Opened a box I have not looked in for 20 years

[Richard13]

I flew up to my place in Colorado to turn the water on and get it ready for everyone but me to use this summer and decided to look in a box I knew had a slot machine in it. I bought it in Orange County CA and got it home and was disappointed the reels did not spin very fast and I did not care for the funky gooseneck either. Then I learned it was probably a conversion machine and put it in a box and put it away. Well I'm back into slots again and opened it up and took a couple photos. The keys say 1929 FOK but I'm not familiar with the conversion casting. Do any of you experts out there have any clues or ideas on this machine?

[TheFatman]

To me ... looks like a good cabinet restoration. I bet if the mint vendor works, you will find wrappers on wooden dowels. Which is not bad for a restore, candy melts and gets sticky.
Cant provide ant other info ion this until we see all around pics and inside ones as well. This means with the mech out and pics of the inside of the back door as well. Also take pics of the inside of the front castinf from the back. Pics a worth 1000 words and we can provide them to with the complete pics. You're off to a good start and at a good place for the info you seek.
I could be wrong, but the tight corners on the top of the back door, makes me feel it could be a low end replacement..... pics will tell.
dave F

[SLOT DYNASTY]

Richard:
What you have, is a Mills "F.O.K.", with a Sheffler conversion front.
This front casting, is the one seen most, of the 4 or 5 they designed for this model.
Bill

[nvmos2]

It is interesting how Sheffler copied design elements of 2 different Mills fronts;
the Silent FOK next to the JP,
and the JP Front Vender around the mint columns.

What is the serial number?
It looks like the serial number has been double stamped or perhaps Sheffler obscured it
(or maybe it's just poor resolution of the photograph).
Any sign of a separate/second serial number from Sheffler?

[Richard13]

I knew there would be guys here that could help me out identifying the conversion. Makes sense I got it in California that the conversion was done by a company out there too. Again I had to promise the wife I would NOT LIFT ANYTHING HEAVY on this two day trip. I sliced the box open tilted it forward and got a few shots with the phone. Never thought about the SN or any of that at this time. Next time I go I will drive and bring some or all of these back to AZ with me to really dig into them better. I bought this machine because it was a Mills to start with and had front vendors. I'm a sucker for the vendor machines. Again was a time when I had more $$ than grey stuff between the ears. Was not sure it was a conversion as I have learned over the years now.

I did find in my pile of books and parts catalogs an original 1938 Mills operators guide and parts list. Anyone collect those? Cannot be too many left but what do I know.
Richard

[SLOT DYNASTY]

Regarding the Sheffler casting designs here, the pattern around the jackpots, are in keeping with the
Mills "Silent FOK", but the design work around the mint column windows, is more like the patterns on
the Pace "Comet" Front Vender. There is a very slight difference in the height of the vertical points,
but the pattern is the same. There are many mysteries that will never get solved, as to who-copied-who,
when it comes to casting similarities. I have spent many hours, since the days of working with the late
Dick Bueschel, on many of his book ventures, when both of us were studying the multitude of casting
changes on the Slots. Many slight changes will go unnoticed by many collectors, as it did me in the early
stages of research. I still run across things I hadn't noticed in the past, and will probably never see it all.

Not only are the Slots inundated with so many variations, the Trade stimulators are as well. I would have
never thought that the counter games would have so many variations as I have found over the years. Not
only did the 'copy-cat' mfrs. have casting changes, the original mfr. made slight changes of their own. One
for-instance is the Pace & Pierce series, which started with the "New Deal". There were very minute casting
changes made to the "New Deal", that I didn't notice early-on, and never got mentioned in the article that I
wrote for Coin Slot, several years ago. This is what has always made this hobby so interesting to me.