by watlingboy » Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:38 pm
Nice find, appears to be all correct. No production records survived so no clue as to how many were originally made. Couldn't be made in 1954 as the Johnson Act put Watling out of business in 1951. The Federal Johnson Act stated that no interstate transportation of gambling devices. Since most companies were in Illinois and that was an illegal state and you couldn't get them out of the state, you're stuck. Some of the companies relocated to Nevada but since Watling didn't make machines that were used in casinos, they put their feet in the air and said, "We give up." With the serial number you can get an approximately idea. My guess is 1948 or '49. Sadly, Watling never made it to 100,000 machines. Examples have been found in the 98,000 range.
Watlingboy