Search found 2212 matches

by gameswat
Mon Feb 26, 2024 3:01 pm
Forum: Mechanical Memories Magazine
Topic: Peerless Pictures
Replies: 8
Views: 6635

Re: Peerless Pictures

Cleaning up a machine for a customer I'd sold him nearly 20 years ago, time flies! Anyway, noticed an interesting range of serial numbers on it: #78 - #80 - #83. Obviously the operator had a handful of machines with sequential serial numbers and happily swapped parts around after seasonal repainting...
by gameswat
Sat Feb 24, 2024 5:49 pm
Forum: Feedback
Topic: The Forum's yearly check up
Replies: 26
Views: 3421

Re: The Forum's yearly check up

Just taken photos tonight to post later on the forum about a sequence of serial numbers on a single Peerless Pictures Stereo viewer I've been working on. Got me thinking that possibly a new category for the site might be an alphabetical listing of machine names with known serial numbers sent in to a...
by gameswat
Sat Feb 10, 2024 3:23 am
Forum: Open Forum
Topic: Harpoon or Shaft ???
Replies: 24
Views: 1737

Re: Harpoon or Shaft ???

"What are the effects of this type of bidding? Power-bidding often drives auction prices up higher than they otherwise would go" Ha, what a ridiculous article - boo hoo, the "power" bidder has more money to spend than me and the price went up. But... if only that bidder had lifte...
by gameswat
Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:21 pm
Forum: Auction Community
Topic: Fruite Whirle
Replies: 12
Views: 2316

Re: Fruite Whirle

As far as I'm concerned, four known examples of any machine in the world would constitute great rarity! In 1989 I got seriously interested in collecting machines for myself, though had been restoring them since 1979 for the family business. I met Bob Klepner in 1991 and we quickly became fast friend...
by gameswat
Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:53 am
Forum: Questions and Answers
Topic: Help needed on pinstripes and flowers on Mills War Eagle cabinet
Replies: 12
Views: 640

Re: Help needed on pinstripes and flowers on Mills War Eagle cabinet

Yes one 'engineer' on Salvage Hunters described rust as patina! You do realise that the classic use of the term is for the green corrosion that formed on antique bronze and copper. Etymology. The word patina comes from the Italian patina (shallow layer of deposit on a surface), derived from the Lat...
by gameswat
Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:48 pm
Forum: Questions and Answers
Topic: Help needed on pinstripes and flowers on Mills War Eagle cabinet
Replies: 12
Views: 640

Re: Help needed on pinstripes and flowers on Mills War Eagle cabinet

Here's the Muto as found, was terribly rusty under the red overpaint so had to be sand blasted. Rather than trying to fill all the pitting I used it to my advantage with my aging techniques. I actually removed all the paint in the badly pitted areas and then lightly wet them for an hour. Then used a...
by gameswat
Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:03 pm
Forum: Questions and Answers
Topic: Help needed on pinstripes and flowers on Mills War Eagle cabinet
Replies: 12
Views: 640

Re: Help needed on pinstripes and flowers on Mills War Eagle cabinet

@Gameswat Do you have any name, manufacturer or color code/number on the vintage gold for me? No, I have actually collected old paint over the years for this reason. The old metallics are really hard to match with modern stuff. Though I also add powdered metal flake to get closer with my lacquers, s...
by gameswat
Sun Feb 04, 2024 10:28 pm
Forum: Open Forum
Topic: Harpoon or Shaft ???
Replies: 24
Views: 1737

Re: Harpoon or Shaft ???

Roger, you recently had nice things to say about your old buddy Ken Rubin, who could never be considered anything but a major " Blue Whale" with his many world record buys at auction! I'm sure quite a few of us are wondering how did/do you differentiate which collectors were good or bad &q...
by gameswat
Sun Feb 04, 2024 10:23 pm
Forum: Questions and Answers
Topic: Help needed on pinstripes and flowers on Mills War Eagle cabinet
Replies: 12
Views: 640

Re: Help needed on pinstripes and flowers on Mills War Eagle cabinet

SlotJ - it's an old fashioned gold, a coarse grain that isn't so easy to find these days. I think they commonly added brass flakes to make it back then. Of course likely much brighter to begin with but has aged over time when original as the brass tarnishes.
by gameswat
Sun Feb 04, 2024 12:48 pm
Forum: Open Forum
Topic: Jupiter Rustique jukebox identified
Replies: 5
Views: 1589

Re: Jupiter Rustique jukebox identified

A decent amount of the Jupiter machines came into Australia to be operated in the 60's and early 70's. It eventually became well known in the industry that they were terrible machines and had basically no resale value. I think the last one I was offered 20 years ago was eventually given to me free, ...
by gameswat
Sat Feb 03, 2024 5:26 am
Forum: Open Forum
Topic: Harpoon or Shaft ???
Replies: 24
Views: 1737

Re: Harpoon or Shaft ???

Years ago I was attending an Arington auction in Las Vegas to which I had consigned several coin-ops. There were no reserves but it was accepted practice for owners to bid for their own machines. Sure enough, a Whale shot his hand into the air for one of my prized machines and remained there for th...
by gameswat
Tue Jan 30, 2024 6:19 pm
Forum: Questions and Answers
Topic: Machine Conversions
Replies: 5
Views: 580

Re: Machine Conversions

Roger, you seem to be confusing collectors with operators. Brit collectors wanted to leave the machines original. In the US it was really only the dealers that converted some of the machines to Yank coinage, to make them more saleable to US collectors, not to make money operating. And one of the big...
by gameswat
Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:57 pm
Forum: Let's Talk about Slots
Topic: Nice row of cast iron machines
Replies: 23
Views: 4688

Re: Nice row of cast iron machines

treefrog wrote: Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:41 pm What was the bucket for
I imagine the instructions told the user to wash the finished plate after it was vended? Likely chemicals still attached....... !PUZZLED!
by gameswat
Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:36 am
Forum: Questions and Answers
Topic: Unknown Win a TOFFEE allwin
Replies: 5
Views: 609

Re: Unknown Win a TOFFEE allwin

Hey Tree, I've owned a few Wonders but didn't ever imagine it was related. The only thing I'll point out is the artwork on card is covered with thin acetate like Wonders did. Roof is flat. Trigger guard is standard allwin and very basic coin entry.
by gameswat
Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:06 am
Forum: Questions and Answers
Topic: Unknown Win a TOFFEE allwin
Replies: 5
Views: 609

Unknown Win a TOFFEE allwin

Just about to sell this for a friend, but no idea who the maker might be? All the artwork is good quality hand painted on card, cabinet is high quality oak and looks prewar, but shows no signs of recycling. The owners father was an antique dealer and imported this from Britain in the 1970's or 80's....
by gameswat
Sat Jan 27, 2024 1:06 pm
Forum: Let's Talk about Slots
Topic: Australian Manufactured Coin Op Machines
Replies: 94
Views: 69754

Re: Australian Manufactured Coin Op Machines

Just been servicing the 1921 Perfume Fountain machine I purchased from Bob Klepner and later sold. The current owner had lost the Patent I gave him and while looking for that online yesterday I stumbled on to the most amazing interview with the original maker from 1975! The only other Aussie history...
by gameswat
Thu Jan 11, 2024 7:52 pm
Forum: Open Forum
Topic: A really Sad Story
Replies: 22
Views: 1741

Re: A really Sad Story

Hey Roger, PM passed on your Donkey story, pity you didn't "pull the trigger" yourself! !OMFG! I believe this Monkey advert was from the Police Gazette, here private labelled for Samuel Nafew, who did that a lot. Beuschel calls it the Educated Monkey in his Arcade 1 book. The Patent was ap...
by gameswat
Thu Jan 11, 2024 3:52 pm
Forum: Open Forum
Topic: A really Sad Story
Replies: 22
Views: 1741

Re: A really Sad Story

Hey Roger, the round pedestal was only used on the Elephant and Donkey. The first machine had a square pedestal, the lost Educated Monkey that threw dice. The Madame Zita, Puss in Boots and Educated Bulldog all used the bowed four legs. The five Elephants I worked on all had original iron pedestals,...
by gameswat
Tue Jan 09, 2024 4:40 pm
Forum: Open Forum
Topic: A really Sad Story
Replies: 22
Views: 1741

Re: A really Sad Story

Hey Roger, have never had your email. What's the big secret anyway? And was the story I told about Ken the one you were thinking about? I've heard hundreds of interesting stories about machines and collectors over the years but have to say I've forgotten more than I can remember anymore.
by gameswat
Sun Jan 07, 2024 2:41 pm
Forum: Open Forum
Topic: A really Sad Story
Replies: 22
Views: 1741

Re: A really Sad Story

Actually I think Gorski reproed less of the Madam Zita and Donkey, maybe closer to 30 of each. He told me but I'm vague now. Though he did say it was three runs of the Puss in Boots at 30 per run over 30 years! There are just under 20 originals of those known.