Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

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Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

Postby emmadog » Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:15 pm

Looking for a Jennings Sun Chief in quarter denomination with light up front and tic tac toe feature.
Email me here or hunnerbs@gmail.com
Thank you.
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Re: Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

Postby SLOT DYNASTY » Tue Jul 30, 2013 1:17 am

There are plenty of these on the market, at any given time, but be very careful whom you deal with, as the vast majority of them
are made-up Phonies from other models. They are found on eBay, and every coin-op show, as well as many live auctions. We hate
seeing new people in our hobby getting burned, and it seems to be an ongoing habit. This Forum Group is one of the best places to
get expert help for most any machine you are looking to buy. There are collectors here that specialize in most all manufacturers.
If you take a little time to read many of the past postings, on Repro, Bogus, and Phoney machines, you'll be off on the right track.
Be patient, and eventually something good will come your way. Just because a machine is bright & flashy, doesn't nessesarily mean
that it is original & correct. Many of the Repro machines are missing several very important standard features, like an operating
coin escalator, and operating jackpot, etc. One very important thing to focus on, is that the vast majority of Repro Slots are of
quarter denomination, no matter which mfr. or model, because that has been the coinage of choice with most buyers since the
mid 1970's. Good luck in you search, and welcome to our hobby.
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Re: Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

Postby emmadog » Wed Jul 31, 2013 3:44 pm

Slot Dynasty,

Thank you very much for the advice and the welcome. My situation now reminds me of when I first got into EM pinballs. So much to know and so many questions. I'm by no means an expert in that area but I know my way around. Now it begins with slots but that's part of the fun and I've got a couple of repair/maintenance books on the way although I don't yet own a slot. Anyway, I was under the impression that Jennings machines weren't one of the more copied ones. I've found some general info on spotting fakes such as if it just looks too new, no serial numbers, etc but is there anything specific to Jennings Machines? There's a couple for sale local to me and they don't have all the features I'm looking for but I may go check them out anyway just to get a feel for them. Also interesting is the large price range for the same or similar machines.
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Re: Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

Postby SLOT DYNASTY » Sun Aug 04, 2013 2:21 am

Emmadog:
No, Jennings machines are not among the vast amount of Reproduction machines. Although, watch out for the Jennings "Witch". There are very few
originals in collectors hands, but a very large number of Repro's. There is at least one or two a year, in every VCA auction, and they do not say what
it really is. As far as the Jennings Light-ups, I would venture to say that 60% to 70% on todays market, are Made-Up examples from standard models.
Being as you are just starting out in the Slot hobby, and not knowing all of what to watch out for, you are somewhat fortunate in the fact that you
want a Jennings machine. Might I suggest staying away from the later model light-ups, etc., and focus on an earlier gooseneck model. There are
many models to choose from, and range from the 'plain-jane' to the artsy castings, of which many have factory revamped jackpot fronts from other
manufacturers. Several models have sold at very reasonable prices.

By all means, stay away from some of the HIGHLY REPRODUCED Mills machines, like the "War Eagle", and "Golden Nugget", until you know more
about what to look out for. They are out there by the Thousands. Even many Mills "High Top" machines were repro'd. The Watling "Rol-A-Top" and
"Treasury" were also highly repro'd. The list goes on and on! :roll:
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Re: Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

Postby emmadog » Mon Aug 05, 2013 2:57 pm

The whole reproduction market is interesting. It seems this was done on a pretty large scale so were these legitimate companies with the proper licensing that offered repro machines/parts? Or was it more of just some people filling a need for people wanting slots without the prices associated with originals?
It also looks like at least as far as later Jennings Chief's go, is that if they are original then they're likely composed of parts from different machines. I understand this was done both by collectors as well as casinos. I've noticed machines with a certain denomination but an oversized coin return so it's clear that at least that casting was from another machine.
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Re: Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

Postby SLOT DYNASTY » Mon Aug 05, 2013 4:33 pm

emmadog wrote:The whole reproduction market is interesting. It seems this was done on a pretty large scale so were these legitimate
companies with the proper licensing that offered repro machines/parts? Or was it more of just some people filling a need for people wanting
slots without the prices associated with originals?


Absolutely NO-ONE [b]has ever applied for a license to build Reproduction Slot Machines. If they had, they would have been flat-out denied.
Besides, most of the early mfrs. are no longer in business. Back when all this started, in the mid 70's, with the Mills "Lion Head", most collectors
knew that they were repro's. Then as the years went on, and they were resold, people were not stating what they really were. Same thing goes
for the Mills "War Eagle" that Royal Bell, in Colorado was building, painting them gold, and calling it the "Golden Eagle", and advertised them as
such, but the others that followed with their repro version of the War Eagle, did not. Now, most people that sell any repro War Eagle, and know
exactly what it is, refuse to say, hoping to rake-in the higher price of an original. I have seen many of the repro's go higher than the originals.
Some models don't even have a coin escalator. They just glued a row of quarters behind the glass. Yet another version used a different mfrs.
escalator, in which the coins ran closer together than the original Mills. Others do not have an operating jackpot as well. There are also repro
Watling "Rol-A-Top" machines that are void of the rotary escalator. They will just have a solid white area, with the denomination in the center.
A couple of years ago, I seen a Rol-A-Top on eBay with a Mills mechanism in it, and strangely enough, was working. So they said!

I cannot stress enough, "that all new collectors do their homework first, before diving into high-priced collectables".
[/b]
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Re: Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

Postby emmadog » Sat Aug 10, 2013 8:47 am

In the interest of closing this thread, I managed to find an original 25c Jennings Continental which is enroute and should be here in the near future. Many thanks to Slot Dynasty for answering my questions. Much appreciated. I've since received a couple of books on the maintenance of these machines but I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions in time.
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Re: Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

Postby SLOT DYNASTY » Sat Aug 10, 2013 11:58 am

Happy to hear that you found a machine you wanted. Hopefully when it arrives, it is all that you expect.
It was my pleasure to help steer you in the right direction. I am by no means an expert in all fields of coin-op, but the areas that I am most
familiar with, I am always happy to help out whenever I can. As many years that I have enjoyed this hobby, I am still learning something new
all the time, and always asking questions of the persons that specialize in other areas. Good luck with your new machine, and keep us informed
as to how it is operating. The one thing to always focus on in any hobby, is "if in doubt.........DON'T"! [-X
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Re: Wanted: Jennings Sun Chief

Postby emmadog » Sat Aug 10, 2013 1:17 pm

"If in doubt, don't." Excellent advice. Reminds me of my first EM pin. I was so excited to ope the hood and learn about everything that I decided all the dirty leaf switches and switch stacks needed cleaning. I had been warned not to do this if everything is working fine. I did it anyway and caused all sorts of problem and created a hopelessly complicated situation. It took me a few weeks and dozens of posts to a pinball forum to sort it out. Lesson learned.
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