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Hi everyone!

I grew up playing with this slot machine at my grandparents house & received it after they passed. I've been trying to hunt down information online about it, but I'm not having too much luck. I'm wanting to know if it's authentic, & if so, the year it was likely made, & if it has been restored in any way. Knowing how much it's worth would be a bonus. I have the key that also has "Mills" on it, but the cash box is gone (I don't remember them ever having it!). It is also jammed. I guess I'm just wanting to know if it's worth trying to un-wedge it from the corner it's in to get the jam fixed, or if it'll just remain a broken reminder of better days when my grandparents were still here. I tried my best to get decent pictures despite a massive treadmill in the way. Any information is appreciated! Thanks

Tamara

You have a Mills Chevron QT slot machine that dates to 1935-1937. It is a fairly common QT so you will see numerous examples on a google search. Factory colors were usually green, blue, and orange although other variations exist. It's hard to tell in your photos if your slot has been repainted but it looks like it is now black? Value is regional but with original locks and missing cashbox ($75-85 for an original) I would estimate $950-1200 in its present condition. A jam could be any number of things---spring issues, frozen levers on the main shaft, etc. The mechanism looks fairly clean so that is a plus.

Yes, it's black now. Is there a way to tell what color it was originally (if it wasn't black?). Also, happen to know of any places near Dallas that can work on these things? It'd be nice to at least get the jam fixed!

There might be some over spray inside the front casting. You could look under the denomination button or behind the award card as well. There should be someone in or near your area for repairs.

As rtmccurdy posted. You have a Mills QT. However, it appears to be a mix of a Chevron and Thunderbird. The Chevron had a "bent coin" return system with a small knob on the side of the coin entry. Yours has a small copper plate and screw where the knob would be as seen in your second photo. Also, the 5¢ denomination plate on yours was added at a later date.

As for your coin jam. Yes, it's worth un-jamming. These are fun games. It looks like you have a nickel stuck by the red arrow (photo below). I believe it should be dropped down to go in front of the plunger where the green arrow is in photo.

The coin return is correct for the chevron, but the denomination button was a later addition as 63mini noted.

atac wrote:The coin return is correct for the chevron, but the denomination button was a later addition as 63mini noted.

Maybe, I did not phrase my post quite right. A Chevron should have a knurl nut coin return knob on the right side of the coin entry. The OP's machine does not. Thunderbird QT's do not have this either. I believe that the coin entry was changed at some point. Below are a few photos showing this area in question.

The first is from the original posters machine.
The second showing a Chevron coin entry.
The third is a Thunderbird coin entry.

I looked closer & the chevron parts were definitely orange & the main part was a weird grayish green color..I can't quite tell..maybe like this picture? Someone near me that can possibly work on it reached out to me as well. Thank you so much everyone for the info! I searched for days & wasn't even close to coming up with any of these conclusions lol