Gameroom Show sells pre-1940s vintage slot machines in excellent, working condition. These rare antique slot machines are also known as “one-armed bandits” because they were originally operated by one lever on the side of the machine as opposed to a button on the front panel, and because of their ability to leave the gamer impoverished. Most classic slot machines began their evolution accepting pennies and nickels. Over the years, slot machines went through upgrades to begin accepting larger coins, like.
Owning a vintage slot machine is one of those fun yet daunting ideas. Many old school one-armed bandits are beautifully designed and instant conversation pieces. Plus slot fans who own a machine don’t ever have to worry about losing money to the house.
Charles August Fey, a Bavaria-born inventor, was living in San Francisco when he invented his first gambling machine in 1984. His games grew to be so popular at local bars, he quit his day job and opened a factory to start mass producing them, most notably the Liberty Bell machines in 1899. A lot of the functionality from that early game remained in place through much of the 20th century. Watch this video to see the seven mechanical actions set into motion when you pull back the bandit’s arm. The inner workings are probably a little more complex than you expect.
Given that a lot of old slot machines are hand built, it isn’t surprising that coins can get jammed on their way through the mechanism. Big warning: If your machine jams, don’t force the arm or you can break, twist or damage a part inside. Different models and makes tend to have common jam points. The Mills model shown in the above video can have coins stuck in the “elevator” section that displays the last five coins dropped into the machine. Getting the slot working again can be as simple as cleaning the gunk off of an old part. You just need to be smart when you’re disassembling and reassembling the machinery.
Old Dime Slot Machine
Okay, there are plenty of more places where a coin can get stuck and the above video demonstrates how to fix a variety of jams. It also explains how to disassemble the major parts of the machine and where common problem areas are.
Curious how an antique slot machine knows how much money a winner gets? This video shows the punch-card like communication that trips payouts and how. If you ever need to replace the reel symbols or calibrate the machine you’ll need to understand how these work. Even if you don’t ever plan on owning a machine, the metallic “circuitry” is interesting to see.
Want to own a modern slot machine? New ones have plenty more bells, whistles and dings, and also a lot more advanced parts. If you plan on getting one, you may want to have an idea of what’s inside. In addition to the classic reels, there are speakers, motherboards filled with programming chips and plenty of wires. Unless you have a way with a soldering iron you probably won’t try and fix it. But in case you do, here’s a clip from Discovery showing what’s inside.
Did you know newer slot machines are smart enough to test themselves when a problem happens? This video shows you the procedure for having the machine check its own system. The host’s desert dry delivery is also enough to make this vid worth a watch.
Casino Restorations is a premiere company for antique slot machine repair and restoration MN, we work with Mills, Superior, Lucky, Reel Amusement, Jennings, Watling, Callie antique coin operated device. If your thinking about having your antique slot machine repaired or fully restored? you have come to the right place!Antique Slot Machine Repair and Restoration History
Casino Restorations is a spinoff of a coin operated distributor in St. Paul, MN from the 1930’s until 1960. The doors were closed due to the death of the owner. Parts, tooling and a few machines were moved to new locations and operated from those locations until 1979 when my cherished friend and mentor passed away at the young age of 72.
Everything we had was consolidated to one location where we still operate in St. Paul, MN.
Antique Slot Machine Repair and Restoration Goals
Our goals have always been to do museum quality Antique Slot Machine Repair and Restoration from the late 1800’s into the 1940’s and Penny Arcade Machines and related items from the late 1800’s to 1930’s.
If you have a Machine but have no interest in repair or restoration of it, we would be interested in purchasing it from you.
Antique Slot Machine Repair and Restoration Knowledge
There are very few people in the United States remaining that have the knowledge and skill to properly work on vintage slot machines. There are even fewer companies that do it professionally on a daily basis. Out of those tiny handful of companies, none are corporations that fully insure your machine while in their shop and in transit, handle daily the national transport of antique slot machines or have a full time staff working ONLY ON ANTIQUE SLOT MACHINES; except for Casino Restorations.
Old Time Slot Machines
With the ever increasing value of antique penny arcade machines, having them worked on by a company with trained staff that have years of experience and will stand behind their work is very important. Also, having a company that knows how to properly restore vintage slots in a factory original way is vital to preserving not only the integrity of the machine, but it’s current and future value.
Who Buys Old Slot Machines
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Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota