I recently picked up a Mills 10 cent Castle Front. Original from what I can tell. Matching serial #s 436537. Good paint. It does need some glass replaced. Looks to be a single jackpot. It is my understanding the earlier Castle Fronts had the paper award card and the later had metal.
Cycles and pays out correctly. The pump/cylinder is pretty stiff. Will it help if I squirt some 3 in 1 oil in the air hole? or does it need to be taken apart?
Jackpot inspection panel is cracked. I have read of a couple welders on this site that could handle this. Any of them in the Minneapolis, MN area? If not, the part would be easy to ship.
There is a hasp for a padlock on the handle. I haven't seen one of these before. Was it an option from Mills or a later add on?
The back is original. The lock is made by Corban. Works and fits well. My other Mills slots have Mills locks with the snake key. Did Mills ever use Corban locks? I have a spare Mills lock I can use if needed.
Also in the deal was a metal stand and locking bar. The kind where the slot slid in from the back. Were these made by Mills? The lock bar lock was drilled out. Did the threaded rods turn when you turned the key? This would be nice to fix, but high priority since it doesn't show. The stand was painted white sometime in the past. They also painted the base of the slot. Any ideas what the original color of the stand would be?
Thnanks in advance.
Kent