home over 297 WPPRs.

Outside the USA the biggest tournament was the Swedish Championship with 258 players. But the most valuable event of 2023 was the IFPA World Championship held at Freddy’s Pinball Paradise in Echzell, Germany. Thanks to a big TGP boost from this being a Major event the winner, Johannes Ostermeier, took home over 380 WPPRs.

I wrote two multi-part articles in 2023. The Abridged History of Bally (Issues 43, 44, 45) and The Abridged History of SEGA pinball (issues 46, 47, 48). Pinball history is COMPLICATED. These were difficult to write.

Stern only released two games in 2023, Foo Fighters and Venom. Jersey Jack Pinball released Elton John and The Godfather. Chicago Gaming Company put out the awesome Pulp Fiction machine. Barrels of Fun Pinball released Labyrinth, whoops I mean Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. And Spooky Pinball released Scooby Doo.

My favorite Bonus Junk (bonus stuff for print subscribers) of the year was in May issue #41. I gave away a collection of stamps in a custom glassine envelope and a companion “Stamp Headz” zine with info about all the stamps. The stamps were all vintage and unused, the oldest was from 1946.

I was never interested in stamps before Pin Headz. When I started doing mailed subscriptions I went looking for cheap postage. This led me to eBay where you can find vintage postage for sale under face price.

The glue on the back of vintage stamps can’t be trusted, so I had to use a glue stick to attach each one by hand. While time consuming, it was one of  my favorite parts of  doing monthly Pin Headz subscriptions.

Thanks for reading, year 5-6 are coming soon!