Coin Slot Magazine - #044 - 1978 - September [International Arcade Museum]
Let's Get Serious About Serials
A suggested approach to learning more about the machines we love
to learn more about.
Richard M. Bueschel
c/o Ladd/Wells/Presba Advertising Inc.
It has happened time and time again.
222 North Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60601
'
One of the very first
f
questions that any slot machine collector asks, whether seasoned or
neophyte, often relates to how many machines each manufacturer
made, when and in what models. It seems like a simple enough re
quest, and as we are all conditioned to the fact that manufacturing
concerns list their production figures and models we have learned to
expect such information. Many mail requests for information from
collectors carry the brief line; "tell me the dates of the Mi'ls serial
numbers and how many were assigned to each machine."
At the present time it is totally impossible to provide this infor
mation.
The reason is both complicated, and interesting. Tight
records are a result of tight corporate control, and the need to report
to somebody about the progress of a business. In the slot machine
business this restrictive covenant never existed. They all flew by
the seat of their pants. While most of the slot machine manufacturing
firms were incorporated to provide the financial and legal protection
afforded by state incorporation laws, not a one of them dispersed
their stock to the public until the Bally Corporation did just a few
years ago. Usually a single owner, or perhaps the family, held all the
stock and the stockholder's meetings generally consisted of someone
talking to himself, or a group of family members listening half-eared
to the guy in charge, followed by a discussion of a forthcoming
wedding or family picnic.
Records? Don't be silly. Who'd spend time doing that? Internal
records were kept, of course, if only to aid in materials planning and
dated identification. But these records were never made a part of the
public record.
Then, when the slot machine manufacturing firms
went out of business through natural attrition, or forcefully ended
com
.
m
:
u were lost, thrown out, or
when the laws were changed, m
the records
use someone is keeping a deep,
fro - Unless
perhaps even carefully e
destroyed.
m
d
e
d existing
dark secret there n are
loa no
rcad production records for Mills, Watling,
a
.
w
w Buckley, Superior, Silver King, Groetchen,
Caille, Pace,
Do Jennings,
/ww or any of the major coin machine producers.
/
:
Daval, Keeney, tp Bally
ht If we are all seeking easy answers, we'll never know.
They don't exist.
© The International Arcade Museum
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
r