Coin Slot

Coin Slot Magazine - #075 - 1981 - May [International Arcade Museum]
springboard for our Editor's Statement. We would very
much like to take this a step further by receiving some
photographs of these reproduction machines. It would be
an excellent way to write an article on how to determine
whether or not a machine is original or reproduction.
Pictures of the mechanism would be excellent, especial
ly if we could actually see the plastic parts.
We must count on our readers to get this type of infor
LETTERS
mation for us.
Thanks again for your letter.
Sincerely,
Editor
TO
THE
Dear Editor,
I've tried everyone to no avail, to identify my "Silver
Queen" one cent slot (unknown serial). Now I'd like to
ask the super experts — The Coin Slot.
Can you tell me anything about this machine, and if so,
EDITOR
its approximate value?
Much thanks,
Dear Editor:
It was certainly nice to meet you and Bill in Denver
last week and I look forward to seeing you again on my
next trip to the Mile High City.
Dix Fetzer, President
Antique Slot Machines, Inc.
676 Donald Dr. So.
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
In the meantime, I wonder if you or some of your
readers could help me solve yet another original color
dilemma. I've recently traded an excellent SUN CHIEF
to a Michigan friend for a H FOUR STAR. The older
Chief needs some tender lovin' care plus a paint job
because someone tried to make it look like a BURSTING
CHERRY. It seems to have an original looking black
krinkle finish on the escalator bonnet and beneath at
least some parts of the front casting. Has anyone else
ever heard of krinkle black on a H FOUR STAR, whether
or not the hunting scene was just polished for sure and
any other details for the exterior?
I'd also like to respond to the question of reproduction
slot machines. In short, they're for the birds! Fake WAR
EAGLES are being sold in Houston at $1,700 to poor
pilgrims that are going to quickly develop an extraor
dinary amount of ill will toward bonafied collectors who
don't have any time for imitations. Not only is the
purchaser of counterfeits getting ripped off, but the high
tide of reasonable legislation could go out again —
perhaps this time for good. I'm certainly not looking
forward to going back 'underground.'
What we apparently need is a standard for identifica
tion of reproduced parts, so why not require reproduc
tion to be stamped on all new parts — no matter what
they are. If a machine is over half new (by weight) then it
IS new and against the law in all states but Nevada. As
for the completely sham machines, only a pretty low in
telligence would believe nylon payout slides, tinny reel
stop levers and mechanisms with no quality. I'm con
vinced that Herbert S. Mills rolls over in his grave on this
last point, but maybe that's enough of the soap box.
om
m.c
:
rom -museu
f
d
e
Gil Jones
oad .arcade
l
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w
Dear Gil, Do
ww
w
/
/
:
We enjoyed
http visiting with you and also receiving your
Regards,
letter. We 11 see if some of our readers can help you out.
We have taken the liberty of using your letter as a
8 The
— THE
COIN Arcade
SLOT Museum
©
International
Dear Dix;
Well, we hope that the "experts" haven't let you down.
But, we've checked out your SILVER QUEEN "Mystery
Machine" with three or four of our best sources and
drew a blank. Well, not quite a blank. The weight of opin
ion seems to suggest that the machine isn't American.
Most guesses say it's English, and a front open. As for
value, that's hard to say. It's fairly modern (say 1960s or
so) and it's foreign, so that cuts its value in relation to the
American Bells of the 1930s through the 1950s. But it
looks like a terrific game room machine to us. This whole
thing about foreign machines needs re-evaluation soon,
as many of these machines are just as playfully desirable
as American machines, and are often rarer.
We're glad to have the pictures. Maybe some readers
of The Coin Slot can come up with the final answer. And
thanks for the kind comments about our magazine.
The Editor
Continued on page 10
May 1981
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