Mills or Sega - RENO Slot?

[slotsoffun]

Came across this old chestnut, fully working (lights work too which is amazing!!!!!), However, on first looks it seems to be one of the many Sega type slots, but it has the words RENO etched in the belly of the casting. I have never seen one called this before, is it a Sega or maybe Mills. The mech is the 7's reel strip. Any ideas to origin?

Sega or Mills or ???

[chris rideout]

I was just about to fall asleep when your posting arrived. The paintwork is certainly Sega style from the early 1960s. The Reno name has mystified me also. The machine has been "messed about" but at least you still have the jackpot mechanism in there. Judging by the colour scheme, I would think it should have been a Strike a Bonanza with 27 ways to win when £ £ £ appears anywhere in the window. Instead of that, yours proclaims 7 7 7 does the very same.

As for the date, look for the 6 digit serial number at the bottom of the casing below the back door. If it begins with a 6 or 7, it will be much the same age as mine (August 1963) but I don't have the white "bib" going down the front because the paintwork style changed just before mine was built.

[aristomatic]

I have had a couple of these with the Reno casting on the front. They both had the same thin trim running down the two leading edges of the cabinet. It's the same trim as on your example too.
Here's a picture of the last one that I had (someone else has it now).

What combination of mechs/topbox artwork they had originally, I have no idea. Maybe they were refurbs/revampers' "new" models using whatever Sega/Mills parts were available with some of their own?
I have also had a few of the Mills branded option too. They always had a small Mills trim badge where the Sega Mad Money or other model trim usually sits and they always had flat plain chrome trim running down two leading edges (i.e. not the indented Sega chrome trim). Again, whether these are/were originally Mills "machines" or just yet another "supplier/revamper" in those heady days, I have not a clue...

Here's a couple of pictures:

[slotsoffun]

Thanks for both replies. I guess just about every Sega model has been messed about with during its lifetime, and I know many customisations are done with different award cards, different lightbox graphics and most definitely various mechanism combinations. I wondered if the model was a Mills, as I believe they moved to Reno? Just a thought! I know some re-badged models have a simple "badge" stuck on front, but to go to the huge expense of either casting the front with the words RENO embedded, or engraving, just seems a lot of hassle!
My own research on this RENO has thrown up nothing more!
Anyone else with ideas?

[malcymal]

They can have different rear bonnets too, doors, escalators/mechs etc. It's good yours is all there as finding missing parts for these variant machines can be tricky as the parts are not always interchangeable. I'm sure yours will look great with a flashy paint job. The cash payout tray/bowl -I had one of these re-chromed once for £70 and it looked amazing considering how pitted it was. Guy told me he had to machine polish it so much he was worried he would punch through the metal as it was so pitted.

[slotsoffun]

Yes the tray on this has been sprayed silver, so guessing the chrome has come off! I'm not gonna paint it as it came as a job lot this was just one of the odd-ball machines bundled. Gonna get rid as it is.
thanks for info

[cheeky]

Hmm. I've never seen a 'Reno' one before. I hope an 'expert' can advise us on this one. Like you say, an awful lot of effort has been made to cast the front which suggests there must be a very good reason to do so or at least an arcade that commissioned it.

I look forward to seeing it in the Market!

[coppinpr]

The easiest way to tell if this is a Sega clone is to try the rear bonnet from a true Sega on it. If it's a clone, the bonnet will not fit at all. I think (but not sure) this is true of the back door as well.

[slotsoffun]

Just tried the back door and rear bonnet from a genuine Mad Money Sega and it fits perfect?
I did consider what someone else mentioned about a club or buyer who commissioned it... but I would imagine the expense to do this would probably be only worthwhile if they were ordering a high volume, such as a casino?

I guess I could always find someone who's called Reno, and sell it as a personalised slot, just like number plates!!!! Mmmmm.. I know a Geno!!!

[coppinpr]

you could try and sell it to a casino in Reno, the casinos there are so far behind Vegas its like going back in time, this might well be state of the art there

[aristomatic]

one arm bandit 'reno' vintage 1960s?

It has the same moulding strips as all the others I have seen and has a Reno Automatic Co plate affixed to it, which I have never seen before.......

GP

[slotsoffun]

It's amazing that since I started this post about a Reno, they seem to be cropping up all over the place. Saw a local auction yesterday sell one similar to the one above, it fetched just £110. Bargain. If I didn't have so many Sega Hi Tops I may have been tempted myself!!!