C.O.C.A. Times

Issue: 2010-July - Vol 14 Num 2

Cover Story by Johnny Duckworth
This antique slot
machine is known as a
Superior Horse Race,
and is very easy to
identify as a Superior
model with the art
deco coin motif and
escalator design. Su,
perior used this coin
entry design on several
models as well as pro,
ducing various goose,
neck models. Most of
the machines you will
find produced by The
Superior Company
explode with style
and vibrant colors.
Superior also made a
2 reel slot machine as well, called the Midget.
They bought that design from Vendet in 1932
which they later sold to Burtmier in 1933.
Superior fabricated
the horse race cabinet
around a redesigned
mechanism with
the majority of the
parts coming from
Mills Novelty and
some from Watling
Manufacturing. The
mechanism is unique;
it uses a Watling reel
bundle on its end so
the reel pay discs are
spinning horizontally
as opposed to verti,
call y. Three concen,
tric circles, each with
different colored tin
horses mounted on
them, spin inside one another. The players'
goal is to line up the correct colors of horses
to make a payout. To win the large payout the
4
player will need to line up the 3 gold horses
which will then dump a brass token from the
left side of the machine. Another odd thing
about the Superior Races is the award cards.
Numerous versions were put on machines.
Instead of just showing the number of coins
received, some cards say "Free Replays" before
the payout number. For the gold award, some
cards say only "Token" while others say an
amount the token is worth. Probably the ma~
chine came with all these cards and you could
put in the one you wanted.
This slot machine is one of the most highly
sought after machines from the 30's. The ma~
chine was introduced in 1934 in a 5, 10, & 25
cent model. Each machine came with alumi~
num filler plates which would hide the mints
or lack of mints. At least three different paint
schemes have turned up on these machines.
The early machines consist of a light green
body color with red and blue accents. The
other paint schemes you will find are various
colors of wrinkle paint and have no polished
areas on the castings. These machines seem to
have been sent back to the factory and refur~
bished. A number of the wrinkle painted ma~
chines are copper wrinkle with red and black
accents. They have serial numbers with later
dates on new labels inside, which are clearly
pasted over the old date labels. You will ob~
serve a low serial number with a later produc~
tion date due to this procedure.
(continued on next page)
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