Coin Slot Magazine - #033 - 1977 - October [International Arcade Museum]
away from Kalamazoo.
owner-collector-restorer
The present
can
see the
difference:
The machine is built of
the finest wood I have ever worked
with. The only identification is at the
very top. You can see the different
colors on the award card, with 'Wes
tern Novelty Kalamazoo, Mich' stam
ped on the card".
Other manufacturers caught the drift.
Caille-Schiemer started promoting their
BLACK CAT machine as "an honest
John" by 1900, and Mills Novelty
Company came out with a similar
machine called SQUARE DEAL. A
lot of other producers started using "honesty" names, even
though some of their machines were still plugged. It wasn't long
before the business ran away from The Western Novelty Company
in Kalamazoo.
But no matter, for when they lost their slot
machine market to more aggressive promoters they pulled out,
and became one of the largest recreational metal boat manufac
turers in the country and changed their name to the Michigan Steel
Boat Company. So if you're into antique boats, and see a Michi
gan Steel nameplate next to the outboard motor mount, remember
where it came from-a straight line heritage from one of the most
popular big slots of its day, honest injun:
HONEST JOHN!
Send $8.95 for your reprint of the
Mills 1913 Gambling Machine Catalog
This is an exact duplicate of the original - and never
before reprinted.
It features Totem, Operators Bell,
Umpire, Pilot, Manilla, Silver Cup, Check Boy, Hylo,
Judgelet Duplex and others. 40 pages packed with pic
tures and information on Mills Machines including hear
om who has
Ask
.c anyone
m
:
u
bought one of these
- they are perfect and
rom - catalogs
use
beautiful. d f
m
e
e
load . ANTIQUE
rcad AMUSEMENTS
n
a
w
Do //www
P.O. Box 55
:
Vanderveer Station
http
ings on court cases of that era.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Attn:
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11210
IRA WARREN
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