by SLOT DYNASTY » Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:17 am
Another very important thing to be aware of, in the dating of a machine, is when someone sends you a Patent Date that they see
on a particular part on a machine, that has nothing to do with the date of the machine. i.e. The date that is cast into many of the
goosenecks on Jennings Slots, the dates stamped into the ABT coin slides of numerous slots & trade stimulators. Most of those dates
are always earlier than the machine itself. This is done on a regular basis, with people selling machines on eBay, and other venues,
that usually don't know any better, and want to have the earliest date possible, listed.
Regarding the serial numbers, and dating of Slots, by Dick Bueschel, I worked very closely with him for several years, and he was
confused quite often, with many of the entries being out-of-order. Most of it was with the Mills Slots, being stamped in the order
they came off the assembly line, regardless of model, and features. Some serials were even altered, or changed by operators, and
revampers. As also mentioned above, some certain models had their own serial range. The same thing went on with Daval Mfg. Co.,
with their Trade Stimulators. When their first two models were produced in 1932, the serial numbers were pretty much in order,
the way they came off the line. But as they added new models in the years to come, no matter what the order was on the assembly
line, they were stamped in that order. In the later years, I have found that some models did receive a long run of consecutive #'s.
Especially near the end, with the "Free Play" and "Buddy". Some "Comet" models will have a serial, and others will not, because when
Daval sold out to Comet Industries in late 1949, they did not continue putting serials on their machines. Dick nor I have ever found
paperwork that proved these facts. It has only been learned by all the serials logged over the years. Bill