Coin Slot
Issue: 1979 September 055 - Page 15
Coin Slot Magazine - #055 - 1979 - September [International Arcade Museum]
wealth
of machines and the
workshop
located in the cellar. Eight craftsmen are
kept busy, using original materials and
techniques to restore the valuable. an
tiques.
"We're only interested in selling to
serious collectors because, as you can see,
our slots are carefully brought back to
historical perfection." Shapiro em
phasized over and over again, "These
things are expensive, but we don't want
to sell them to some rich joker who just
wants to stick one in his finished basement
next to his pinball machine where all his
kids and their friends can abuse it."
I asked where they find them. "The
dark basement corners of Elk, Rotary, and
Kiwanis clubs are good sources, old coun°
try clubs, police warehouses in small
towns—we just heard of a storeroom full
in Alabama,*' said Shapiro. "I hope it's
true," added Schechter eagerly. "Some
times the ones we come across are still
clogged with mud and silt from having
been under water."
As for the new law, it is still somewhat
ambiguous. Statute ' 225.30, which had
been in force since 1967, said that own
ership of any gambling devices was illegal,
even if they were not used for gambling.
This had given police.the right to im
mediately seize and destroy the slots. Now
with the new section (225.32) in effect,
these machines can still be seized but if
the owner can prove in court that they're
certifiable antiques (built before January
1, 1941) and not used for wagering, the
booty has to be returned, charges dropped.
Although
past
regulations
have!
thwarted the metamorphosis of this
artifact from unsanctioned to high kitsch
or even high art, slot machines will now
be able to take their'rightful place in the
aristocracy of Americana.
I asked the trio which was the rarest
treasure. Meisel answered, "Charles Fey
invented.the three-reel slot machine in.
1905. If anybody finds a 'Fey Liberty Bell'
he can get up to $50,000. There are only
Slotniks: Lenny, Lou, and Gil
2 or 3 in the world. Until then, I guess
we'll still dive into rivers ..."
.com
m
:
u
m
e
d fro de-mus
e
d
nloa w.arca
w
o
D
w
://w
p
t
t
h
© The International Arcade Museum
13
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
wealth
of machines and the
workshop
located in the cellar. Eight craftsmen are
kept busy, using original materials and
techniques to restore the valuable. an
tiques.
"We're only interested in selling to
serious collectors because, as you can see,
our slots are carefully brought back to
historical perfection." Shapiro em
phasized over and over again, "These
things are expensive, but we don't want
to sell them to some rich joker who just
wants to stick one in his finished basement
next to his pinball machine where all his
kids and their friends can abuse it."
I asked where they find them. "The
dark basement corners of Elk, Rotary, and
Kiwanis clubs are good sources, old coun°
try clubs, police warehouses in small
towns—we just heard of a storeroom full
in Alabama,*' said Shapiro. "I hope it's
true," added Schechter eagerly. "Some
times the ones we come across are still
clogged with mud and silt from having
been under water."
As for the new law, it is still somewhat
ambiguous. Statute ' 225.30, which had
been in force since 1967, said that own
ership of any gambling devices was illegal,
even if they were not used for gambling.
This had given police.the right to im
mediately seize and destroy the slots. Now
with the new section (225.32) in effect,
these machines can still be seized but if
the owner can prove in court that they're
certifiable antiques (built before January
1, 1941) and not used for wagering, the
booty has to be returned, charges dropped.
Although
past
regulations
have!
thwarted the metamorphosis of this
artifact from unsanctioned to high kitsch
or even high art, slot machines will now
be able to take their'rightful place in the
aristocracy of Americana.
I asked the trio which was the rarest
treasure. Meisel answered, "Charles Fey
invented.the three-reel slot machine in.
1905. If anybody finds a 'Fey Liberty Bell'
he can get up to $50,000. There are only
Slotniks: Lenny, Lou, and Gil
2 or 3 in the world. Until then, I guess
we'll still dive into rivers ..."
.com
m
:
u
m
e
d fro de-mus
e
d
nloa w.arca
w
o
D
w
://w
p
t
t
h
© The International Arcade Museum
13
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).