Gentlemen: A little bit of Pace history, and mind you, I am nowhere near a Pace expert.
Those credentials belonged to the late, (and good friend), Jim Waters. He knew just about
everything there was, about Pace Slots & Trade Stimulators. I learned a lot from him. He
probably could have told us all about this particular coin head version. I don't remember
seeing this 1c coin head on any model either.
Yes, all Pace "Bantam", "Comet", etc. coin heads, that I have ever seen, all say (one cent).
There is a multitude of front casting designs for the Bantam. Some are very minute. The
5c machines vary greatly, in coin head design. There is one style, that says (5c Play), but
most just say (5c). There are more than one design of the 5c symbol. Some have the vertical
line protruding all the way through the C. Others with the tip of the line at the top & bottom,
as well as the line just within the C. There is also a version with the complete C, within the
bottom loop of a larger 5. Most 25c machines, just have (25), but there is a version that has
25c Play. All 10c machines, just have (10), except for the 'Big Head' version, that has (10c).
This is what I think may have happened with MJFHouston's machine, and this is only speculation.
Don't think the Pace factory would have done this, but possibly an operator needed a coin head
for this 1c machine, and only had a 10c one available, so he oversized the entry hole, and made
the necessary changes below, and cut out the right side of the O, to make it a C. Therefore, you
may have the only known example with this coin head design. How's that for a story? Sure sounds
good to me!
