Allwin de luxe

[fredslilja]

Hi everybody!
What a great site this is I am very happy to have found this place on internet.
I am a new collector (started a year ago).
First of all I want to appologize for my bad english, but I do as good as I can.

I have many questions and hope I get some answers. Well where do I start??
Lets begin with the allwin I bought nearly a year ago (from Holland).

I have restored because it was in a quite bad condition, but nothing was missing and it works well.
Can anyone tell me how old this is and who has made it?
The moneycup sems to have been changed (its crome and other details are brass). Does someone know where I can get a more suitable moneycup?
I wonder if the lock can be original?
The instructioncard in the playfield, can these be original or are they maybe reproduced later on?

[JC]

Hello Fredslija, and welcome to the forum! No apologies are required regarding your English - it's very good.

Now, your allwin. My first guess is that it's German, although many similar machines were made here in England. It's looking increasingly likely that many of the machines which we've previously regarded as German are in fact British, but I can't say one way or the other regarding your machine. A picture of the mechanism might help. As for age, I would say anywhere between mid 1920s to early 1930s.

You're right, the payout bowl is not original. Brass spun bowls are available from pennymachines (go to the archive), but as far as I'm aware, the backplate is not available. Alternatively, you could take your complete payout bowl to an electroplater and have it chemically stripped and then polished. You would still have a problem with the fixing screws, which are probably steel.

The lock, as you suspect, is not original. Many believe that the R&W stands for Ruffler & Walker who were large distributors of penny slot machines. I recently discovered that this is entirely wrong - the R&W just happens to be the initials of the lock manufacturer.

Again, the paperwork may not be original. Your allwin may well have originally been a reserve ball machine, in which case the paperwork won't be original - it will have been used to mask the vertical window in the centre of the playfield which displayed the captive reserve balls. Post a picture of the mech. and we'll be able to see more clearly.

Hope that's been of some help.

Jerry

[badpenny]

The lock, as you suspect, is not original. Many believe that the R&W stands for Ruffler & Walker who were large distributors of penny slot machines. I recently discovered that this is entirely wrong - the R&W just happens to be the initials of the lock manufacturer.

......... really? Wow I didn't know that!!

[fredslilja]

Thank you for anwering.

I belive I have to add some more pictures. I added a picture of the back of the door. Mostly to decide who have made it and how old the machine is. The ugly white plastic pipe I have placed just to get it going. The slide to the moneycup was in pieces when I bought it and I have not managed to fix it (by the way, there is no meening to it before I get the right moneycup).

I wonder if the coinbox is the right one? This I bought later on. As you can see in that picture I have bought a moneycup in brass (yes i bougt it here on pennymachines). The trouble you alson mention is to get a nice brass plate around it.

I also added a picture of the back of the lock. It seems to have been a bigger lock in the first place, doesn´t it?
I am also courious about the knob that you turn right to get the penny in the cup. I wonder if this is damaged. Isn´t it cut off?
If I look in the middle there is a iron pin that looks cut off??

the thumb was replaised when I bought the machine. It was a chromed thumb. I did a badly attemt to get the chrome of, so it would be more suitable. Can someone tell me how the original thumb should look like?

fredslilja

[JC]

The picture of the mechanism clearly shows that your allwin is not, and never has been a reserve ball machine, so the paperwork on the playfield is probably original.

You're right, the thumb stop is not original - it's from a 1950s/60s Oliver Whales allwin. The original would have been similar, although it would not have had the knurling on the front. I'll try to get a picture from one of my machines, and if you know anyone with a lathe, I'm sure you could make it look almost original.

You're right about the payout knob - I've no idea what's gone wrong there! The knob should have a blind hole, whereas on yours the shaft appears to go right through the knob.

I shouldn't worry too much about the lock. OK it's not original, but your chances of obtaining an original are pretty slim and you may well find that the hole in the door has been opened up to accept the new lock, which of course is irreversible. Also, I shouldn't worry about whether the cash box is correct, after all, it's only a box to collect pennies. I've no idea what the original would have looked like, I'm sure most have gone missing over the years.

Your biggest problem is the payout cup and it's surround. The original plate would have been cast brass, with two lugs on the back which were drilled and tapped so that the whole assembly could be screwed on from the back of the door. Does anyone else have any ideas?

Jerry

[fredslilja]

Thank you Jerry

If I read you correct then you belive that it´s made in the uk 1920s/30s ? Do you know the manufakturer?
I would gladely accept a photo of how an original thumb should look like. Maybe also a close photo of an original payout knob?
Maybe mine is cut of somehow, somebody who have any ideas

I beleeve I read somewhere in this forum, that someone had quite a lot of allwin spares.
Maybe he could help me with a payout cup?

fredslilja

[fredslilja]

No answer??

[pennymachines]

OK fredslilja, here are some pictures from a couple of Allwin Deluxes (please forgive cobwebs).
In my experience, no two machines are the same - there will always be some slight variations. One payout handle is a bit more fancy, one thumb stop is knurled, one has concave curves, the other convex. Your payout handle, lock - even the thumb stop look OK to me. They will look better with a bit of polishing. The cashbox looks about right too. You're lucky to have one - they're usually long gone! Are there any peg and screw holes on the top of the cabinet? There was probably a carved pediment originally.

Inevitably bits wore out and were replaced over the years - that's just part of a machine's history. The thumb stop pictured below is in the wrong place. What to do? Re-tap the thread to make it fit and try to disguise the remaining hole in the oak? Notice the coin cup and surround pictured below are also completely wrong.

All of the external fittings on your machine would originally have been chromium or nickel plated (nickel looks more "antique"). So if you soldered your cup to the surround and electro-plated all the parts it would not look out of place. The handle is probably original - the central iron shaft would not have been visible when it was plated.

Assuming your machine is British, my guess is that it was made by Frank Harwood of Birmingham sometime in the 1930s.

[JC]

Hello Fredslilja - sorry it's taken a while to reply, but I am very very busy at this time of the year. I did take some pictures for you some days ago, but just haven't had time to post. I've posted them below, in addition to pennymachines pictures.

Pennymachines has more or less said all that needs to be said - as I've inferred above, don't worry too much about what's original and what's not - very few machines of that era are totally original.

I should just say though, I'm not saying your machine is British. I'm saying it COULD be British.........or it could be German? I'm afraid no one can give you a definative answer at the moment, although I am trying to research more into the German and British machines of that era. Suffice to say, it is looking increasingly likey that many of the machines that were previously considered to be German, are in fact British.

Jerry

[fredslilja]

Hi everybody

Just want to share some pictures with you of my restoration.
Thanks for all help

fredslilja

[fredslilja]

Some more

[fredslilja]

and the last ones

[slotalot]

and the last ones

Hi fredslilja , WELL DONE! you have made a very nice job of your allwin ... I bet you never thought that the backing cloth was green when you first got your machine did you?....Regards Stuart.

[badpenny]

Nice job there fella

[pennymachines]

Nice job fredslilja and thanks for showing us the finished result. I'm glad you replaced the payout cup surround with the correct type - these little details make a big difference.

[fredslilja]

I bet you never thought that the backing cloth was green when you first got your machine did you?....

Yes, I have to admit I got a little suprised when I removed the spandrels on the backing cloth.