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Hello!

I have gotten my hands on a Mills Castle Front 10-cent variant that has had some restoration work done, but I'm fairly sure is not a reproduction (based on the limited 'how to identify a reproduction' info I can find, anyway)

The coin escalator only displays 3 coins and only appears to have 'teeth' to display and advance 3 coins. The window has room for 5 coins, however.

I'm trying to determine if this correct or if it's been replaced with an incorrect part at some point. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Also, one layer of the jackpot glass has a crack in it. Is that an easy repair once I take the mech out? (in case it's not obvious, the back and bonnet are removed in the attached photo)

Thank you!

Your machine was modify to show the 3 coins. The dimes have issues to jam up there. This is a roll away escalator mod.done by the operator. The glass is easy to replace.

TJF,

Was this machine purchased in Vegas? It looks familiar to one I looked at that had the "Gold Award" lower casting, but the reel mech was not set up for the Gold Award.

radiorich123 wrote:Your machine was modify to show the 3 coins. The dimes have issues to jam up there. This is a roll away escalator mod.done by the operator. The glass is easy to replace.

Thanks for the insight, radiorich! I also think I have something amiss on the jackpot as it appears coins are filling the lower jackpot while the upper reserve is empty. Need to dig into this a little more. Any additional insights you can share there?

63mini wrote:TJF,

Was this machine purchased in Vegas? It looks familiar to one I looked at that had the "Gold Award" lower casting, but the reel mech was not set up for the Gold Award.

Hi 63mini, I actually picked this up from a gentleman in South Florida who had it for 30+ years in his family room. What can you tell me about the Gold Award? I looked inside and while the casting is there, it doesn't appear there's any linkage/chutes/etc going to the mech from inside.

TJF,

If you could post a photo showing the back of the mechanism and one with the mechanism removed showing inside of the case it would help. The one I had looked at had the same award card with no "Gold Award" listed on it. There were no Gold Award symbols on the strips and no notch on the payout disc for the Gold Award payout. It was basically it was a standard mech. It did have the Gold Award chute though.

63mini wrote:TJF,

If you could post a photo showing the back of the mechanism and one with the mechanism removed showing inside of the case it would help. The one I had looked at had the same award card with no "Gold Award" listed on it. There were no Gold Award symbols on the strips and no notch on the payout disc for the Gold Award payout. It was basically it was a standard mech. It did have the Gold Award chute though.

Certainly, see attached. Pics of the mech -- front and back, as well as inside the case. Also, there's a pic of the left side (from the back) of the escalator showing a tab/arm that is developing a crack -- this was slightly bent up when I received the machine causing it to jam due to the escalator not resetting at the end of the cycle. Is it possible to replace just this piece? I fear it's going to eventually break.

Thanks again for helping me learn a bit about the history of this machine. It's bringing back such nostalgia of playing an old Mills Horsehead Bonus machine at my grandparents' as a child.

Also -- what's involved in replacing the jackpot glass? Any guidance here would be helpful and appreciated.

Hi and Yes I watched the bidding on your machine on the BAY and noticed some issues but don't worry about it and know everything can be fixed or replaced. Lets start with some pictures of a correct 10 cent escalator and hopefully this will help you understand its function. FYI I have a 10 cent castle that was jacked up also and always had dimes skip the teeth and jam after about 20 -30 pulls on the handle, but I learned a few things along the way which corrected that annoying issue and so far it's been working great for months.

Bally Bill wrote:Hi and Yes I watched the bidding on your machine on the BAY and noticed some issues but don't worry about it and know everything can be fixed or replaced. Lets start with some pictures of a correct 10 cent escalator and hopefully this will help you understand its function. FYI I have a 10 cent castle that was jacked up also and always had dimes skip the teeth and jam after about 20 -30 pulls on the handle, but I learned a few things along the way which corrected that annoying issue and so far it's been working great for months.

Thanks, Bill!

Yes, I found a gentleman who is sending me the unmodified parts so I can return the escalator back to the original 5-coin glory.

Which book are these photos of? I would love to get my hands on a copy of it!

your welcome TJF and glad you found those escalator parts to get your mills running correctly. Here is the contact information for this very handy Mills restoration book

Liberty Belle Book Store
After 9am PST
E-Mail: mfey@LibertyBelleBooks.com
2925 est Moana Lane, Reno, NV 89509
Books shipped by Priority Mail

Bally Bill wrote:your welcome TJF and glad you found those escalator parts to get your mills running correctly. Here is the contact information for this very handy Mills restoration book

Liberty Belle Book Store
After 9am PST
E-Mail: mfey@LibertyBelleBooks.com
2925 est Moana Lane, Reno, NV 89509
Books shipped by Priority Mail

Ah, ok, I actually emailed him a few days ago. Hopefully he gets back to me. That book looks like it's got some great information in it.