Mills High Tops

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Re: Mills High Tops

Postby terick2104 » Thu Jul 11, 2013 5:11 am

All kidding aside, this is not good for the hobby. Without knowing all the facts of this confiscation, the reason laws were changed to allow the collecting of slot machines is that they were not to be used for gambling. If this were to happen to often, the states might consider taking another look at the law allowing the ownership of slot machines.
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Re: Mills High Tops

Postby gamblingman » Thu Jul 11, 2013 5:47 am

With all of that said, can anyone help me with the manufacture dates based on the serial numbers? We are trying to determine the dtes so the machines don't have to be destroyed.

Thanks
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Re: Mills High Tops

Postby BEER4U » Thu Jul 11, 2013 5:53 am

Thank you very much Gamblingman from saving them
from the smelters. It's pretty cool you took the initiative
to do it.

I can't recall ever seeing anything in the paper or online of
people operating their own little casinos (can't say it didn't
run through my head though, but a cocktail dress doesn't do my
full figure justice! :lol: ). I don't think it's a big issue enough
for our lawmakers to get off their duffs and do anything about
it unless there is a lobbyist for pachinko machines. :D

It would be interesting to hear more from Gamblingman on
how often it does happen, just for curiosity sake. (Or any
other interesting stories you can share. You can change the names
to protect the knuckleheads.)

Pretty cool machines. How old are they?
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Re: Mills High Tops

Postby mtstanley » Thu Jul 11, 2013 7:05 am

Richard Bueschel, Vol 3, records a serial 599,289 in 1950 which means all of them would be older.
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Re: Mills High Tops

Postby Jackpot » Thu Jul 11, 2013 7:47 am

gamblingman wrote:This may not fall along the lines of "fantastic", but I do need your help.

I just retired after 25 years in Law-enforcement...the last 15 as a gaming agent. One of my former co-workers called me today and asked for a little help. They have 5 Mills High-Top machines which were recently confiscated, and now need disposed of. I am trying to post some pictures, but I keep getting a message that they "board attachment quota has been reached".

These machines have not been opened...they are jammed from transport, but were suppossedly working at the time of confiscation. We are trying to determine date of manufacture, as that date dictates whether they can be sold, transeferred, or (gulp!) destroyed. Since the machines have not been opened, all we can go by is the number stamped into the wood bases....I hope those are traditionally the serial number for these. All of the machines I personally collect are much earlier, and I have never dealt with the high-top models, so I am putting them out there for you all to give me any information that you can. If I can figure out the pic issue, I will get them posted.

These are all high-Top Models:

Blue-Bell .05 SN: 566930
Blue-Bell .25 SN: 569168
High-Top .10 SN:565034
High-Top .05 SN:566923
High-Top .10 SN:568920

Thanks for your help


Known serial number dates: Serial number 564716 was manufactured in Nov of 1948, and this number is earlier then any serial numbers that you have listed here. Serial number 581717 has a know date of manufacture of December 1948 which is a later date then any of you serial numbers listed here. So there is information that these machines of yours were made in or around 1948.
Jackpot
I Buy-sell-trade coin op's. I also have some later model slot parts. There are piles of manuals at:
http://coinslots.com/page21.html
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Re: Mills High Tops

Postby gamblingman » Thu Jul 11, 2013 8:27 am

Thanks for the help, and those mfg dates are actually good news...meaning they won't have to be destroyed. It will take some time to work through the forfeture laws, but once that happens and they get ready to go up for sale, I will try and post the info here in case anyone is interested in them. I'll post the details of the case once it is completed...although as with most of the investigations we did over the years, the details are pretty boring, and it is not going to be written into the next true crime novel.

To answer an earlier question, most of the gambling cases worked are either bookmaking, illegal high-stakes card games (where the house takes a cut), or the use of gray machines such as the Cherry Masters, etc. There are the occasional mini-casinos using slots purchased out of state and trucked in, and it is very rare to find anyone still using the old mechanical slots.............however, that is not to say there are not still a ton of them out there and some are still being used. You would be surprised at how many fraternal organizations out there such as eagles lodges, moose lodges, VFW's, and American Legions still have them in the basement, or hidden in a back room. As attendance at all of these types of clubs is way down these days....you will occasionally see someone who drags them out, dusts them off, and tries to get them running again so that the patrons can "have a little fun" while they are there.....plus the club makes a few bucks. In a lot of places (especially very rural) the local law enfrcement knows about it, but no one really seems to care. It is when they get greedy that things turn bad. Same with card games and the such......no one really cares if you have a card game among friends in your garage....it is when we start talking thousands of dollars....recruiting high stakes players.....cheating......loansharking.....etc. that folks get concerned.

I always thought that gambling was pretty victimless....that is until I started working in the industry. I have made some heart-breaking arrests over the years, and I have also seen some pretty heinous stuff take place all in the name of owing a few bucks. I once arrested a mom for soliciting her 10 year old daughter to a "friend" to cover her gambling debt, which didn't amount to a bag of groceries in value. I also arrested a 70 year old lady because she had stolen from the purse of her lifelong friend as the two were taking a bus trip to a local casino. I could go on and on.....like I said, most of the details are boring, but it always amazes me what we are willing to do to our fellow man in the name of a buck.

With that said, I have been collecting and restoring machines for years, and I love the coin-op world.....especially the period up throught the late 1930's. I love the character and craftsmanship on these old machines....and I just love geting some 'barn relic' back working again. My latest project is a Buckley Digger. Sorry for getting on my soap box, lol......and I thank you for all of your assistance.
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Re: Mills High Tops

Postby BEER4U » Thu Jul 11, 2013 9:51 am

Thanks for sharing.

You might find them hum-drum, but
I find all the stories interesting, good
or bad. People never cease to amaze me
of what they are capable of doing, again good
or bad.

I think slots with a story behind them the most interesting!
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