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Well, it has been almost 9 months since I have found anything good and then I find two nice machines within a week of each other.

Here are a couple of machines that I just picked up. Neither are for sale at this time. I just thought you might like seeing them.

Dave

Very nice, Dave. They're in fantastic condition. Have they been repainted? Is the club handle on the 50 center original or do the casinos put those on?

tmhatting wrote:Very nice, Dave. They're in fantastic condition. Have they been repainted? Is the club handle on the 50 center original or do the casinos put those on?

The Cherry Front machine has been fully restored (including the mechanism).

The $.50 machine is all original (as far as I know). The club handle is also original. The majority of the $.50 Rol-A-Tops that I have seen have these club handles. However, I have seen $.50 RATs with the traditional handle (I have one). Most of the $.50 RATs are late model machines (have smooth plywood sides) and Watling started putting these club handles on these machines. So the handle is original Watling. I have seen sales brochures showing these handles. I am on the fence on whether to restore the $.50 RAT or leave it all original. I have one that is restored, so my inclination is to leave it as is.

I don't know if a customer could order a particular handle style or if the handle that was put on was whatever the guy putting the machine together happened to grap out of the handle bucket.

Dave,

The handle is correct. In the late forties Watling went to this style handle for all their Rol-A-Tops because it was easier to play. They kept this style until they closed their doors because of the Johnson Act in 1950. Other changes they made which were different than the pre WWII RATs were plastic award cards, paper reel strips, plywood cabinets and aluminum cabinet sub base instead of cast iron.

Watlingboy

Very nice machines Dave. They will make a great addition to your growing collection. The next thing that you may have to do is build an addition to the house.