C.O.C.A. Times
Issue: 2006-March - Vol 7 Num 1 - Page 7
working condition.) I really liked my Watling Musical
Judge, and of course, the Mills Feature Bells such as the
Horsehead Bonus and the Futurity. I also liked the QTs.
I was especially proud of the Bally Reliance.
collection, a hobby in which I have not been actively
engaged for about forty years. I love to collect, and I'm
starting over.
COCA - When did you start collecting?
PEPPI - I have always been a collector -- I collected COCA - What are your plans for the future?
stamps when I was a child through high school. Al- PEPPI - Rebuild and restore (if possible) and if neces-
though gambling was technically illegal in Louisiana,
New Orleans had a somewhat laissez faire attitude to-
ward gambling until some time in the mid-fifties. Slots
and pinball machines have always fascinated me. When
I graduated from high school, my Dad asked me what
I wanted and I told him a slot machine. I started col-
lecting coin ops in earnest in 1980 when the law was
changed to allow ownership of antique slot machines.
sary replace, and collect more machines. I now have
lots of parts so I'll utilize as much as I can. I am look-
ing into which machines can be rebuilt and restored.
Collecting coin ops has been a wonderful hobby for me
for the last twenty five years, and is going to continue to
be my hobby for as long as I'm still around. I've made
many good friends in this hobby. I'm looking forward
to seeing all of you ( or as we say in New Orleans, y'all)
for the Chicagoland Show and at the C.O.C.A. meeting
in the Spring.
COCA - What were some of your favorites.
PEPPI - Some of my machines were rare, others had
sentimental value. My absolute favorite was my first
machine - A Mills Free Play Front Vender (these ma-
chines were used in New Orleans in the 1940s, and
converted to cash payouts. Some years ago, I pur-
chased a working set of electronics for this machine
from St. Louis Slot Machine Co. and it was in perfect
Before & After
Before & After
INTERVIEWER COMMENTS:
Considering what happened Peppi's spirits are good and
he hasn't lost the collecting bug - sounds like it is just side-
lined for a while.
He also made it very clear to me that it is not what we have,
own or how big our collections are, it is friends, family and
our spiritual lives that gets us through the tough times.
Thanks Peppi for sharing your story with C. 0. CA.
7
Judge, and of course, the Mills Feature Bells such as the
Horsehead Bonus and the Futurity. I also liked the QTs.
I was especially proud of the Bally Reliance.
collection, a hobby in which I have not been actively
engaged for about forty years. I love to collect, and I'm
starting over.
COCA - When did you start collecting?
PEPPI - I have always been a collector -- I collected COCA - What are your plans for the future?
stamps when I was a child through high school. Al- PEPPI - Rebuild and restore (if possible) and if neces-
though gambling was technically illegal in Louisiana,
New Orleans had a somewhat laissez faire attitude to-
ward gambling until some time in the mid-fifties. Slots
and pinball machines have always fascinated me. When
I graduated from high school, my Dad asked me what
I wanted and I told him a slot machine. I started col-
lecting coin ops in earnest in 1980 when the law was
changed to allow ownership of antique slot machines.
sary replace, and collect more machines. I now have
lots of parts so I'll utilize as much as I can. I am look-
ing into which machines can be rebuilt and restored.
Collecting coin ops has been a wonderful hobby for me
for the last twenty five years, and is going to continue to
be my hobby for as long as I'm still around. I've made
many good friends in this hobby. I'm looking forward
to seeing all of you ( or as we say in New Orleans, y'all)
for the Chicagoland Show and at the C.O.C.A. meeting
in the Spring.
COCA - What were some of your favorites.
PEPPI - Some of my machines were rare, others had
sentimental value. My absolute favorite was my first
machine - A Mills Free Play Front Vender (these ma-
chines were used in New Orleans in the 1940s, and
converted to cash payouts. Some years ago, I pur-
chased a working set of electronics for this machine
from St. Louis Slot Machine Co. and it was in perfect
Before & After
Before & After
INTERVIEWER COMMENTS:
Considering what happened Peppi's spirits are good and
he hasn't lost the collecting bug - sounds like it is just side-
lined for a while.
He also made it very clear to me that it is not what we have,
own or how big our collections are, it is friends, family and
our spiritual lives that gets us through the tough times.
Thanks Peppi for sharing your story with C. 0. CA.
7
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).