VERY STRANGE SLOT MACHINE FOR SALE ON EBAY

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Re: VERY STRANGE SLOT MACHINE FOR SALE ON EBAY

Postby Anglobritish » Sun Jan 25, 2015 5:04 pm

Hi,
Firstly Firman never advertised any of his machine conversions, everything was done by word of mouth, try to put yourself in the position of the operator, operating fruit machines (Slot machines) in the early 1950's was totally illegal in England, and so was betting shops (Bookmakers) but many of these establishments took the chance and operated them, so did many of the working men's clubs who took the chance and installed machines on the 6 pence coin, these were called Club Models, at this time the vast amount of the Traveling Showmen (My background) were operating portable amusement arcades using fruit machines (Slot Machines) with Totalisator reels, and also sometimes without award cards. This was to stop the police from confiscating their machines as fruit machines (With fruit symbols) .

Also at the same time because traveling showmen were on the move every week, the police left them alone most of the time. The only advertisements in those day's was in a trade paper called the "World's Fair" this was the equivalent to the "Billboard" magazine, aimed mainly at traveling showmen (Carnival People in the U.S) The Samson Novelty Co, was the official Distributor for the Mills Novelty Co, for the whole of Europe, but the "World's Fair" was only aimed at the traveling showmen, so much so that it was registered as a newspaper, and sold at a local newsagents shop, because the traveling showmen were on the move each week, it was impossible to get this newspaper in the post, most newsagents would only order this newspaper on the date that the fairground was coming to town, and not order it for the rest of the year.

In 1966 The World's Fair added a supplement called "The Coin Slot" this ran every week from 1966 till 1999 when "The Coinslot" became an independent trade paper, it was also not sold over the counter in a newsagents shop. (I have every copy of this trade paper, more than 1600 copies, in the 1980's Nic Costa wrote some great articles on the history of coin operated machines from around the World, his investigative reporting was second to none.

I always said that if ever I wrote a book, I would want him to write the forward to the book, Nic generously obliged me in doing that for a book based on my autobiography, that I have been writing for more than eight years, it is still not complete. So I would endorse any book that Nic put's a pen to.

Dick Bueschel, Nic Costa, and Bill Whelen (Slotnasty on this forum) have written more true facts about the coin operated machine history than any others, and in my opinion Nic Costa was the best of them all, Dan Mead in the 1980's wrote some very good factual articles, because at that time many of the people that he wrote about were still alive.

I personally am not a writer, but I have lived the coin machine industry for close to 65 years longer than any other actual coin machine industry person alive, and fortunately it as also been my hobby. So when I read the various articles written by these well versed historians, I know that they have researched their trade in a correct manner. Apart from me the only other person alive with the same qualifications,that being the living of the business, is Marshall Fey, and I understand from him, that he is now sadly retired.

So when I write my articles or future books, they are all based on facts and reports in the various trade papers of the time from actual reporting.

I think this forum, is going to be the premier forum to find out about coin operated machines from the past, than any other forum, especially when you have such knowledgible people as members.

Good luck to Nic Costa with his new book and to Bill Whelen with his vast contributions, and lastly but most deservedly Dave your administrator of the CoinOpCollectorForum. Well done Dave. .

Freddy Bailey
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Re: VERY STRANGE SLOT MACHINE FOR SALE ON EBAY

Postby mechanic » Sun Jan 25, 2015 8:03 pm

I have two Firman machines one with the F on the top left as the pic except its a 1C or 10C with skill stops. The other is a Jennings / Firman conversion 5C with skill stops also. I got them because they were different and you dont find 20 of them for sale. Same with Tura Bells they too are rarely up for sale, I have 3 different models I will be restoring one day.
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Re: VERY STRANGE SLOT MACHINE FOR SALE ON EBAY

Postby Anglobritish » Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:28 pm

Picture or Video 790.jpg
C. M. Schwarz Mills-2.jpg
Picture or Video 784.jpg
Hi,
In my book, the Tura machines have been extensively covered as is C.M Schwarz who distributed both Mills and Jennings (See Pictures).I would like to see a picture of your Jennings with the Firman conversion, mainly because Solly Shefras in London was the distributor for Jennings before he got the distributorship for Mills, it was rumored that it was Solly Shefras that gave the Firman JP to Mills, it is quite possible that when Solly Shefras was the Jennings distributor, he got Firman to convert some Jennings machines. Please try to show a picture of this machine.

Freddy Bailey
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