C.O.C.A. Times

and never had been able to buy, are there any? Without
enough hesitation to finish the question, Frank's answer is,
"No. I've had some great, great stuff, some terrific stuff
over the years and you can't keep everything." But when
talking about his greatest discoveries, he does try to hang
on to those. The double Venus with music is one of those.
- - The Great Discoveries - -
- - The Secrets of Success - -
The Zygmunt family success story has deep and solid roots.
Frank is modest about his level of success. He's reluctant to
admit that many see him on top of the pile. But he does
admit to attributes that have brought him to where he is.
One could say the Zygmunts work harder at it. When you
see Frank at the Coin-op shows, he's all business. He's there
to work. "It's a fan business," he says. "/ enjoy the stuff. I'm
addicted to the stuff" That helps explain the time commit-
ment required. "Let's go back to when I was a kid," he adds.
"/ was working at the gas stations a
hundred to a hundred-ten hours a
week. I'm a workaholic." His wife
Lillie, the "Backbone" knows that.
Anyone that knows Frank well knows
that too.
The Venus came from a lead found on a trip to Omaha to
buy slots. As Frank tells it, "My son was about 16 then. It
was in the dead of winter. Cold and icy
and we spun the truck around. 1 buy
the machines from this guy and I
says ... are there any other machines
around? He says, yeah there's one with
that color wheel. Oh, no ... no. It's got
two wheels." Frank says, "You think I
could see it? He says Yeah." Frank got
- -i!ttt--P
But there's more to this success story
the information and contacted the
than hard work. "We were advertising
owner to make arrangements to see the
everywhere," Frank says. He grins as
machine with "Two wheels." He's
he continues, "A friend of mine was
invited over. "So I ride over there,"
fishing in Canada, they're out in a
Frank goes on, with a huge grin com-
boat in the boonies and nobody's
ing from the side of his mouth , " ... and
around anywhere, and he's reading
I go in the house. It's a double Venus The ~o~sel Frank bou_ght at th e November 24 the Farmers Almanac. He says Son-
with music. I about .. ] says Whoaaa!
Kiddielan ci auction in Melrose Park, IL.
ofa-gun, there's Frank's ad in the
I'd really like to buy that from you!!" Fast forward about
Farmer's Almanac. How' d he get way out here?" The
twenty years. Frank regularly kept in touch. He made vis-
Zygmunt ads have changed little, if any, over the years.
its with Lillie and both his son, Frank Jr. and daughter
And they have been everywhere. He went on , "We spent
Renee. He called often to find about about how "His"
thousands and thousands of dollars and we didn 't adver-
machine was doing. Finally he gets the message. The
tise to sell. We advertised to buy. Things sold themselves."
owner tells Frank, "/ got a terrific offer on this machine."
And they did. The advertising did bring the pieces in the
Alarms go off! The Venus had another suitor. So the need
door. But like any business, the product had to deliver.
to close this sale was getting dangerously closer. Frank and
"The one thing I learned in business," said Frank, " ... from
Junior immediately went and made the deal and brought
day one, being in the gas station, whatever you tell some-
the machine to it's new home. (See C.O.C.A. Times, July
body it's gotta be right. If I sell somebody something and
2007) In Frank's words, "Out of all the gambling
they don't like it, give it back to me. I'll give your money
stuff .. .that I've seen, it's the best piece in the country." For
back.
But now my son pretty much runs the business
a man that's owned hundreds of machines, including eight
today." Frank says his son's style mi~ht be a littlle differ-
roulette machines, that's a compelling statement.
ent from his own. But the acorn hasn t fallen far from the
Especially considering it's the only known double Venus
tree. Frank Jr. is earning respect just like his dad. And
with music.
Frank Sr. loves to tell the story about Junior's son, Frank
- - The New Century - -
the third, one of five grandkids.
The 1990's brought monumental changes to the nature of
the collecting field. With the advent of technology and
what is now truly a global market, buying and selling have
both changed. According to Frank, "The eBay thing and
all the information available ... in one way it helps you a lot.
Since you can market to the world. And the other way it
hurts you, because people can find out values." Today 's
collector does compete with buyers and sellers from across
the world. Knowledge is far more accessible. But the
Zygmunts are still finding and buying machines . Now the
discoveries can come from much farther away. Frank was
contacted recently on the internet. The contact came from
Europe. As Frank says, "!twas a pile of machines that made
it through World War I and World War 11." The collection
included a number of counter and upright machines. He and
the dealer he shared the lead with made the trip to Europe,
looked over the machines and as Frank says, "They were all
intact!" The deal was closed and through Frank's connec-
tions with Wurlitzer in Germany, he was able to arrange the
transport, with not much more than a phone call. That kind
of success doesn't happen by accident or from good luck.
"They did this thing at his school, what do you want to be
when you grow up? His buddy wanted to be a lawyer,
another wanted to be an architect, a girl wanted to be a
teacher. They got to Frank III. He said, I want to be a slot
machine salesman!" Frank's face beams with a pride-
filled smile as he says that. His family is by far the most
important thing in his life. As you listen to the stories he
tells, most involve family. It's always "We." It's clear that
fulfilling his family obligations never seemed a burden. It
was always a given. It was something he did with great
pride. Along with providing for Lillie, his children; Frank
Jr, and Renee, (Renee went on to become a doctor), Frank
even shouldered the financial responsibility for his mother,
mother-in-law, his brother and his sister.
The more you listen to Frank's stories, and there are many,
what drives him becomes more clear. What he does , the
hunt, the deal, the machines: It's all just a long adventure-
filled road full of sometimes complex twists and turns . But
the simple truth is, the road always leads home ... to family.
Frank Zygmunt is definately not just about the machines.