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- The history of slot machines is a story of pioneers who altered the way people have gambled over the past century and a bit. You can still see evidence of the early slot machines in new video slots made today. Let's take a trip down memory lane and explore the fast-changing history of the most popular gambling game in the world.
- Vintage slot machines from the 1930s and 1940s consistently sell for $2,000-3,000 Bally's Money Honey slot machine is often referred to as the 'machine that changed Vegas'. The coin hopper that allowed the machine to offer huge payouts made slot machine gambling extremely popular.
The first mechanical slot machine was invented in 1894 by Charles Fey, a car mechanic from San Francisco, California. He made a revised version in 1898. Called the Liberty Bell, it had three spinning reels that were painted with diamond, space and heart symbols, as well as three Liberty Bells. A spin of three Liberty Bells gave the player the highest payout, which totaled fifty cents.
Vintage Slot Machines For Sale
Demand was popular and Fey could not keep up with the demand for the machines. He refused to sell manufacturing rights to his slot machines, so other companies began producing knock offs. By 1908, slot machines could be found in saloons, cigar stores, bowling alleys, barber shops, and brothels. Some slot machines paid out in food or gum to circumvent anti-gambling laws.
The first electronic slot machine was produced by the Bally Company in 1963. Called Money Honey, it had a bottomless hopper and could pay out up to 500 coins without an attendant. The first video slot machine was invented in 1976 in Kearny Mesa, California by the Fortune Coin Company. Collectors of slot machines are attracted to the vintage mechanical slot machines with their elaborate designs. Machines in excellent condition are worth the highest prices.
Quick Facts
- Only about 100 Liberty Bell slot machines were produced by Charles Fey. His descendents owned and operated a saloon and museum in Reno, Nevada, displaying the original Liberty Bell slot machine until 2006
- Vintage slot machines from the 1930s and 1940s consistently sell for $2,000-3,000
- Bally's Money Honey slot machine is often referred to as the 'machine that changed Vegas'. The coin hopper that allowed the machine to offer huge payouts made slot machine gambling extremely popular
Owning a vintage slot machine is one of those fun yet daunting ideas. Many old school one-armed bandits are beautifully designed and instant conversation pieces. Plus slot fans who own a machine don’t ever have to worry about losing money to the house.
Multiple Vintage Slot Machines On Cd Players
Charles August Fey, a Bavaria-born inventor, was living in San Francisco when he invented his first gambling machine in 1984. His games grew to be so popular at local bars, he quit his day job and opened a factory to start mass producing them, most notably the Liberty Bell machines in 1899. A lot of the functionality from that early game remained in place through much of the 20th century. Watch this video to see the seven mechanical actions set into motion when you pull back the bandit’s arm. The inner workings are probably a little more complex than you expect.
Given that a lot of old slot machines are hand built, it isn’t surprising that coins can get jammed on their way through the mechanism. Big warning: If your machine jams, don’t force the arm or you can break, twist or damage a part inside. Different models and makes tend to have common jam points. The Mills model shown in the above video can have coins stuck in the “elevator” section that displays the last five coins dropped into the machine. Getting the slot working again can be as simple as cleaning the gunk off of an old part. You just need to be smart when you’re disassembling and reassembling the machinery.
Okay, there are plenty of more places where a coin can get stuck and the above video demonstrates how to fix a variety of jams. It also explains how to disassemble the major parts of the machine and where common problem areas are.
Curious how an antique slot machine knows how much money a winner gets? This video shows the punch-card like communication that trips payouts and how. If you ever need to replace the reel symbols or calibrate the machine you’ll need to understand how these work. Even if you don’t ever plan on owning a machine, the metallic “circuitry” is interesting to see.
Want to own a modern slot machine? New ones have plenty more bells, whistles and dings, and also a lot more advanced parts. If you plan on getting one, you may want to have an idea of what’s inside. In addition to the classic reels, there are speakers, motherboards filled with programming chips and plenty of wires. Unless you have a way with a soldering iron you probably won’t try and fix it. But in case you do, here’s a clip from Discovery showing what’s inside.
Did you know newer slot machines are smart enough to test themselves when a problem happens? This video shows you the procedure for having the machine check its own system. The host’s desert dry delivery is also enough to make this vid worth a watch.