Coin Slot Magazine - #021 - 1976 - October [International Arcade Museum]
chine to be sold by the Cowper Manufacturing Co. This first Little
Duke had, in turn, been named after Little Duke Cards, a small deck
of U.S. Playing Card Co. cards normally used by children. These
cards were also used on the reels on the machine itself. Thence the
name, Little Duke.
The Jennings Little Duke of 1932 was a delight to look at. It's flat
aluminum front casting was vintage Art Deco: seemingly all straight
lines and angles. The colors were bright orange and yellow and red.
The first model
had a single jackpot, a simple coin chute and
a
straight pull handle. The machine stood only 22 inches high and
weighed just 55 pounds. Initially, the machine was only manufac
tured for penny play. A side-mounted gumball vendor was a popu
lar option. The price of the Little Duke, as originally offered, was a
remarkable $50. By the end of 1932, the price had risen to $70 for
the model without either vendor or jackpot to $80 for the model
with both options.
To say that the Little Duke was well-received would be an under
statement. The Jennings factory had ingeniously provided the slot
operators with a machine that they desperately needed: an attrac
tive, low-priced and reliable slot machine that was specifically de
signed for penny play. A brilliant coup! From the beginning, sales
were tremendous. Since standard-sized 3-reelers sold for up to $100,
the Little Duke has no competition.
The first model change came at the end of 1932 when the straight
handle was replaced by a knobbed brushed aluminum handle. Few, if
any, of the straight-handled models are seen today. At a coin ma
chine show in May, 1933, the next model was introduced with a
larger coin head that had a built-in coin reject feature. At this time,
the 5 cent Little Duke was also introduced with an optional side-
mounted mint vendor. Today, penny model Little Dukes out num
ber the nickel models about ten-to-one. Although dime and quarter
models were variously advertised at one time or another, the author
has never personally seen or heard of one. As almost all of the slot
manufacturers exported
machines,
British penny machines are oc
casionally encountered.
.com
m
:
u
use jackpots at the bottom and
from dumping
Jackpot" with two alternately
m
d
-
e
e
ad top. rc Initially,
ad
a single reserve at
the reserve was covered with a re
nlo the
a
.
w
o
w
movable D
piece of matching
metal decor. Later versions had a piece of
w
://w window. The Little Duke was produced in this
glass in the tt reserve
h p
The final two models of the Little Duke had an elaborate "Triple-
final form until about 1936.
As described above, there are five distinguishable models:
1)Small coin head, plain handle, single jackpot.
2)Small coin head, knobbed handle, single jackpot.
© The International Arcade Museum
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
10