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What Have I Got Mills Black Beauty??

PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 11:37 am
by whitford
Just purchased my first machine a 1935-36 Mills Castle Front, that is the easy part. The mec does not appear to be the original. See pictures. ID on case is BB I or 1 28. The reels have the jackpot bars as Black Beauty, on the case is a sticker that says Baker Novelty Chicago, IL. The card also is marked as Black Beauty. Any guesses as to the origins and type of mec would be very helpful.

Re: What Have I Got Mills Black Beauty??

PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:13 pm
by rtmccurdy
According to info on the International Arcade Museum's website, your slot was manufactured (revamped?) by the Baker Novelty Co. around 1946. I will defer to the experts for more specific data but I believe that your slot is all original and probably should not be changed to resemble a more traditional Castle Front.

Re: What Have I Got Mills Black Beauty??

PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 8:39 pm
by mechanic
Baker Novelty took over production of Mills products when Mills went into war production. Many Baker machines but not all were cast iron castings, those that are not are the remaining stock of original aluminum castings Mills had on hand. Aluminum was a strategic metal at that time so using aluminum for anything other than war production could land the shop owners in jail. Some things to look for to determine if it is a Baker. Baker sticker is black and yellow plain printing about 3" X 1/12" I have not seen any in over 20 yrs, I guess many were removed and Mills decals replaced them. Last one I seen ended up somewhere in Florida. The other thing to look for is Baker put glitter over the paint to make the machine sparkle in the lights. Once again many think that it was Mills that put the glitter on. The mech should be a standard Mills mechanism however some replacement parts that Baker seem to have a checker pattern on the stampings. These are not repro parts but are second runs which were continued by Mills after the war.

Re: What Have I Got Mills Black Beauty??

PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 7:55 am
by cabinetguy
There is a picture of a Baker Black Beauty in the book Slots 1,on page 156.It shows the same reel strips and award card.That's a nice machine!

Re: What Have I Got Mills Black Beauty??

PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:56 am
by whitford
Some more pics, the label is that what you are talking about, Baker yellow? How can I tell if the case is Alu or cast steele? I can scratch it but still do not know. Which is better for value Alu or cast? You reference page 156 of Slot 1 Book, can I get the ISBN, title or a place to by/view it. Some pics of the marking I found.
Ideas of the value?
Thanks for the help.

Re: What Have I Got Mills Black Beauty??

PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 10:30 am
by rtmccurdy
"An Illustrated Price Guide to the 100 Most Collectible Slot Machines, Volume 1" by Richard Bueschel. My 1981 edition has Baker info on page 103. (These guides occasionally pop up on eBay). Test castings with a magnet---will stick to cast iron.

Re: What Have I Got Mills Black Beauty??

PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:55 pm
by whitford
The case and top are Alu, does that make the machine more or less valuable?