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$1.50 AntiqueWeek T HE W EEKLY A N T IQUE A UC T ION & C OLLEC T ING N E W SP A PER VOL. 54 ISSUE NO. 2698 www.antiqueweek.com JUNE 22, 2021 Antique slot machines: A good bet among collectors By Doug Graves spring-wound timing mechanism and spun the wheel. As the timing mecha- nism unwound, it tripped a stopping If you’ve ever been to a casino and mechanism and pay sensing device. If played a slot machine you know the the wheel stopped on a winning symbol, adrenaline rush you get with the pros- the machine automatically paid coins, pects of hitting a jackpot. Of course, you trade checks or tokens. These first slot generally don’t win nearly as much as machines finally evolved into what are you lose. However, you can be a winner now called single wheel floor or counter by collecting vintage slot machines. model machines. The major manufactur- According to David L. Saul, author of ers of these machines were Mills, Caille, “Slot Machine Buyer’s Handbook: A Con- Paupa, Hochriem, Schaal, Berger, Wat- sumer’s Guide to Slot Machines,” there ling, Jennings, White and the Automatic are an estimated 20,000 collectors of slot Machine Company. machines. Many states have recognized But give credit where credit is due. In Above: Even odd for its time was this the historical significance of antique slot 1895, Charles Fey invented his Liberty Caille Bros. Triple Centaur Jackpot and gambling machines and have passed Bell, the backbone for today’s three-reel musical upright slot machine. It laws enabling collectors to collect and slot machines. The mechanical workings accepts nickels and quarters in its enjoy them. and success of the three-wheel Liberty three separately operating sections. During the late 19th century, the Bell caused it to be widely copied in the Because the machine is contained neighborhood saloon was at the peak of years to come. within a single oak housing, it enabled its popularity. Many a gentleman’s eve- Throughout the early 1930s, these sin- operators to increase their revenues ning was spent in the company of good gle-wheel machines had predictable odds, substantially. It sold last October at friends in one of these saloons. Saloon- since the entire wheel, much like a rou- Morphy’s High-Stakes auction for keepers, though, noticed that the men lette wheel, was completely visible to the $240,000. (photo submitted) spent a lot of time but relatively little player. Most of these machines featured money in their establishments. What multiple coin heads, and a coin was bet manufacturers today, was the first compa- was needed was something that the men on either a color or combination of colors, ny to design a successful countertop slot could spend their money on besides beer or a number or a combination of num- machine using electricity. Bally produced and whiskey. The stage was set, and the bers. If the wheel stopped on the color, electric sensing contacts with high-speed first bar-mounted gambling device was number or any one of the numbers or coin payout mechanisms. created. colors, then the machine automatically Jennings had the first post-World War II Above: Caille Bros. Manufacturing pro- The first coin-operated gambling paid off a pre-determined number of slot in 1945, the Bronze Chief, and its duced this 1904, 5-cent floor model slot machines were used in conjunction with coins. Super Deluxe Club Chief from 1946 was machine housed in an oak cabinet. the purchase of some penny or nickel Early machines were designed with cast- the first illuminated slot. Mills High Top Players deposited nickels into their item, such as a pack of gum or an inex- iron cases. World War I caused the switch nickel slots were fixtures in many a casino, choice of seven-coin slots and pulled pensive cigar. Instead of handing the to wood-sided cabinets, which reduced as was the Mills Black Gold. the level to spin the wheel and watch merchant the money for the item, the weight and manufacturing costs. Around Another typical sight in a late-1940s and the ball bounce beneath the glass win- customer put a somewhat lesser amount 1920, cast-iron gave way to cast aluminum. early-1950s casino was a carved wooden dow. The color the ball lands on deter- into a machine. Either the weight of the The biggest change in the slot machine figure of a Western character, such as a mines the payout. Estimate value of coin or some sort of spring-wound mech- occurred in 1927 when the jackpot was miner holding a pan of gold. Made by sculp- this machine is $180,000 to $250,000. anism caused a numbered or colored introduced and caught the immediate tor Frank Polk, these characters had chests (photo submitted) wheel to revolve. If the wheel stopped on attention of the player. Where previously a designed for a Pace or Mills slot machine. a pre-selected color, number or symbol, player had nothing more than a 20-cent Only 92 of these unique pieces were made, the customer got whatever he was buy- payoff to try for, the potential rewards now making them one of the most collectible slot ing. Thus, trade stimulators came into became much greater. machines around. being. The period from 1921 to 1941 is called Jennings was still a force in the 1950s It didn’t take long for the players to the golden age of the slot machine. Machines with its Buckaroo, which glowed in the decide that the need for the merchandise of this era reached an aesthetic plateau dark. By the 1960s, upstart Bally began to was secondary. Playing for actual money that they would never again obtain. During seemed to make a lot more sense. Thus, this period more features and gimmicks See antique slot machines on page 23 the coin-operated gambling machine was were introduced. Skill stop buttons, mys- born. tery payoffs, gold awards and special bonus Right: This Mills Novelty Company The first machines with actual payoff jackpots were a few of the features intro- 5-cent Little Rip baseball theme pay- mechanisms appeared around 1892. duced. out trade stimulator in its decorative They were small wooden machines with Electricity made possible the console slot cast-iron case with a placard reading a spinning disk. The player dropped the machine introduced in 1939 by the Mills ‘Get in the Ball Game’ sold for coin into the slot and pulled the handle. Novelty Company. Bally Manufacturing $132,000 at a Morphy Auction in Penn- This action simultaneously energized a Company, one of the leading slot machine sylvania last year. (photo submitted) Sparrow’s Antiques Reopening July 2, 3, 4 - Every Friday, Saturday, & Sunday - 9am-5pm Atlanta Expo Centers 3,500 Booths! Ohio Expo Center 800-1,200 Booths! SCOTT ANTIQUE MARKETS Atlanta, GA Columbus, OH *Dates subject to change (covid19) ANTIQUE AND DESIGNER ITEMS 2nd Weekend Jan 22 - 23 TM 740.569.2800 www.scottantiquemarkets.com Jun 10 - 13 Aug 12 - 15 Every Month Nov 27 - 28 Feb 26 - 27 2021 America’s Favorite Treasure Hunts! 2021 Jul 8 - 11 Sep 9 - 12 Dec 18 - 19 Mar 26 - 27 Next Show – Sunday, July 4 Every First Sunday May - October Lawrenceburg, Indiana Fairgrounds US 50, 1 mile west of Exit 16,I-275 (Cincinnati Beltway) Indiana’s Largest “Antiques & Vintage-Only” Market 7am - 3pm EDST Rain or Shine (Earlybirds at 6am) • Admission: $4.00 • LawrenceburgAntiqueShow.com • 513-702-2680 Page 2 WWW.ANTIQUEWEEK.COM June 22, 2021 NEWS Flags will fly during new exhibit in Philadelphia By Barbara Miller Beem to 1960 and represents the longest time in our history that the flag has not changed. PHILADELPHIA — There’s power in a Even so, nothing has stopped the cre- piece of fabric, especially when it’s a flag. ation of some interesting variations over Whether it’s measured in inches or feet, the years, as seen in the Museum’s cur- hand-stitched or printed, emblazoned rent exhibit. Curated by Jeff R. Bridg- with a slogan or decorated with bold man, a leading dealer in antique Ameri- graphics, a flag can symbolize a cause or can flags and political textiles, most of the a country. And from now through Sept. 6, flags at the Museum are from his exten- more than 40 flags are on display as part sive collection; many of them are on public of “Flags and Founding Documents, 1776 exhibit for the first time, and the majority - Today” at the Museum of the American are red, white, and blue. A notable ex- Revolution. ception is a large (nearly 9-feet wide) an- “It’s amazing how so many people are ti-slavery flag, probably dating from 1861. fascinated with the flag,” said Matthew Emblazoned with the slogan, “No Union Skic, curator of special exhibits at the With Slavery,” it features 13 black and Philadelphia museum. Over the years, he white stripes and 23 stars (minus ones continued, people have proclaimed their representing the states that had seced- patriotism by displaying the Stars and ed from the Union, a decision that would Stripes, among other places, at home and have displeased President Abraham Lin- on cars, on clothing and on their bodies. Above: Throughout the summer, the Museum of the American Revolution will host coln, according to Skic). A century later, Listening to Skic’s brief history of the “Flags and Founding Documents, 1776 - Today.” The exhibit features more than 40 the 50 stars of a flag were rearranged in American flag, it’s easy to understand this American flags, some never seen before by the public.

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