Photo of the last of the Mills bandits in use

[coppinpr]

Topic moved - Site Admin.

Interesting photo of GI playing one of the last Mills machines, the Bell-o-Matic compact,probably 1961-62, the end of an era.

[dutchboy]

Those are nice coppinpr, I have one in bits and pieces. It will get a paint job and I am halfway cleaning the mechanism. It will take some time but will get there.

[JC]

Nice machines, employing standard Mills mechs. I used to own two (console models) - interestingly with consecutive serial numbers. One was on 5c, which I sold many years ago and the other on 25c, which I always wanted to keep, but eventually sold more recently (to another member on this forum). I always felt a little guilty about splitting them, due to the serial numbers - they very quickly became known as the 'twins'.
However, I always believed they were a lot later than 1961 - '62.

[coppinpr]

The photo I started the thread with was dated 61/62 but could well be wrong. If they were made after 63 then they would be TJM and not Mills novelty Co. but I guess they could still call them Mills machines as Tony and John ran the company but didn't own it. TJM also owned Jennings and the Compact has a lot in common with the Jennings Galaxy in the case shape. TJM continued till the early '80s but I don't know how long before that they stooped making mechanical machines.

[coppinpr]

On closer examination of the original photo, I think the pinball in the corner is a 1967 Williams "Magic Town" which would make these machines from the TJM era if they were fairly new when the photo was taken.

[dutchboy]

The year on my machine is 1963. (Older than I am )

[brigham]

Notice the right-hand coin entry. That might tell us something.

[coppinpr]

In the original photo one has a right and one a left.

[treefrog]

Yes, I noticed the right machine. It is not the same type - has no escalator. Mills did a variety of late machines. There is another thread on some of them.

I still have the console JC, still needing restoration. It has 1964 stamped on it. Interesting the maker of some of the company making the coin chutes in California, guess Mills subcontracted.

I have another odder one mentioned a few years ago below. This is 1963.