The Internet Pinball Serial Number Database or IPSND collects serial numbers of pinball machines and publishes a database of these on the Internet. Our goal is to make available a registration of all pinball machines in existence and allow tools for slicing, dicing and visualization of the data.

Games: 6,703  Serials: 68,783  Visitors: 75,138,422  Members: 5,648  Photos: 44,295  Lat/Lng: 37,768  Masks: 68,783(1,026.15%)  Traits: 573  Nudges: 224,693  Backglasses: 1,865
  Most Serials: Twilight Zone(1,310)  Most Submissions: Dennis Braun(6,116)  Most Points: Dennis Braun(45,532)  Highest Quality: The Knight(17.00)  Most Nudges: pinballservice-nl(28,448)
Sorcerer - IPSND/IPDB No. 2242 - March 1985
Backglass Image
Manufacturer: Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985)
Players: 4
MPU: Williams System 9
Production Run: 3,700
Game Type: Solid State Electronic (SS)
Model: 532
Submissions: 158 serials of 3,700 (4.27%)
Coverage help:

Coverage is a mathematical interpretation of the serial numbers that have been submitted so far. The term 'coverage' relates to the amount of the production run that has been 'covered' in the given submissions.

There are two coverage methods shown, each has a different approach of calculating an guess on the number of games produced by analysing the currently submitted serial numbers.

Linear: Linear coverage simply looks at the highest serial number and subtracts from it the smallest serial number to estimate the number of games produced. For some games, this works fine because the serial numbers were sequential and without gaps (Early Bally, Early Stern, etc). However, this approach starts to fail quickly for games that serial numbers are part of a bigger numbering scheme (Williams pre 1984, Current Stern) or that intentially had gaps/skips in the numbering sequence(Gottlieb post 1960). If you see a linear coverage number that is higher than the known production run, it is probably not the best way to look at the serial range and you should look at the clustered approach below.

Clustered: Clustered coverage assumes that there are gaps/skips in the serial sequence for a game. It groups the serial numbers together based upon how close they are to the next serial number in the sequence. If they fall within a certain threshold then the SerialBot assumes that there are valid serial numbers between the two. If they are far enough apart, then the SerialBot assumes this is a gap. Once all the gaps and groups are determined, it sums up all the linear ranges in each group. This way, if a sample run of games started at 15,000-15,100 and the production games started at 17,000 onwards, it would assume that the serial numbers between 15,100-17,000 were a gap an are not counted. Using this method, as more serial numbers are submitted the gap analysis will get more accurate.

38,810 (1,048.92%) linear / 3,780(102.16%) in 7 clusters 185 wide.
Cluster Serial Number SerialBot Submitted By Country Game Part

Submit a new Game Trait

The following traits help

Game Traits are properties for an individual game that you would like to see tracked along with the other information gathered for a serial number submission. Some examples of existing traits are... Joust: Black or Blue bottom Arch, Black Knight: Faceted Inserts or Normal Inserts, Twilight Zone: 3rd Magnet Installed or not.

have been submitted for this game...

Field NameDescriptonSubmitted BySubmit DateSubmitted
Backglass Artwork Early backglasses had a solid blue background while later versions accented the blue with black areas. Pictures can be seen at the Internet Pinball Database. Jess Askey11/19/200756
Coin Door Style Two versions of coin doors were installed on this game... the standard System 7 Stainless Steel door or the standard Black with Orange coin slots. Jess Askey12/19/200760
Playfield Robe Colors Two different playfield color schemes have been identified for this game. The differences are found in the color of the sorcerer’s robe and trim, the colors of the feathers on the skull located just above the upper flipper, and the colors of the feathers on the skull located below the upper flipper. The two versions are: 1) Royal purple robe with pink trim. Both skulls have green and red feathers. 2) Blue robe with red trim. Upper skull has red and white feathers. Lower skull has green, red, and white feathers. Selecting the robe color from the Drop Down List will include the associated feather colors. Added 11/23/15: If your playfield has been repainted, is a reproduction, or has been taken from another machine, select Replacement. Jay St@fford7/7/201249

Cluster Serial Number Country

This section lists any known game part serials that happen to match this game's serial mask (if defined). What this can tell you is if a game has any orphaned parts that might exist in other machines. This generally applies to CPU/MPU boards, Driver Boards, Display boards etc that are easily moved from game to game. Repair shops and distributors often robbed parts from other 'scrap' games laying around in a pinch if they were not able to fix the original part or of the original part was damaged beyond repair. If serials start showing up in the database as 'game parts', there is potentially a good chance that that game has been parted out completely, which is unfortunate. It is becoming more and more common for people to part out games and sell them on ebay simply because the seller can often make more money that way.... Please do not sacrifice complete games for money!!!

SerialBotSerial NumberTypeSubmitted ByCountryDetails
48044 53220092 Display/Driver Dennis Braun United States flag United States
47583 53220194 MPU/CPU Dennis Braun United States flag United States
61031 53220362 Display/Driver Dennis Braun United States flag United States
24660 53220430 Display/Driver 4By United States flag United States
27232 53220499 MPU/CPU John Vorwerk United States flag United States
28139 53220590 Power Supply Pistol Pete United States flag United States
50195 53220603 Sound Board Dennis Braun United States flag United States
31482 53220646 Display/Driver Pistol Pete United States flag United States
28140 53220657 Flipper Board Pistol Pete United States flag United States
37788 53220665 Display/Driver Rod McLarge United States flag United States
49095 53220688 Other/Unknown Rod McLarge United States flag United States
36528 53220688 Display/Driver Rod McLarge United States flag United States
33221 53220688 MPU/CPU Pistol Pete United States flag United States
60739 53220946 MPU/CPU Dennis Braun United States flag United States
52475 53220973 Sound Board Mark Hoffman United States flag United States
21855 53220983 MPU/CPU John Vorwerk United States flag United States
27110 53224207 Sound Board John Vorwerk United States flag United States
11160 53252321 Power Supply John Duchi United States flag United States
48455 53255004 Sound Board Dennis Braun United States flag United States
50196 53255109 Sound Board Dennis Braun United States flag United States
27018 53255160 Display/Driver John Vorwerk United States flag United States
62355 53255188 MPU/CPU Dennis Braun United States flag United States
29940 53255248 Display/Driver King of Pinball United States flag United States
47556 53255294 MPU/CPU Dennis Braun United States flag United States
35966 53255316 Display/Driver Rod McLarge United States flag United States
63566 53255321 MPU/CPU Dennis Braun United States flag United States
80026 53255358 Display/Driver Dennis Braun United States flag United States
48086 53255404 Display/Driver Dennis Braun United States flag United States
78189 53255409 MPU/CPU Dennis Braun United States flag United States
64415 53255440 MPU/CPU Dennis Braun United States flag United States
33857 53255532 Display/Driver Pistol Pete United States flag United States
58658 53255799 Other/Unknown Fun House United States flag United States
41900 53255908 Display/Driver Rod McLarge United States flag United States
63150 53255922 MPU/CPU Dennis Braun United States flag United States
80033 53256028 Display/Driver Dennis Braun United States flag United States
52901 53256199 Display/Driver Rod McLarge United States flag United States
48087 53256243 Flipper Board Dennis Braun United States flag United States
47272 53256243 Sound Board Rod McLarge United States flag United States
35165 53256437 MPU/CPU Al_Quantum France flag France
67235 53256779 Display/Driver Dennis Braun United States flag United States
51794 53256786 MPU/CPU Fun House United States flag United States
35967 53256859 Display/Driver Rod McLarge United States flag United States
62668 53257335 Power Supply Dennis Braun United States flag United States
62083 53257379 Sound Board Dennis Braun United States flag United States
68228 53257428 Display/Driver Fun House Germany flag Germany
62577 53257541 Display/Driver Dennis Braun United States flag United States
30043 53257594 Display/Driver John Vorwerk United States flag United States
81001 53257609 Display/Driver Clive Pedersen United States flag United States
68187 53257630 MPU/CPU Max Smart United States flag United States
68186 53257728 Power Supply Max Smart United States flag United States
61065 532I20795 Display/Driver Fun House Germany flag Germany

This section lists any known information about how to physically find serial numbers on games created by this manufacturer. For all manufacturer tips, please visit the Serial Tips Page . (Please do not post serial numbers here on this form.)

Posted 1/11/2007 11:52:51 PM by Bill Ung

Older Williams games are very much like older Gottlieb games. The serial numbers are stamped/etched into the wood on the front of the cabinet. This holds true for anything prior to say, oh, 1984/1985, or around System 9. Occasionally you have to look hard for it, like the Joust game at PAPA 5. I did find it eventually, serial number for that game was: 624985. Williams games from the late 60's up to the mid 80's were 6 digit numbers.

Posted 6/9/2007 8:07:09 PM by Jess Askey
Also, for Joust and Rat Race games... the serial for the tabletop style cabinet is on the 1st player side in the bottom left . It is a 6-digit number stamped into the wood.
Posted 6/19/2007 12:37:14 PM by Jess Askey
Williams also seemed to staple small rectangular paper labels inside the cabinet were the backbox attaches that has the serial number nicely printed in clearly legible text. You have to take the backbox off to see this area generally but it is an easy way to read a serial number if the stamp is mangled. There is also a stamp in this same location generally. I have a hyperball cabinet that has a clearly stamped serial number on the front of the cabinet and inside the top area that doesn't match the printed label however, so it seems they must not have paid close attention to the paper and stamps serials matching all the time.
Posted 6/25/2007 11:10:53 AM by Jess Askey
For Williams video games, the serial number is stamped in the front of the cabinet below the control panel. It is typically above the coin door to the right.
Posted 11/8/2007 6:51:33 PM by Jess Askey
On my Time Fantasy, there was a paper tag stapled on the underside of the Playfield with a serial number on it. The paper tag was about 1" by 2" and had the game name in Black with the serial number printed in Red.
Posted 4/7/2011 8:22:33 PM by Mark Skotchdopole
Found mine on paper tag...90910. interesting because my backglass is green. The guy who owns 90909 is blue. Could mine be the first green backglass made?
Posted 9/17/2011 9:18:09 PM by David DiEnno
Williams Gold Rush: The serial number is located in several places. Inside the lightbox, inside the lower cabinet, the upper playfield apron...all of these three are paper tags. They should all match. If not, sometime in the machine's service life, a part was replaced.
Posted 11/14/2011 8:40:51 AM by Pistol Pete
The serial number may also be found stamped into the metal sheet in the backbox near the right mounting bolt hole, front edge of the metal sheet
Posted 1/8/2012 6:09:04 AM by Crimson Clyde
Let´s see what I found on my Williams Big Deal System. There are two identical numbers I found after a long search. 1st: On the front of the cabinet right under the coin door stamped into the wood. 2nd: Inside the cabinet, viewed through the coin door with a lamp on the right side of the wood crossbrace, printed on a label with the words "Cabinets". These two # are identical! I found many more numbers inside the cabinet but I think that the one stamped in the wood is the true serial. The label with "Cabinets" on it is the only one which matches the one in the wood. So finally you have a double chance to find it. There's also a label called "Panel" inside the cabinet. This label really looks like that one with "Cabinets", but the number isn't the same with "Cabinets" and that in front of the Pinball system. So now, I have to find the year of construction...
Posted 2/10/2012 1:05:38 PM by Robin Leath
If you are struggling to read the stamped Serial No. on the front of the cabinat (Williams somewhere below and to left of coin door) try doing a rubbing by placing a piece of paper over it and rubbing a pencil so that the lead is flat to the paper. Rub this back and forth and the Serial No. will appear and make it easier for you to read. I had to do this on my Gorgar as the No. was in the black area and not heavily stamped, but became clearly visible on a rubbing !
Members can submit new tips on how to find serial numbers! Sign up for a free membership here!

This game has the following serial number formats defined in the database. As serial numbers are sumbitted, trends are recognized and defined or information about a serial number format is collected through historical information.

TypeExamplesRegExMaskLowerLimitUpperLimitAutoAssignable
Production Game 53257627, 53220105, 53220208 ^(532)(?<sortdata>[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]([0-9]?))$ True
International Game 53I258824, 53I257627, 53I257627 ^(532)(I)(?<sortdata>[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]([0-9]?))$ True
Experimental Game 53X258824, 53X257627, 53X257627 ^(532)(X)(?<sortdata>[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]([0-9]?))$ True


The Serial Bot Summary information here gives a detailed explanation of the Serial Bot analysis for this specific game. The theory behind the Serial Bot is this...

Every game has many many serial number submissions, the goal of the IPSND is not to guarantee that *all* information is 100% correct but that over time, the system should automatically devalue inaccurate submissions while increasing the value of correct submissions.

You may click on the SerialBot score of any submission to see how it was calculated.

SerialBot Color Codes:
- Not Validated The serial number submission has not yet been validated by the submitter via email.
- Unknown There is no known information on the serial number format for this game yet. As more submissions are received we can start to make a best guess on the serial number format.
- Good If a serial does not fail any of the tests for a status of Warning or Bad, then it is good.
- Suspect A serial will have a suspect status if the format is technically correct but there is something wrong with the data. Examples might be that the number might be too high or low for the known range of serials for this game.
- Bad If a game has a serial number definition mask defined for it, then a serial may be marked as 'bad' if the number does not validate agains the mask. Masks are created for games by looking at known serial number formats and consist of a regular expression to define the format of a game serial.

SerialBot Scores:
1 Point Awarded if the serial number has a game assigned to it. This autoatically makes submissions with a known game more valuable than submissions without a known game.
1 Point Awarded if the serial number has been 'verified' by the submitter. A submission is 'verifed' if the submitter clicks on the link in the email sent to them for each submission. The basis for this rule is that submissions by people that do not take the time to respond to the email might be entering garbage data and/or giving fake email addresses. However, it is common for 'verification' emails to get stuck in spam filters etc, so, members may have 'verification' emails re-sent at any time.
1 Point Awarded if the submitted serial number matches one of the predefined serial number masks for this game.
1 Point Awarded if the serial number was marked as 'Physically Viewed' during the submission process. This is an interesting distinction as there are many times that serial numbers are submitted off owners lists, Ebay auction, etc. While these serial numbers are valuable, they may also be innacurate. In comparison, Physically Viewed serial number submissions are numbers that the submitter has actually been in front of the machine reading the number and then submitting it. Since it is more likely to get a good visual from a physically viewed machine, this gains an extra point.
1 Point If a photo is uploaded with the serial number submission. The submission automatically gains an additional point. Be aware however that this opens the submission up to 'Nudges' by members where even more points can be added or subtracted based upon the quality and accuracy of the photo.
-3 to +3 Points Members can 'Nudge' every sumitted photo once and give it an extra boost of 1 point or take away 1 point depending if the photo matches the submitted serial number. While any number of members may nudge a serial, the nudging can only affect the score by +/- 3 points in either direction.

The following map shows the locations of all serial numbers that were submitted with a geolocation...