by Bill Howard
In the March, 2002, C.O.C.A.
magazine, Ken Rubin wrote one
of the most informative articles I
have enjoyed entitled "Automatic
Stored - Energy Drop-Coin Ma-
chines," saluting 53 coin-operated
devices that fit into this category
and include many "treasures" in
the eyes of illl serious collectors.
Ken called this category
"SEAMS" and defined it as in-
cluding "those machines that have
a self-operating mechanism con-
taining an internal motive force to
drive it," eliminating the play by
play involvement of the owner op-
erator. In defining and discussing
the category, he distinguished it
from what I consider to be an even
more ingenious and basic category,
"gravity powered machine" that rely simply on the mere
weight of the coin to activate and play the machine.
The simple principal of this machine
is that losing coins drop and collect in
five different tray compartments inside
1/4 inch glass. Unlike other coin-drops,
these trays hang delicately on individu-
al pivot pins underneath that depend on
random weight to activate the tray by
causing it to tip and dump the coins col-
lected because of the gravity caused by
the fall of the winning coin. No muss,
no fuss in the form of springs to wind or
knobs to tum. The trays were adjusted
to hold various amounts of coins before
the weight of the winning coin caused
the tray to dump the coins into the cured
wood trough underneath to be scooped
up by hand.
These machines were made of quar-
ter sawed oak and were not painted or
adorned with a metal front, as was true
of the "Little Casino", which, in my opinion, cannot match
the looks of "The Investor". Metal trim adorns the front
of the machine, as do two metal labels at the top front and
very bottom underneath the curved wood payout trough.
For those who appreciate the beauty of quarter sawed oak
and workmanship of wood, this machine is at the head of
its class. It has no cashbox.
One of the features I like about "The Investor" is the
cynical way in which it stays ahead of the curse of all
coin-machine operators - the cheat. Because of the delicate
balance of the pinion trays necessary for random dumps
to activate the payoff, a clever grifter need only bang on
the side of the machine to "coax" a winner with or without
a coin being played. Even if he were not successful with
his skullduggery, his abuse of the machine was sure to
shorten its life span. But wait! The manufacturer fitted the
sides with cast iron sharp spikes to discourage this behav-
ior. The cast iron spikes were part of the "design" on the
side, attached to the wood and black in color.
One of these rare and wonderful machines recently
turned up in the Chicagoland parking lot until rescued
into the collection of friend Bob Pelegrene.
My machine is pictured above. As my book suggests, its
picture tells a story of an ingenious but incredibly simple
mechanical concept that proved to be so unique among
early slot machines.
They are a smaller group of automatic coin-ops that
utilitzed gravity as the means to dispense a product or
pay out. (Th ey) are the simplest mechanisms ever made in
coin-op machines.
Sometmes, simple can mean better, and I think this is
especially true of gravity powered slot machines. One ex-
ample are the various forms of "3 for 1" slot machines
that were so popular at the beginning of the Twentieth
Century. Another is the brilliantly imagined "Investor",
the subject of the article.
Charles T. Maley proved to be one of a number of man-
ufacturers when he introduced "The Investor" in 1892.
"The Investor" is featured on page I 08 of Every Picture
Tells a Story. What separates it from the pack is that it is
a slot machine that requires the player to do nothing other
than to drop the coin into the machine. The gravity of the
coin causes the operation and the payout. No other action
or energy is required. And, unlike the "3 for l" slots, the
jackpot was not limited to three coins.
Some of "The Investor" machines not manufactured
by Maley were called "The Bonanza" and the "Little Ca-
sino." Speculation is that as many as five different manu-
facturers may have had a hand in this machine.
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