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2 for 1 Trade Stimulator
Posted:
Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:02 pmby nvmos2
Here's something you don't see every day;
The operator of a Texas General Store bolted these two machines together. For one penny, you get a play on the Spin-It, then the coin falls thru a chute that directs it into the Mercury for a play on that machine. When I found it back in 1981, the store had been closed for years and both machines were still fully functional.
Posted:
Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:04 pmby Dave
Pretty wild. If only these machines could talk.
Posted:
Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:51 pmby millslot
I Love it, very cool! It sure was a different time back then...
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2012 6:08 amby FOREST
Not a big mod fan but the store owner was probable looking to maintain some action on a few older machines.
Did the player get two gumballs
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2012 9:16 amby nvmos2
No gumballs;
the Spin-It is a peanut vender; there were petrified peanuts in it when found (actually, they are still in it to this day).
the Mercury is a token dispenser (no gum balls). There were no tokens in it, but the mech is complete and working.
So for a penny, the customer got a horse race, some peanuts, and a chance to win cigarettes (or something else in trade). That's a lot for one cent!
I'm not a fan of mods either, espec when done by a "collector" or after the machine was no longer used. But in this case, I think you are right; the mod was done by an operator to revitalize a location that had gone cold. Since they are two fairly common machines, I think they are more interesting as is rather than trying to separate and restore them. Apparently it wasn't enough to save the whole store; it was one of those places put out of business when the interstate bypassed the town; Death by Interstate.