Hello all,
New member here. I recently got given an antique Mills slot machine that appears to be in reasonable condition. I'm an engineer by trade, but have had no dealings with slots before so am intrigued by this device and am keen to better understand it and restore it to its former glory. Ive attached a couple of pictures below with any luck.
It seems to be a confusing build, having elements of various models that I can find. This is what I've come up with so far:
The casing seems to be a Mills Poinsettia, therefore 1929ish vintage. Correct me if I'm wrong.
My slot does have reel stop buttons, however I cannot find a single photo online of another Poinsettia with these. The buttons seem to feature on the 1928 Mills Jackpot Bell. All buttons do work correctly on my machine, so the mechanism does match the upper case casting
The colour is not original from the photos I've found online. Condition is fair, but far from a show piece. I plan to restore it to as close to original as I can within reason.
The machine has been converted to English pennys at some point, I have a good stock of pennys with it. The coin feed mechanism did jam quite frequently to start with, and was missing a few parts. I have worked out where the 8 or so loose parts I was given with it went and have now got it working 99% of the time. I am missing a few screws however. The coin shute is 'wide' so sometimes allows coins to overlap each other and jam. It feeds well enough to cycle the machine for now.
The reels and totalisation card both have numbers and not the more conventional fruit. I've found a picture of a 1918 Mills Operators Bell with number reels, but no Poinsettias. The totalisation card does look original and fits the Poinsettia case aperture perfectly so am unsure. My reels are not in good condition, so would like to renew. What are the chances of finding new number reel strips? The reels themselves are dented, these must be more common?
The reels in mine seem to have 10 tooth star wheels, I believe these are correct for the age of the mechanism. No bugs seem to be fitted!
The main mechanism does seem to work correctly, the reels spin freely, the payout pays correctly 95% of the time, and the reel stops stop. The 2 coin payout sometimes fails on the 1-1-any score. All other scores pay correctly.
The machine seems to have a reserve jackpot mechanism. I am yet to remove and study this, however this is the one part of the machine that does not seem to be working at all. The main machine does not seem to have the necessary interfacing parts to operate the jackpot, which makes me think the whole assembly may be a combination of a few different models. I'd like to get it all working however. What happens presently is that when the payout tube is full, any coins put in just get directed straight back to the payout tray. They do not get captured by the jackpot or reserve, nor do any make their way to the collection box at the bottom of the unit. Any initial thoughts welcome.
Ive added a couple of pictures below. I will add a few more detailed internal ones when I get a minute. Id really appreciate peoples thoughts on what I have, and what the best course of action is to restore it both functionally and cosmetically.
Thanks for reading.
Billy.