As can be seen in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7339 I am now the proud owner of my first vintage reel machine, an early 25 cent Mills 4 Column FOK Mint Vender. Naturally, I have a few questions.
I'd like to get some mints to load it with (or at least a good replacement - maybe appropriately wrapped dowels?). Are these available for purchase someplace, or will I need to get reproduction labels off ebay and fabricate something myself?
What about checks (tokens)? Are the tokens used in a 25 cent machine different from those used in a more common 5 cent machine? Where can I get some and how would I load them into the machine?
Also, my machine is missing the future pay indicator. Is that something that I can retrofit? What's the level of difficulty? I have some mechanical aptitude, but I've never worked on a reel machine before.
In general, is there anything I should know about the care, use and maintenance of this machine?
Thanks!