HorseHead Bonus machine

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HorseHead Bonus machine

Postby bajrbajr » Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:50 pm

I'm looking for some information on this odd version of a Horsehead BONUS machine
Here are some details…

Horsehead is a separate casting mounted on the upper & lower castings (kinda like a bursting cherry emblem)
Different style coin denomination badge
Horsehead and denomination badge are IRON... all other castings are ALUMINUM

Notice the award card… paper, and it is a single cherry 2-5 pay. The award card is old, and looks original
Mech is single cherry 2-5 pay
I thought it may be a HIGHTOP BONUS mech, but I thought I've heard they will not fit in a HORSEHEAD cabinet

No serial number on the castings or cabinet

I have been told there is a good article about the HorseHead Machine in LooseChange AUG1980,but I don't have a copy of it....
Attachments
bac.jpg
whh.jpg
bajrbajr
 
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Re: HorseHead Bonus machine

Postby atac » Tue Jun 01, 2021 5:10 pm

The iron ones had that style denomination button. The aluminum ones have the flat bottom half circle buttons.
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Re: HorseHead Bonus machine

Postby bajrbajr » Tue Jun 01, 2021 5:19 pm

I've seen many cast-iron Horseheads that are exactly like the aluminum ones... except that the cast iron machines are ALL painted. (they are not like mine)

this machine of mine has ALL aluminum castings. the only pieces of it that are cast-iron are the denomination badge/coin entry, and the actual HORSEHEAD.
bajrbajr
 
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:38 pm
Location: Cleveland Ohio

Re: HorseHead Bonus machine

Postby nvmos2 » Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:17 pm

Interesting machine; looks like an example of the effects of WWII.

The single cherry pay was introduced on the eve of the war and quickly became popular.
Bueschel writes:
"....in February 1942 the door slammed shut on coin machine production with manufacturing tapered off to a conclusion with only maintenance and revamping exceptions made in order to keep American commerce operating. .... Mills and Jennings kept making a small number of machines on the sly. .....(Mills was) restricted to revamping what they had, or using non-critical materials. ..... The models were often strange. .......Mills .... pioneered the use of cast iron fronts for revamped machines, a technique that was quickly picked up by dozens of small alley shops across the country....."
Lemons, Cherries, etc; pp 165-166.
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Re: HorseHead Bonus machine

Postby bajrbajr » Wed Jun 02, 2021 1:22 pm

There are no serial numbers to be found anywhere on the castings or wood...
If Mills made machines "on the sly..." during the war, would they have made them without serial numbers so as not to leave evidence of a production date?

Someone has also suggested that this model may have been for export out of the USA... I lean towards dismissing that notion because the denomination badge is 5c (a USA denomination.)
Also, the only other example like mine that I could find through Google images was a 25c machine.
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Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:38 pm
Location: Cleveland Ohio


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