Mills Castle Front Slot Machine 5 Cent

Description

FOR SALE: 1940’s Mills Vest pocket 5 cent slot machine in great working condition. This is the smallest payout authentic slot machine ever made. Designed to be inconspicuous when set in a business to fool Police.

5 Cent Mills Novelty Castle Front Jackpot Slot Machine, c1933, restored, in working condition, w/ key 4520 Arville St. # 1, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89103, United States Taxes. MILLS 1940's VEST POCKET SLOT MACHINE VINTAGE COIN OP TRADE STIMULATOR 5 CENT $ 550.00. Mills 5c CASTLE FRONT Gold Award nickel & token antique slot machine, ca 1934 $ 3,295.00. Bally Alpha V-20 Mega Winners video slot machine.

*Seems to work perfect and pay out correctly. Reels run smooth and fast.

*Restored condition with like original hammered blue and gold paint.

*Reel strips look great.

*Cleaned and lubricated.

*New rubber suction cup feet.

*Measures 7″ wide by 8″ tall. Weighs about 18 pounds.

Please ask questions.

Item will be shipped with insurance the first business day following payment.

Due to laws regulating the sale of antique slot machines, I, as the seller, will not sell to from members in the states of Alabama, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Bids from members residing in any of these states will be cancelled. Buy It Now transactions with buyers residing in these states will be considered void.

An authentic slot machine is a big investment (well over $1,000) to most people. These vintage machines are great conversation pieces as well as a great part of our history. Here are some tips so you don’t get burned!

Mills Castle Front Slot Machine

Take note. The following models of slot machines have been reproduced.
Mills War Eagle, Mills Golden Nugget, Mills Castle Front, Mills Bursting Cherry (AKA Brown Front), Mills Wolf Head (AKA Lion Head), Mills Hightop, Watling Treasury and Watling Rol-A-Top.

For Starters Simply Look At The Machine
Take a look at the castings, the wood base & sides, and the mechanism. If they all look brand new then they probably are. Look at where the door fits into the wood base. Does it have nice sharp edges? If so, then it is probably new. Look at the mechanism, is it super clean? If so, then it is probably brand new.

Most people concentrate on the outside of the machine when they restore it. They will only bead blast the mechanism if it is rusty. In any case, the cabinet, even if it has been restored, should show signs of its age.

Serial Numbers
Reproductions do NOT have serial numbers stamped in the castings. If you are thinking about buying a Mills machine, for example, ask the seller for the serial number. This is probably the easiest way to determine if the machine is legitimate or not.

More on Mills Machines
Most reproductionMills machines are quarter denomination. In reality, very few of these machines that were made in the 30’s were quarter machines. Most of them were nickel.

Mills Model M Slot Machine

Another warning sign is the payout. If the machine pays on a single cherry, then there is a good chance the machine is a reproduction. However, legitimate machines that were made in the 30s required two cherries before they paid out.

Another warning sign is the back door. If it is totally smooth and painted glossy black, then it is a reproduction back door. Original back doors are not totally smooth. They are made of heavy gauge steel. Sometimes original machines have reproduction back doors because the original got lost.

Mills Slot Machine By Year

Some people will say the machine has to be original because it has a red Mills sticker on the side of the machine. You can get these stickers for $1.50 and they are used when people restore a machine. When it comes to proving that a machine is not fake they mean nothing.

Also, look at the slides. If they are plastic (originals are brass) then get away from the machine. Most of the people making the fakes use metal slides, just like the originals. The really bad knock-offs use plastic slides.

Golden Nuggets
Most of the Golden Nuggets listed on eBay are fake, phony, reproduction, remanufactured machines. Very few original Golden Nuggets exist. Fortunately, it’s easy to tell an original from a fake.

Original Golden Nuggets have the following:
1) A formic cabinet – repros have a solid wood base.
2) Extra wide coin tray – repros have a smaller coin tray.
3) Award card is stamped – repros are silk screened.
4) Most repros do not have the horizontal check detector lever on the escalator.
5) Most repros do not have the verticle check detection lever on the mechanism.
6) Most repros have a perfectly smooth reproduction back door.

Mills Castle Front Slot Machine 5 Cents

Conclusion
If you don’t mind owning a reproduction, understand that it has zero value as an antique! It is against eBay rules to sell reproduction machines. If eBay ever decides to enforce their own rules, you may be stuck with a machine that you cannot sell.