Coin Slot

Coin Slot Magazine - #080 - 1981 - October [International Arcade Museum]
SERIAL
NUMBER
UPDATE
'an you ever remember a deader year?
How many coin machine auctions did you go to this
summer? There weren't many. What about antique
shows? Not this summer. And what about ail the Big
Money antique slot machine deals we used to hear
about? Poof! Gone. Where are they?
Maybe if s a matter of doldrums. Maybe if s a lack of
money. Maybe we finally hunkered down to a sane and
sensible hobby that doesn't hold much more in the way
of surprises. I hope not. If s the surprises, and the finds,
and the Big Deals and the machines we've never seen
before that add such a kick to this screwy field of
antiques. The day we know what to expect every time
we head for a slot show or someone else's collection is
the day that the music died.
Here they are, the collectibles of the future. Found in — of all
places—Minnesota. Those early Bally MONEY HONEY
models will be prime collectibles some day. In the meantime,
these machines are a lot of fun to play. And they seem to be
more places than anyone would suspect But check the laws.
Don't tempt fate, and a risk of getting our hard-earned
collectibility laws revoked.
So, lef s head for a high note. If we can't stumble
across oddball machines out in the countryside or at
shows and auctions, maybe we can take a look at some
in print. If s not like the real thing, but if s a lot better
than staring at row after row of "Hightops" and
"Standard Chiefs" and trying to get excited about
them.
On that thought, you'll see that this month's Serial
Number Update does a lot of that There's over a dozen
Mills "Hightops" and BLACK CHERRY and similar
machines in the list obtained from collectors all over
the country, and five similar vintage Jennings machines.
Sure, they're great machines. But...what we got for
variety?
lou'
lou'll
like these. We'll start with the
"Hermaphrodite-of-the-Month", and you'll see it listed
twice. Serial 282,438 is for a 10 GOOSENECK "Lion's Head". Thaf s for starters. But
the same machine — yes, the same machine — is also
listed as serial 325,453 as a 10$ play GOOSENECK
SILENT "Skyscraper". How come? Take a look at the
.com
m
:
u
from -muse
d
e
This is a Mills...."Lion
Front
ad Skyscraper",
ade or a "Lionscraper" or
o
l
c
r
n
a
a WHATZIT. The
thing .
we know for sure is that it is Mills.
Do of w only
ww sent us this shot of a mixed-
James Camp
Canandaigua
w
/
/
:
tp with serial 325,453 on its "Skyscraper"
and-matched
ht Mills
components and serial 282,438 on its "Lion's Head" front
Play is 10C.
© The International
Arcade
18-THE
COIN SLOT
Museum
photograph and you'll see why. Some old operator (it
was found in original condition this way) really did a
number on this Bell. The top is pure "Skyscraper" and
the front a "Lion's Head", and everything fita So why
not run it.
To go on. Serial 278,600 for the SILENT JACKPOT
FRONT VENDER "Modern Fronf was listed in an
advertisement in the COIN MACHINE JOURNAL in
1934, with the notation that the machine had been
"changed to a Bell". How? That might be interesting,
and wouldn't it be neat if this machine showed up
somewhere so we could see what they did.
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
October 1981