CoinOpCollectorForum.com

Question for the collectors:

The steel plate lining inside the machine covers the wooden sides and front castings, surrounding the JP. Is it acceptable to remove the steel, if for no other reason, to lighten the machine a bit? I believe the steel was installed to thwart thieves from drilling into the mechanism, but removing these plates will alter the originality. Does it really matter, from a collector standpoint?

Along with the armor, what is your take on removing various anti-cheat mechanisms and token management items? No longer in the casino environment, it would seem to make sense to remove these things, and would reduce weight, and possibly skirt potential coin/vender jams.

As a restorer and collector of the mechanical slots, I want them to be in the most original condition ... what the worry about the weight? The heavier the machine, the better it stays on the stand when played ... also keeps its originality ( which to me is most important)
Dont bead or sand blast to clean and try to keep all the paint as it was originally.
This is just my 2Cents ... Just how I feel along with so many others who have a real respect for the original machines and the art that created them.
Dave F

Reason I'm asking is this. One side, for whatever reason, the paint has all flaked off, where the other side, not so much. Then rust set in, so it looks awful.


I think what I'll do is sand an paint with a matching color. I realize it's inside the machine, but still, it kind of bugs me.

Now, for the anti-cheats and such, I will likely remove a few of them, keep the parts with the machine, and probably make it a better running machine in the long run.

My 2 cents.......
of the 18 slots I own.... the ones with the anti- cheat plates, all have them , except 1 , which I removed. all gone from the sides , front, & bonnet. no real idea why I did it but, I did. NOT ANY LIGHTER !!! I still have them & wish I never took them out. same as yours ,flaking paint, minor rust , ect. I have repainted others plates on other machines, the color is fairly easy to match.... a basic flat light gray primer.

it's up to you but , it is how they left the factory. on earlier models , mills did offer (for a very short time) these plates, at much later date, for operators to "retrofit" those machines . so a pre war slot may have an original set of plates from mills , but ordered & installed many years after the machine was bought / made. this was short lived as Mills really wanted these guys to junk the "old" machines & buy the latest & greatest that they offered for sale.

P.S. these plate sets do show up on e-bay for next to nothing & rarely sell.
jeff H.