Inherited from my father

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Inherited from my father

Postby Deb » Mon Jul 06, 2020 9:18 am

I spent the weekend watching videos and reading these forums and got my slot machine working. Canadian coin was causing it not to work and the arm also was not working. I now have it cleaned up and working. Other than just knowing it’s a Jennings I have no idea what year. Any ideas? Also what goes in the left side round ho.e in the front?

I also played 5 coins and hit the jackpot!
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Re: Inherited from my father

Postby MONTI » Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:02 am

Very Nice and Desirable Jennings Sun Chief in a floor stand!
These were used heavily in the Nevada Lodge in Crystal Bay Nevada on Lake Tahoe with placement at the ends of the rows of slot machines!
50's and used into the early 60's!
The "round hole" you speak of is the slug return or where rejected coins would be returned!
Beautiful slot machine and also a nice piece of furniture for your residence, you should be very happy!
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Re: Inherited from my father

Postby Deb » Mon Jul 06, 2020 12:34 pm

Thank you Monti.
Is there anyway to tell what year this machine is? There are no paper decals inside.
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Re: Inherited from my father

Postby MONTI » Mon Jul 06, 2020 3:02 pm

Deb wrote:Thank you Monti.
Is there anyway to tell what year this machine is? There are no paper decals inside.


Yes, there should be a serial number on the slot machine, either a tag on the inside or on the casting or in the cabinet wood!
I have a serial number file for Jennings and other makes so I should be able to tell you from that!
Ciao!
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Re: Inherited from my father

Postby Deb » Mon Jul 06, 2020 3:46 pm

Is this the serial number.
A5BA82A6-4DCA-4652-B633-EA30D31FBA88.jpeg
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Re: Inherited from my father

Postby MONTI » Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:43 am

The Jennings Sun Chief model, I believe, made their first appearance in the late 40's and continued to the early 60's as they were a popular model in many casinos!
The serial number on the mechanism you show seems to place it about 1960 but as sometimes mechanisms during restoration were switched out is there a paper serial number tag on the inside cabinet wall, just to clarify the mech number?
Do you have any idea when the slot machine was originally purchased by your family member and where?
This may help as well!
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Re: Inherited from my father

Postby Deb » Tue Jul 07, 2020 8:04 am

My fathers estate became hostile and the siblings won’t give me his documents. My father kept detail records of everything.
I believe he purchased it about twenty five to thirty years ago. He would have purchased in and around Chicago since that is where he lived.
Inside the machine on a part that looks very original was a number that looked like a 1963 date. On the back here looks like a date of 1964.
This piece of paper was in the money box and is in my fathers handwriting. Maybe it means something to someone that has information.
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Upon furthering looking up on the internet it appears as though he purchased the Jennings from Hans Havlicek in Bartlett Illinois.
(Must have gone to the motorcycle shop for his son for parts for his Triump)
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Re: Inherited from my father

Postby MONTI » Tue Jul 07, 2020 10:28 am

OK!
Now it makes sense as Hans Havlicek made molds for the Jennings Sun Chief castings and made Jennings Sun Chief reproduction slot machines!
He passed away a few years ago now and a good friend of mine in Northern California purchased all his parts and molds from his son Frank after Hans passed on!
He used original Jennings mechs but the aluminum castings he made and the floor stands were also reproduced with some originals used as well!
So actually dating your machine to actual manufacturing date is hard!
Hans, I was told, also used his, I believe birth date as the casting numbers on the castings he produced!
The Nevada Club/Nevada Lodge marquee plaque was also heavily reproduced as the Nevada Club owned by Lincoln Fitzgerald, "FITZ" to his close friends used Jennings slot machines specifically in his casinos so the marquee is well recognized and enhanced Han's machines!
Also Fitz has some Great History himself being a member of the Detroit Mob coming to Nevada in the early days, I encourage you to look his history up to have in conjunction with the slot machine for chatting with friends who come to your residence!
While it is not an original Jennings Slot Machine it is a very well done and great representation of one and yours is very nice looking with the floor stand and all so enjoy it as a Great Remembrance of your grand father!
Ciao!
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Re: Inherited from my father

Postby nvmos2 » Tue Jul 07, 2020 6:05 pm

Monti;

Great info on the Sun Chief reproduction cases and the marque.
Is the stamping 3 9 64 Hans' birthday?
I thought he was older than that.
(Could it be his son's birthday?)
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Re: Inherited from my father

Postby Deb » Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:32 pm

None of his children have that birthdate. nvmos2. Hans Havlicek birthday was 12/07/1939
From the information I’ve been researching tonight it appear as though my insides look original. Hard for me to tell but I’ve been studying a lot of pictures throughout the internet. The castings that he made he seemed to put his initials HH on them along with the numbers. I have numbers but no initials anywhere. My back is brown with a circle and a letter J in the center.

Did Hans have access to the original machines and parts that he could have put this one together? From what I understand my father actually went to his home to get this machine. Wish I could get more information on this machine. Is it a complete repro or could it be a mix?
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