No more new old slots?

[aristomatic]

I rarely buy slots thesedays as don't have opportunity to travel to collect.

However, regardless of my own personal situation, are there any new old slots available to buy? I had a discussion with another collector friend and we talked this over and both believe that we may have reached a situation where "in general" that there are really no new old slots to purchase now.....

In this scenario, what we mean by new old slots are machines that were in operation in various type of location that were then taken out of operation for various reasons, e.g. stopped working, decimalisation, superseded by newer models, premises closed etc. Some of these machines would have at the time been just scrapped/dumped/stripped for parts. However, at some point in the future,the majority of these older slot machines would then be "found" as premises resold, properties redeveloped, estate sales & then "newly" offered for sale, possibly for first time since originally sold.

These newly offered old slots were in the majority sold as is, be that original paint and specification or as they were when taken out of location, e.g. could
have several paint-jobs as operators and others refreshed as they saw fit. In previous years these were sold by word of mouth, down the pub, co-workers, classified ads and other options. Over the last 20 years may be through EBay too.

However, regardless of EBay removing listings etc, there seems over the last 5 years, across all purchasing options, very few new old slots available to buy?

I am of the belief that we are in a situation now that the new old slots that were previously coming to market are now in collectors/enthusiasts/mancave hands.

All previous premises have been picked/resold/redeveloped. All the previous owners who had a single machine at the time, have now all passed on & those machines sold.

Collectors who had half a dozen machines 15 years ago, may now have 20, 30, or more. These Collectors are generally a certain age and as they pass on, these machines tend to be bought by the remaining collectors as new old slots are rarely available.......................

Collectors' machines tend to be all working and generally complete.

The joy of buying a new old slot that's been out of action for 5/10 or more years and getting it up and running again is hard to find...........

Of course the odd matching serial number, all original locks & keys machines do turn up but it's hard to find even the odd Aristocrat or Sega light up new old slot option come to market from a non-collector.

[badpenny]

Ask Bob Jingle

[brigham]

There are plenty of old 'slots' on the market; you just aren't recognising them. They are coming from exactly the same sources as they were twenty years ago, but of course they are now twenty years younger.
They contain lamps and relays. Some of them have computers in.

[badpenny]

There are plenty of old 'slots' on the market; you just aren't recognising them. They are coming from exactly the same sources as they were twenty years ago, but of course they are now twenty years younger.
They contain lamps and relays. Some of them have computers in.

[jingle]

My answer to bp
You have to follow your nose to find machines
But you also need to be brave and put your hand in your pocket
I know of a few hoards sitting there that arnt known by a collector
but there not ready yet
To sell
If they know am not scared of putting my hand in my pocket
I'll get the call

Aristo you arnt finding machines coz
Like you say your not travelling and looking
There are still a small amount out there at fairs
But not quality machines
Just cheap common bandits

[jingle]

On another note
Smart phones are killing most collector hobbies now
Most of my house clearance pals
Get in a house and there stripped of goodies
Coz the owners kids run round the place
Googling everything in the house and
Ebaying or gumtree there treasures
Nothing wrong with that but
To the likes of traders there struggling finding the good stuff

[badpenny]

Excellent insight Bob .... thanks

[coppinpr]

Don't I remember someone saying last year that one of the late year sales at EH had a surprising number of new old slots? or did I dream that

[badpenny]

Isn't old age awful, I daren't tell you what I dream about.

[coppinpr]

I daren't tell you what I dream about

Narrow boats with a slot arcade on board?

[pennymachines]

There were some machines in the last EH auction which hadn't (as far as I'm aware) been pre-owned by collectors and appeared to have come direct from at least one operator.

[gameswat]

25 years ago collectors were telling me that machines had pretty much dried up! There are still new to market machines turning up all the time, the way they do has slowly changed over time of course and always will. But as Jingle said, you need to beat the bushes to find them, and he's turned up some crackers. Back in the '70s, '80s & '90s my father and I got almost everything straight from older operators he knew. That started to slow down eventually so then we started advertising in a local paper looking for home owned machines. Found hundreds of games that way. I wanted earlier pieces though so then had to start befriending and eventually dealing with older collectors in Aust and overseas, many of whom did not choose to restore, just own the games in any condition. I've also been willing to travel the world many times over to find machines in countries they are either common in, or unwanted there. Picked up lots of great British and European machines in the USA that way and some killer US made pieces in the UK not getting the love they deserved. Nowadays I don't have the spare cash or time to travel and/or buy much, but if I wanted to there are project pieces all the time. And currently in the US there are still truck loads of old machines being purchased each week straight from old operators by a dealer I know.

[treefrog]

The next finds will be when us old codgers keel over as am sure there are a number of collectors with large hauls of untouched machines.

I am still waiting for my lucky find or collection