WASHINGTON (AFP).- The United States' National Pinball Museum is closing its doors after failing to agree on a new lease with its landlord, but it's holding out hope for a replay.

In a statement, the non-profit museum -- which relocated from Washington to Baltimore, Maryland in 2012 -- said it would shut down on March 3 and search for a new home for its exhibits.

"Despite our best efforts, we were unable to negotiate favorable terms with our landlord to extend our rental agreement without creating an extreme financial strain on the museum's limited resources," director David Silverman said.

"But all of us at the National Pinball Museum remain hopeful that we will soon welcome you to a new, bigger and better location, one that we can call our home for many, many years," he said.

The biggest of its kind in the United States, the museum -- which grew out of Silverman's own collection of some 800 pinball machines -- celebrated the heritage of the silver-balled game with vivid displays and hands-on activities.

Other pinball museums live on in California, Washington state and New Jersey, along with a Pinball Hall of Fame in the US gambling and entertainment resort city of Las Vegas.



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