I have this new addition to my collection, a Watling Blue Seal (Watling machine number 46), serial number puts it in the range of year 1929.
Original reel strips (as far as I can tell).
There are three bars on third reel.
One of the three bars either stops above or below the pay line, even though there seem to be nothing odd about the star wheel.
But if I manually advance the third reel, the bar either "clicks" in place above or below the pay line.
There are 20 symbols on the third reel, yet this bar seems to have a "mind of it's own."
All the symbols line up across all three reels, there doesn't seem to be any problem with slippage on the third reel strip, it's firmly crimped in place, yet this bar just stops above or below the pay line, it won't "click" in on the pay line.
Am I making any sense.
It's almost acting like a "near miss" symbol, like we saw for a while on the stepper motor, more modern slots, which most gaming jurisdictions outlawed "near misses."
What's happening? Any guesses?