| Object ID |
1990.039.0001 |
| Object Name |
Game, Mechanical |
| Description |
Slot machine taken by sheriff of Clark Co. after they became illegal to own. The 1920's and 1930's commonly called the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, were the golden years of the three reel slot machines. Thousands of machines were produced by Mills, Watling, the Caille Brothers, Pace, Jennings, and others. These machines survived in greater numbers than the earlier machines, and as such, form the basis of many collections. The machines themselves sold for from $50.00 to $175.00 each and were designed to be colorful and eye catching. It was quite common to walk into a tavern, country club, meeting hall, candy store, barbershop, etc., and find one or more of these beauties in the back just waiting to be played. Money was easy in the 1920's and tight in the 1930's yet the industry prospered through it all.
The Mills "Silent Mystery" or "Blue Front" was one of the best Mills machines of the period. The design featured a medieval coat-of-arms in silver, red, and blue with stars,
fleur-de-lis and a trumpet at the coin slot. The flashy design, quiet action and easy pull handle attracted players to this machine. The coin escalator had a new magnet and lever system to prevent the game being operated on slugs and washers.
These two machines were confiscated by Sheriff Loftis Messer after they became illegal to use.
The information about the slot machines was taken from "The Antique Trader" dated July 1978 to 1979.
|
| Cataloged by |
Maphet Tony |
| Catalog date |
08/18/2003 |
| Sub-category |
Game |
| Home location |
Bld1-B-01 Stevenson |
| Status date |
03/27/2004 |
|
