Coin Slot

Coin Slot Magazine - #092 - 1982 - October [International Arcade Museum]
the "sweetheart's" attractively pro
it that materials needed for chrome
portioned anatomy. A dazzling mir
plating became critical when the
in mind can produce results that
ror-like chrome facade with promi
threat of World War II was looming
are not only strikingly impressive,
that Mills' designers originally had
nent scroll accents was topped off
over the nation, thus restricting the
but bring ownership of one of the
above the reel windows with a heart-
use of chrome for decorative pur
like design, which suggested the
poses. This could well have been,
most beautiful of Q.T. models within
reach of more people than would
nickname "sweetheart," an appel
although it must be noted that the
otherwise be possible. Unfortu
lation soon better known than the
automotive industry wasn't as quick
official one. Cast iron replaced the
to put glitter-coated bumpers on
aluminum formerly used for Q.T.
the automobiles that were still being
front castings, not only silently at
manufactured at the time. Mills had
nately, many other examples of the
GLITTER Q.T. have aluminum cast
ings, which cannot be plated with
the excellent appearance attainable
testing to the fact that strength had
been using chrome plating for the
on cast iron.
not been sacrificed for the sake of
CHROME "diamond" machine of
beauty, but also providing a superior
the full sized slot line, and both it
base forthe superb chrome plating.
and the Q.T. wound up getting the
By one of the most unfortunate of
coincidences, the U.S.A. was thrust
into World War II just as production
glitter treatment about the same
time.
An important factor that may have
influenced the move to drop the
of the "sweetheart" was getting
well underway. Things were never
chrome plating is the common de
quite the same again, and as a
nominator of practically all business
result, original examples of the
descisions, i.e., cost. Chrome plating
CHROME Q.T. are becoming nearly
is a lot more expensive than paint
as hard to find as the elusive JU NIOR
or glitter, and always has been,
SILENT. Moreover, people who are
relatively speaking. Cast iron and
luckly enough to have them tend to
chrome plating may have been
become very attached to their
abandoned simply because they
"sweethearts" and don't want to
didn't turn out to be cost effective.
A few of the GLITTER Q.T. examples
part with them. In any case, the
CHROME Q.T.'s exceptional com
were made with cast iron fronts.
bination of beauty and rarity makes
Some practitioners of "creative
it a very desirable member of the
restoration" have removed the glit
Q.T. family to own.
ter and applied chrome plating,
More readily available than the
thereby achieving an appearance
original CHROME Q.T. is a variant
virtually indistinguishable from the
of the "sweetheart" style called the
original CHROME Q.T. Although a
handfull of self-appointed defenders
GLITTER Q.T., but is encrusted
with a cheap looking glitter sub
of "originality" are certain to object
stance in lieu of the mirror-like finish
of its predecessor. One theory has
(hopefully only mildly!), restoring
these machines to the appearance
1 he Inside Story
Before moving on to Q.T. develop
ments of the post World War II era,
let's take a closer look at some of
the remarkable treasures that are
waiting to be discovered within the
confines of the Q.T.'s own casework.
Practically everything about the
Q.T. was innovative, including its
case and interior accessibility. The
Q.T. provides one of the earliest
examples of a front opening case, a
feature that is commonplace in to
day's casino slots but practically
unheard of in the 1930s. The Q.T.'s
front consists of a one-piece casting,
which is easily unlocked and re
moved to provide sufficient -mech
anical access for clearing coin jams
or other minor maintenance. For
removal, the mechanism slides out
toward the front, but this requires
unlocking the back(cash box access)
door with a different key before the
mechanism can be budged from
the case. This provision was to con
trol access to the cash box, which
becomes openly exposed when the
mechanism is out of the case. Rails
A&P SLOTS
support the mechanism along the
edges, and there is no cabinet base
plate of the kind found in larger
OLD & NEW SLOT MACHINES
slots.
Largest selection from
brand new back to the early 1920's.
REPAIR
•
Antique Back Bars
PARTS
•
BOOKS
Cash Registers Orchestrions
BUY • SELL • TRADE
m
o
Top restoration
at reasonable
m.c prices.
:
u
m
e
Stop by f while
mu or s call from out of town.
d ro d in e Reno
-
e
d
nloa arca
Dow //www. A&P SLOTS
:
http 350 N. Virginia * Reno, NV 89501
(702) 322-0662
When its front casting is lifted
away, the Q.T. reveals many distinc
tive internal features. The large twin
jackpots are found to be integrally
attached to the mechanism, in con
trast to Mills' usual practice of bolt
ing jackpot mechanisms to front
castings.
The jackpots dump alternately
when won during play, and replen
ishment is carried out by means of a
unique, flexible coin chute. This
chute is "hinged" on a piece of flat
spring stock so it can be deflected
mechanically toward either jackpot.
A cam continually repositions it
© The
International Arcade Museum
14 —THE COIN SLOT
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
October 1982