Stern, the worlds only coin-op pinball manufacturer on the planet ! Headquater in Melrose Park IL, and initially founded by Sam Stern, a distributor out of the Philly area, wo became later president of Williams Electronic and serverd for a few years. In 1977 Stern aquired his competitor Chicago Coin, and in 1994 Data East. Since 1999 under Gary Sterns management Stern Electronics Inc became Stern Pinball Inc and took over SEGA in the same year.
In the mid-70´s Stern had some difficulties but quickly picked up by the early eighties with some today very much sought after games such as Meteor, Iron Maiden and Viper.
Since Gary took over in 1999, Stern manufactured numerous successful Pinballs, thanks to the legendary Williams designers and engeneers Steve Ritchie, Pat Lawlor and George Gomez. Harley Davidson, Elvis, Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean are only a few high collectibles to be named.