C.O.C.A. Times
Issue: 2012-November - Vol 18 Num 3 - Page 28
THE FEY'S BACK OPERATING SLOTS AFTER A FOURTEEN YEAR EXODUS
Luckily, four 1949 Mills Hi-Tops slots as well as a blackjack table, so we applied to the Nevada Gaming
Commission for one table game along with a slot machines license. Frank had a penchant for playing Black
Jack and an imprudent desire for dealing the same.
The Gaming Commission granted a Restricted Slot License (15 or less machines), but, fortunately, they
turned down the Black Jack request due to lack of any dealing experience. The granting of the slot license
would mark the beginning of nearly five decades of the lucrative operation of grandpa's invention.
To show off the Liberty Bell slot, our centerpiece, we encased it prominently next to the front door. Nearby, a
case was constructed that displayed a number of newspaper and magazine articles that supported our claim that
grandpa, Charlie Fey, was the inventor of the first slot machine.
We hadn't been in town less than a couple weeks when the Reno Evening Gazette ran a photo of a visitor
from Chicago who was staying at the Riverside Hotel. The caption stated that she was the niece of Herbert
Mills, the "inventor" of the slot machine. We could not let this pass, as we were building our the business
around the fact that we would not only have the first slot machine on display, but also that we were the grand-
sons of the inventor. We grabbed the Liberty Bell slot, along with the supporting literature, and hurried down to
the local newspaper. We met with a feature columnist, who interviewed and photographed us with the first ma-
chine. In his weekly column, headlined, "Brothers Fey Take Issue On Slot Machine Origin," he ran the photo
of the two with the first slot, along with information supporting our claim. (Ironically, it was the lady's uncle,
Herbert Mills who stole a Fey Liberty Bell and began reproducing a replica that he blatantly named the Mills
Liberty Bell. He mass produced the Fey invention and would become the major manufacturer of these slots for
five decades. Our grandfather had no legal recourse for infringement: There were two federal court cases in San
Francisco in 1897 in which the Judge ruled that slot machines could not be patented for they were not useful
devices and could only be used for gambling.)
OPERATING TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY SLOTS
While still in the process of opening and having a small bank balance, we purchased a quarter 1907 Caille
Centaur for $175 and a nickel 1904 Caille Peerless Roulette for $100, which proved to be the epitome of an-
tique slot machine collectibles. We licensed this 7-coin mechanical marvel for gaming in the first years of our
operation and it did quite well. Also licensed was the Centaur that seemed to have minimal player appeal. Luck-
ily, the Nevada Gamming Commission, nor myself- not familiar with the mechanism- did not realize it was
loaded with illegal "bugs." For this was the only gam ing machine of this genre operating in northern Nevada at
that time.
We had over-estimated the earning power of our coveted arcade pieces. Fortunately, the Reno City amuse-
ment machine tax in 1958 was only $1.00 per machine (possibly due to Harold Club's influence while operating
the Roaring Camp Collection). In the 1970s the license jumped to $50 per machine, because of the ridiculous
low early tax we generously paid for 20 machine licenses even though we may not have been operating that
many. Since most of the amusement machines didn't' earn the new $50 tax, some were destined to spend the
rest of their days in the attic.
Looking back Frank and I could never have hoped to find a better site or better timing for establishing our
chancy enterprise. We fortunately located on prime property on Virginia Street, Reno's main north south artery,
that we were able to purchase three years after we opened for $3,000 down on a Contract of Sale. A major bonus
was that we not only operated our coin-op amusement collectibles, but were also able to maintain a lucrative
slot machine operation. A huge perk was that Reno proved to be a gold mine for numerous, very affordable, out-
dated slots-especially Fey machines- that led to the rapid growth and eminence of the internationally famous
Liberty Belle Collection. Coupled with "Slot Machines, America's Favorite Gaming Device," the Liberty Belle
became the primary source for slot machine history. The slot collection appeared on the NBC Today Show,
Discovery and History Channels, Japanese, German and Swedish TV plus numerous other media outlets world-
wide.
28
Luckily, four 1949 Mills Hi-Tops slots as well as a blackjack table, so we applied to the Nevada Gaming
Commission for one table game along with a slot machines license. Frank had a penchant for playing Black
Jack and an imprudent desire for dealing the same.
The Gaming Commission granted a Restricted Slot License (15 or less machines), but, fortunately, they
turned down the Black Jack request due to lack of any dealing experience. The granting of the slot license
would mark the beginning of nearly five decades of the lucrative operation of grandpa's invention.
To show off the Liberty Bell slot, our centerpiece, we encased it prominently next to the front door. Nearby, a
case was constructed that displayed a number of newspaper and magazine articles that supported our claim that
grandpa, Charlie Fey, was the inventor of the first slot machine.
We hadn't been in town less than a couple weeks when the Reno Evening Gazette ran a photo of a visitor
from Chicago who was staying at the Riverside Hotel. The caption stated that she was the niece of Herbert
Mills, the "inventor" of the slot machine. We could not let this pass, as we were building our the business
around the fact that we would not only have the first slot machine on display, but also that we were the grand-
sons of the inventor. We grabbed the Liberty Bell slot, along with the supporting literature, and hurried down to
the local newspaper. We met with a feature columnist, who interviewed and photographed us with the first ma-
chine. In his weekly column, headlined, "Brothers Fey Take Issue On Slot Machine Origin," he ran the photo
of the two with the first slot, along with information supporting our claim. (Ironically, it was the lady's uncle,
Herbert Mills who stole a Fey Liberty Bell and began reproducing a replica that he blatantly named the Mills
Liberty Bell. He mass produced the Fey invention and would become the major manufacturer of these slots for
five decades. Our grandfather had no legal recourse for infringement: There were two federal court cases in San
Francisco in 1897 in which the Judge ruled that slot machines could not be patented for they were not useful
devices and could only be used for gambling.)
OPERATING TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY SLOTS
While still in the process of opening and having a small bank balance, we purchased a quarter 1907 Caille
Centaur for $175 and a nickel 1904 Caille Peerless Roulette for $100, which proved to be the epitome of an-
tique slot machine collectibles. We licensed this 7-coin mechanical marvel for gaming in the first years of our
operation and it did quite well. Also licensed was the Centaur that seemed to have minimal player appeal. Luck-
ily, the Nevada Gamming Commission, nor myself- not familiar with the mechanism- did not realize it was
loaded with illegal "bugs." For this was the only gam ing machine of this genre operating in northern Nevada at
that time.
We had over-estimated the earning power of our coveted arcade pieces. Fortunately, the Reno City amuse-
ment machine tax in 1958 was only $1.00 per machine (possibly due to Harold Club's influence while operating
the Roaring Camp Collection). In the 1970s the license jumped to $50 per machine, because of the ridiculous
low early tax we generously paid for 20 machine licenses even though we may not have been operating that
many. Since most of the amusement machines didn't' earn the new $50 tax, some were destined to spend the
rest of their days in the attic.
Looking back Frank and I could never have hoped to find a better site or better timing for establishing our
chancy enterprise. We fortunately located on prime property on Virginia Street, Reno's main north south artery,
that we were able to purchase three years after we opened for $3,000 down on a Contract of Sale. A major bonus
was that we not only operated our coin-op amusement collectibles, but were also able to maintain a lucrative
slot machine operation. A huge perk was that Reno proved to be a gold mine for numerous, very affordable, out-
dated slots-especially Fey machines- that led to the rapid growth and eminence of the internationally famous
Liberty Belle Collection. Coupled with "Slot Machines, America's Favorite Gaming Device," the Liberty Belle
became the primary source for slot machine history. The slot collection appeared on the NBC Today Show,
Discovery and History Channels, Japanese, German and Swedish TV plus numerous other media outlets world-
wide.
28
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).