Coin Slot Magazine - #020 - 1976 - September [International Arcade Museum]
the very first of the five-reel card
machines, and is actually the first
of the "Iron Case" machines of
solid cast iron. The cash box (mis
sing) is in the base. The nickel goes
in the slot at upper right and you
then pull out the knob at the lower
right - but slowly, not too fastf or
the ratchet teeth will slip and you
won't get a spin. The marquee iden
tifies "Wells & Wingerter, Wheeling,
W. VA., Sole Agents", a wholesale
and retail cigar distributor that
was located at 40 Twelfth Street in
Wheeling. The machine was made in
Philadelphia by Lewis & Strobel,
who started selling their first models without cash boxes in 1891.
They called the machine the POKER SOLITAIRE. It led the way
for the later IRON CASE, SUCCESS, JUMBO, JUMBO SUCCESS,
BONANZA and other standing and counter five-reelers.
Q:What is this? The machine has the appear
ance of a single-wheel version of the BICY
CLE trade stimulator slot machine.
Connecticut
A:The machine is THE BICYCLE WHEEL, a
trade stimulator
made
by the John M.
Waddel Manufacturing Company of Green
field, Ohio,
Wooden
later known as the Waddel
Ware Works Company. Waddel I
(two Ls in name, one L in company) was
the first producer of the earlier two-wheel THE BICYCLE, subse
quently produced by the Sun Manufacturing Company of Columbus,
Ohio. Wadell went on to make this single-wheel version from about
1896 through the 1910's. The periphery of .c the
om wheel was marked off
m
:
u
m a few u 2 se and 3 to give twice or triple the
in numbers, mostly 1, with
m generally a nickel, was dropped
d fro The
trade value after d
a e play.
de- coin,
loa .arca
n
w
Do // where
www the coins
low the wheel
:
p
t
ht
into the chute at right, ringing the bell and falling to the floor be
piled up for all to see. The wheel was
then spun by the released lever. Incidentally, this example does not
have the original glass. The original was etched with the lettering
"The Bicycle Wheel" in a beautiful Victorian style of typography.
© The International Arcade Museum
11
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