Bros Caille

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gameswat
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Bros Caille

Post by gameswat »

Just purchased this treasure a week and half ago but still in transit from Sydney to Perth. Circa 1901 Caille New Century Detroit slot. Seems to be the only floor machine in Aust. Really looking forward to working on it as have only ever restored an earlier 1890s electric floor machine. I found out about this only the day before auction via a good friend who wasn't interested due to not being fully restored. And amazingly I was just talking about this very machine with my buddy Bob Klepner a month ago, just after the Watling Big Six machine sold in the UK. Bob looked through his archives and sent me this photo he took of the same machine 30+ years ago when he saw it at the Ainsworth Aristocrat factory being serviced for the owner. Apparently they had it working then but sent the coin head to the States for work. Probably the missing face plate to the coin head? There is the lost face plate, some missing wooden trims from the front of the case and a missing side handle, but otherwise looks decent. Luckily I have a great friend in the States who is the authority on floor machine restorations and his work is faultless, so he's helping me out with the missing parts. It was the original patina that sold me on the machine. I really can't stand them all shiny and tarted up like most in the States now are. Nowadays they are using a plating called Watts Nickel which gives a satiny aged finish to the castings and which ages quickly.
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As seen by Bob Klepner in the early 1980s at Aisnworth.
As seen by Bob Klepner in the early 1980s at Aisnworth.
A typical US example looking brand new!
A typical US example looking brand new!
Nice and aged.
Nice and aged.
caille 2.jpg
caille 4.jpg
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john t peterson
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Re: Bros Caille

Post by john t peterson »

Noting wrong with tarts, especially if we're from Detroit, Michigan, home to the former Caille Brothers.

Better be careful with those Australian slurs, bub! !NYAH!

J Peterson
American Tart
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badpenny
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Re: Bros Caille

Post by badpenny »

Slurs or slurps?
bub2.jpg

........... and is this the Peter you're a son of?
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john t peterson
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Re: Bros Caille

Post by john t peterson »

I LOVE beer; I can only hope we're closely related.

J Peterson
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john t peterson
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Re: Bros Caille

Post by john t peterson »

Hey Ganeswa...some investigative work for you, buddy. What happened to the parts between the time Master Collector Klepner got the picture of the machine 30 years ago and you ended up with it? Were they sent to the US for repair? If so, what happened? I smell the traces of a bloody good story, mate.

J Peterson
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gameswat
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Re: Bros Caille

Post by gameswat »

JP - the machine doesn't seem to have changed from when Bob first saw it, the whole coin head is missing in that first photo because Ainsworth had sent it to the states for repair of some kind. We presume that was because the coin head face plate cover was missing. And possibly whoever they sent it to in the states didn't have a spare cover to sell or recast from? The machine has been converted to Penny play which is a low coinage for such a machine, in the US either 5c or 25c play. This was probably a quarter machine to start with. I'll have to do some milling work to the replacement face plate to make the larger Pennies fit I'm sure. But otherwise the wood trims from the front appear to have been removed to modernise the cabinet somewhat, possibly done in the 30's to 50's period?
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gameswat
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Re: Bros Caille

Post by gameswat »

Just re-read these posts and even though I haven't restored the machine as yet I can add something. The mech appears to be totally original as made by Caille, but operating on Pennies, so it has to be a US 50 cent machine! Very rare to find such a high coinage back then. Since the ornate trims were removed from the machine to modernise the look, and it was operating here on Penny play, I've surmised it was purchased in the 1920's or 30's sometime and shipped to Aust. An operator was smart enough to realise they didn't need to do much conversion work to operate it here. And the machine was at that point selling cheap in the states.
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badpenny
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Re: Bros Caille

Post by badpenny »

Isn't it scary to read a thread that hasn't been touched in a couple of years only to discover that you had actually contributed?
Then to add insult, you haven't a clue why you did, or what the hell you meant? ...... no? ...... only me then!
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Re: Bros Caille

Post by pennymachines »

What a fabulous machine Gameswat, and I know you'll make a great job of it (eventually).
I didn't comment earlier because its magnificence stunned me into jealous silence. :sick:
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gameswat
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Re: Bros Caille

Post by gameswat »

Someone didn't believe me that this could be 50 cent and thought it was probably made for Penny. Well here is another. There's no way anybody could have made money operating a hugely expensive machine like this from new on Penny play.
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/29 ... wheel-slot
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50 cent caille.jpg
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