Chrome plated 1930s Mills slots?

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Chrome plated 1930s Mills slots?

Postby JPCass » Mon Jan 12, 2015 5:15 pm

Never having been heavily into the hobby, and getting back into a bit after a very long time, I'm running across some things that raise my curiosity - and in some cases, make me wonder about slots that I might be interested in.

Here is a 10 cent Mills Extraordinary (Gold Award) that is listed as having belonged to a family for the last 26 years, and where the seller "took the time to have the machine re-chromed":

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Cent-Mills-E ... 2c951ba8b2

Were any of these chromed originally in the 1930s, or when this version was produced? (it is a somewhat later one with window for the upper reserve jackpot taken completely out of the casting, though I don't know enough to date it exactly) It's been my impression that at most, the areas that weren't painted had their aluminum polished, when the whole machine wasn't just painted.

Last month on eBay there was a QT Hashmark that was chromed. While I know that the later version, the Sweetheart, was sometimes chromed, I couldn't find any evidence in the references to the Hashmark being chromed, though I did find a picture of another Hashmark that looked like it was chromed.

What do collectors think of chroming or re-chroming a machine?
Restored Mills 5c Extraordinary "barn find", long gone - now restoring 1934 5c Extraordinary Gold Award with original World's Fair reel strips
Restoring early Mills 5c Firebird (large coin view window)
About to take on a Mills 5c Vest Pocket
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Re: Chrome plated 1930s Mills slots?

Postby fast_in_muskoka » Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:35 pm

I've got a Skyscraper that I'm fairly sure has original chrome on the castings.

Not mint, but it's a late 30's Navada sample or something.
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Re: Chrome plated 1930s Mills slots?

Postby Anglobritish » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:02 pm

I am not 100% sure but i think the only machines that were produced with a Chrome finish by Mills was after Jennings came out with their Chief in 1937-8 I know the Silver Slipper in Las Vegas had some high tops that were chromed and Mills produced their chrome Bell in the 1940's, other than that I am not sure, I think when the manufacturers turned to Aluminum castings, some companies such as Pace produced highly polished Aluminum cabinets. In those days I am not sure if you could chrome plate aluminum. Jennings cabinets where all made of cast metal not aluminum.
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Re: Chrome plated 1930s Mills slots?

Postby SLOT DYNASTY » Tue Jan 13, 2015 4:04 am

That Mills "Extraordinary" does not look good plated. It is way overdone, and the price is out-of-the-ballpark. Also 10c machines
are not as desirable as other coinage, as the thinness of the coin tends to have problems with jamming on many models. The only
good thing about a 10c machine, is you won't get stung with a reproduction, as I am not aware of any 10c repro's that were done.
This machine can not even be classified as restored, as it has only had the cosmetics done to the castings. The case was not done
inside & out. The mechanism has not been taken apart & redone, except for maybe replacing the reel strips. The back door is all
scratched up.
The main reason to stay away from this machine, is the chrome plating. Even though the factory plating jobs on aluminum castings
looked good at the time, they do not 'fair well' over the years, as well as plated cast iron, and they were usually nickel, not chrome.
Many of the plated Jennings machines were nice from the factory, but after sustaining many hours of abuse on location, when it
comes time to do a class A restoration on one, you need to deal with a plating shop that knows how to do the process correctly.
Otherwise the castings come out looking like CRAP, all full of pits. I even see some pitting in areas of this machine.
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Re: Chrome plated 1930s Mills slots?

Postby JPCass » Tue Jan 13, 2015 8:54 pm

Thanks for all good info. I was certainly wondering about the price being out of line, too.

I wasn't sure what the current standard of restoration is for collectors' slots - if it's like cars, you want to make it look like it just came out of the showroom. Personally, I prefer something that still looks a bit old, even if spruced up. And yes, that fresh chrome looks like too much. I know that on the earlier machines, the plating that was done on parts, was nickel, which I remember from my first restoration was hard to get done authentically as job shops I could find did nickel-chrome that comes out too bright.

I haven't had need for major replating work lately, and have learned to get by doing spot touch up and small parts with a nickel brush plating kit. A while ago when I was doing other work, I used to have a 1 gallon dip tank kit, I think from Caswell Plating, that if I remember right, did a pretty authentic-looking nickel plate.
Restored Mills 5c Extraordinary "barn find", long gone - now restoring 1934 5c Extraordinary Gold Award with original World's Fair reel strips
Restoring early Mills 5c Firebird (large coin view window)
About to take on a Mills 5c Vest Pocket
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Posts: 91
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2015 5:36 pm
Location: Rutland, VT (formerly Denver, CO)


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