MARKETPLACE
"PICTORIAL HISTORY"
PAGE 70, APRIL, 1976
Addendum
So much was happening as America entered into the 20th century. Like &lison's new
electric light. Like the fact Alexander Graham Dell's telephone had over 600,000 sub-
scribers in 1900. Also the new Remington typewriter had made its appearance. Also the
Edison phonographs at S20 and $30 and with spring motor $75. The new electric motor
washing machine. The first folding pocket Kodak. The Ingersoll $1 watch.
The earthquake followed by fire that destroyed San Francisco in 1906. In 1908 Wm.
Howard Taft was elected President of the United States. So before the first decade of
the 20th century was over - the nation was going forward at tremendous speed. Growing
with each passing day. Population reached new records. Immigrants continued to pour
into the nation in ever growing numbers.
With this tremendous growth actually crea~ing new cities, towns and villages almost
overnight, more and more retail businesses flourished, expanded, branched out. And with
the opening of more retail businesses, the slot machine industry found itself faced
with new customers, new profits, increased business.
The new professional coin machine operators and jobbers assumed great importance
at this time. Not only supplying retail locations with machines on a commission basis
but also accepting trade-ins that were later revamped into new type machines. The slot
business continued to grow at a very fast pace. More newcomers were being brought into
the field and a surprising amount of financing helped carry them over the first rough
months. There were now more people in the slot machine business than at anytime in his-
tory as the first decade of the 20th century began to fade away.
Most amazing was the fact the slot machine manufacturers, finding their huge color-
wheel slot machines had slowed down in sales, turned to smaller, bar and counter type
machines that met with great approval of the locations as well as of the many new pro-
fessional coin machine operators and jobbers.
The few counter model payout slot machines shown in this edition will be expanded
in number in the next issue so that a thorough coverage of these ingenious will. be on
the record in this "Pictorial History" edition. These machines were copied as to their
ideas and play action for many years to come. In fact, to this very day, some of the
original play ideas are still being imitated.
All these smaller model slot machines had their effect on what was yet to be dis-
covered in San Francisco. Yet, the first model of the San Francisco machine did have
a very telling effect because of its lighter weight, its better reel play arrangement,
its great simplicity and, most of all, because of its very unusual and different appear-
ance. Yet, it is well to remember, the small payouts shown here and those that will be
shown in the next issue, accomplished the very same purpose.