Coin Slot Magazine - #011 - 1975 - August [International Arcade Museum]
Mills' line by December 193§7 BROWN FRONT'S were built as bells only
in 1?, 5?, 10?, 25? and rare 50? models, with wartime and post-war re
vamps modified for silver dollars. BROWN FRONT serials ran up to the
490, OOOseries. After WWII many of them, as well as the earlier CHERRY
BELLS, were modified as revamps with the numerous pirate-produced
CHROME, and post-war BLACK CHERRY, GOLDEN FALLS and even
High-Top replacement fronts sold at low prices by small shops all over the
country in order to make the venerable old pre-war machines look new.
Maybe they looked newer, but they certainly didn't have the class.
The final compliment to the effective design of the Mills CHERRY BELL
was when the Watling Manufacturing Company virtually duplicated the
diamond-shaped casting at the end of 1937 and stuck it on the front of their
Rol-A-Top bell to hold a third jackpot, creating the Watling DIAMOND
BELLe Watling even copied the 3-10 Cherry payout, and distributed bright
red cherries over the front casting of the Rol-A-Top case. It was probably
the best looking Rol-A-Top ever made, and became known as the "Cherry
Front. " After a while even Watling returned to the basic 3-5 payout plan,
and finally gave up on the idea.
Itfs easy to see which was the most successful. There are still a lot of
Mills CHERRY and BROWN FRONT bells around... and when's the last
time you saw a Watling DIAMOND ?
ANOTHER AUCTION
I was treated to a sneak preview and among the most unusual games offe
red are : Caille 2S? floor model Roulette with ornate glass top, a Victor
triple with 3 beautiful art glass fronts, a Caille Black cat with music,
a Caille Puck with music, a Watling Owl with music, a 50? Caille Cen
taur, 3 unrestored Dewey's, 1 mint Dewey, many many other machines by
Pace? Jennings (Little Dukes and Duchesses), very unusual Watling Rol-
A-Top, Mills Blue Fronts, Goosenecks, approximately 30 empty early
mint vending cases that will be offered to all auction attended, as non
gambling devices.
In the line of arcade and amusement machines there are scales, strength
testers, mutoscopes, drop pictures, lung testors, Caille music box coin
operated, coin-op cigar vendor, juke boxes, speakers for juke boxes,
coin pianos and orchestrions.,
.com
m
:
u
m many
items and choice advertising.
glass doors and windows.
u of se leaded
f is ro Also
m
d
-
e
The highlight of the auction
the
turn
the century, 1934'leaded glass and
e
d
d
a
a
mahogany ice cream
lo back-bar
.arc with marble columns and 4 large leaded glass
own to ww
advertising D
windows
match.
/w
ttp all :/ collectors that attend a package of rare original award
Also offered h to
The contents of a midwest tourist museum that features many general store
cards and a set of new original Mills reel strips (S. P. series) for $25.00.
There will be a limited number of rare handles available to collectors for
Watling, Jennings, Mills, Pace and Columbia machines.
© The International Arcade Museum
http://www.arcade-museum.com/