C.O.C.A. Times

Do You Know What Machine This Is???
By Johnny Duckworth
Take a close look at the machine in the picture and see if you can figure
out what you are looking at. If you are thinking it is a Mill's War Eagle
don't feel bad, because most people do at first glance. Look a little clos-
er, and you will see it is actually a Rock-Ola Eagle Jackpot. This machine
started its life in the Mill's factory just like the Mill's War Eagle, but it
took another path down the road. In the early thirties, Rock-Ola bought
up the less popular 'Silent F.O.K.' machines and revamped them to their
own Eagle Jackpots. They cut the front of the cabinets down and made a
new front casting with the eagle in it. The eagle on the Mill's War Eagle
runs clear up into the top casting, and the award card even cuts into the
right wing of the eagle. That is not the case with the Rock-Ola as it spans
the whole lower casting. If you look close at the Rock-Ola, you can see
the original F.O.K. top casting still on it. The Rock-Ola Eagle jackpot in
this picture even has the matching cover over the reserve jackpot hiding
it underneath. These were put on the later machines for a reason. When
the jackpot paid out, the reserve jackpot had to drop on the next play. This
left the reserve jackpot empty and could cause some players to pass up the machine as they felt it would
be some time before it would hit again. I am always amazed at how well the manufacturers could copy
each other's machines, through revamping. Rock-Ola not only used Mill's machine but they even copied it
to Mill's current model they were selling. I can't imagine the frustration between all the manufacturers.
There was no legal protection through patents because the U.S. Patent Office would not grant patents for
an entire gambling device, but that's another story entirely. "The Rock-Ola Eagle jackpot is considered the
ultimate 'War Eagle' collectible," according to Dick Bueschel in his book, Illustrated Price Guide to 100
Most Collectible ---Slot Machines (Volume 3, page 86). Keep your eye open next time you look at a War
Eagle. You may get lucky and spot one of these rare machines.
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