This mid 1940's slot machine has been in our proprietor's family since he was a child (a long time ago!). It is commonly referred to as a Mills black cherry quarter slot machine.
It was rescued from a fraternal lodge in Northern Illinois just before the sheriff came with his sledgehammer.
By the time our proprietor inherited it, it was in somewhat sad shape. Apparently, every time the lodge's bar walls were painted, they painted the slot machines as well. It had many different color coats of latex house paint over the face, side and back. The reels operated, but very slowly. The handle worked its way loose, and the slop eventually split the wood on the right side.
Restoration started with removal of the mechanism from the case and complete sandblasting of the case. The split in the wood was repaired through biscuit joinery. The wooden sides were then sanded and revarnished and a reproduction of the original Mills decal applied to the left side. The front panel was painted a hammertone blue, a close match to the original discovered during sandblasting (see comments below on Buckley slot machines.) The rear bonnet and door were painted the original wrinkle black and a reproduction 'Owner's Maintenance' card was glued to the inside of the rear door.
A relubrication of the mechanism cured the slow operation. The slot now looked and operated as new.
This example of the Mills Black Cherry is actually a Buckley Company remanufactured Mills. You can see the Buckley stamp on this picture of the frame. Buckley would buy used Mills machines, refurbish the mechanics, change the color scheme a bit, then resell them. So technically, this is a Buckley black cherry slot, which is why the arrangements of the cherries and the color differ slightly from the Mills version (the original Mills cherries were offset rather than lining up horizontally and they painted their cases silver rather than light blue.)
The slot came with the original double sided key, somewhat of a rare occurrence. Over the years these keys tend to get lost and modern replacement locks end up getting installed.
Here is a decal we created in Photoshop to replicate the original Mills Owl used on their slot machine stands.

The only tool required is a screw driver. Every slot collector should own this. The following machines are covered: Mills Castle Front style machines (good for all Mills 1930s/40 'Silent' type of slot machines) Mills 1920s Gooseneck style slot machines Watling Rol-A-Top style machines Watling Gooseneck style machines Pace Comet Jennings Chief. Unique Slot Machine Stickers designed and sold by artists. Decorate your laptops, water bottles, helmets, and cars. Get up to 50% off. White or transparent. Unique Slot Machine Stickers designed and sold by artists. Decorate your laptops, water bottles, helmets, and cars. Get up to 50% off. White or transparent.

Mills Slot Machine Decals

Mills Slot Machine Decal

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Repair the Slot Yourself
DVD videos to help you repair your Antique Slot Machine by yourself
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for more slot repair information.
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Slot Repair Service

Repair It Yourself - 2 Options

OPTION ONE:

How to Fix Most Jams on Antique Slot Machines - DVD

Here is a DVD or thumb drive that shows collectors how to fix 90% of the jams which occur on most antique slot machines. It also has information on how to remove and reinstall the mechanism and how to cycle the mechanism when it is outside the machine. The only tool required is a screw driver.Every slot collector should own this.

The following machines are covered:

Mills Castle Front style machines (good for all Mills 1930s/40 'Silent' type of slot machines)
Mills 1920s Gooseneck style slot machines
Watling Rol-A-Top style machines
Watling Gooseneck style machines
Pace Comet
Jennings Chief

The segments vary in length from about 15 minutes to 20 minutes each. So, the total is probably about 100 minutes.

Price is $39.95 plus $4.95 shipping

Go to SECURE ORDER FORM to order now.
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OPTION TWO:

Mills Slot Machine Restoration on DVD

A collector videotapes the complete restoration of a Mills Castle Front slot machine.

It is an incredible amount of work, but the end result was an 8 hour video which documented the entire process.

The video is put on the following five DVDs or a thumb drive

Contents
Disc 1	Mechanism Disassembly Includes discussion on how to clean the parts
Disc 2	Mechanism Reassembly including how to lubricate all the parts.
Disc 3	Cabinet Disassembly/Reassembly Castings Disassembly/Reassembly Discussion on how to refinish cabinet, strip castings and paint castings.
Disc 4	Reel Bundle Brakes Gold Award Includes Disassembly and Reassembly
Disc 5	Jackpot Disassembly / Reassembly Escalator Disassembly / Reassembly Finishing Touches End Result

. Screw slot cutting file.

Price: $99.95 plus $5.95 shipping
We accept all credit cards and Paypal.

Go to SECURE ORDER FORM to order now.

Please allow 2-4 weeks for production and delivery

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Antique Mechanical Slot Machines: Mills, Jennings, Pace, Watling
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Ken Durham
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