My new Pickup

[watlingboy]

The Nevada Club machine was operated without a jackpot, so don't add one, in my opinion. If it was a machine that came from the factory with one that was missing, then you should try to make the machine as close to original as possible and replace it but don't modify an original machine because you might hit the jackpot once or twice while you own it. Sell it and buy a machine with a jackpot. Fey, Rockola and others made conversion fronts to update the nonjackpot machines for resale or to update them for use. These conversions do not hurt the value and in many cases, it increases it. But these conversions were done at the time they were being used, not by a hobbiest 50 or 70 years later. And not all things that operators did to machines was good either. Sometimes you have to fix or replace things that were done to machines by these guys also. Always try to get your machines as close to original as possible.

Watlingboy

[RameGoom]

@watlingboy, sounds like very good advice. No sense in tearing into a perfect gem from the past.

I gotta admit though, the sight of those coins in the front make it look good.

Maybe the Jennings can have the chamber filled without actually being connected to a potential jackpot, without any damage or major change to the original design?

I have a trade stimulator that has a window of gumballs, not connected to the actual gumball supply, and I figure it's just for looks. Just a thought.

[SLOT DYNASTY]

Not wanting to hijack the thread, but I'm wondering about the jackpot. I bought a gooseneck Jennings with what appears to be an add-on twin jackpot from - well - not sure. Possibly a FEY. Does this mean the machine has a diminished value because of it? Seems to work properly, but you can see inside, the coin chute has been cobbled out of a sheet of tin, so it must not have been original. And, to get the coins to flow properly, I had to shim the mechanism out considerably.

The machine I'm talking about: http://www.bummlbe.com/john/jennings_slot.jpg

You guys are the experts, I'm just starting here. Sorry about the semi-hijack.

RameGoom:
No such thing as a 'highjacked thread' here! This forum group is all about intermingling about anything coin-op, (and sometimes not). Although I am not the originator of this column, I feel it safe to say, "step in anytime". We all learn by those whom bring up a new subject. Regarding your questions about your Jennings machine in the pix..........there were literally thousands of these revamp jackpot conversions done to many of the large manufacturers machines. Mostly to Jennings, and Mills Operator Bell series. Your Jennings, has a Pace Jackpot conversion front, and is identical to one of the Fey conversions. Same Pace 'fancy Front' design, but different logo button on the upper left. Pace was one of the more common revampers, along with Fey, Rock-ola, Roberts Novelty, Bull Durham Novelties, Automatic Machine Co., Buckley, American Sales, Crown, Sheffler, just to name a few. One could literally have an very large collection of just revamp-front machines, which I think would be very impressive. There are some very interesting & fancy designs out there. It must also be noted, that not all of the Jackpot conversions are hooked up to work. This is mostly with the 'triple-jax' fronts. They were usually dummies, with just windows full of coins, with a plate on the backside. Nothing to trip them what-so-ever. My Mills 'Triple-Jax' is like that, but has a special-built set of slides, that pays a jackpot. Jennings also made a similar set of slides for their 'Triple-Jax' models. It is sad to hear that your Pace jackpot conversion was not working properly, and had to be shimmed. Many of the revamped machines had not-so-great-looking home-made parts, that were slapped together. Hopefully you were able to do enough to compensate for their errors, to get it to work properly. Do not feel that these conversions "diminish the value" of the machines they are on. They were done by the original mfrs., back in their hey-dey. Only thing that ruins the value of a machine, is when some so-called hobbiest makes something out of a machine today, that never was. I have seen examples on eBay, and live auctions, for many years. One of the biggest hurts to me, is when I see a Victorian Upright, with [u]the wrong castings, added castings, (that it never had), wrong newer decals, wrong wood trim, wrong wheels, etc.[u] This all takes away from their real value, which many collectors don't even realize. If it's re-done all bright & shiney, don't assume it is correct. One of the most mis-used words in the coin-op hobby, '(outside of RARE)', is 'Restored'. A machine should only be noted as 'Restored', if it has been put back to it's original state that it left the factory. Which means if a missing or broken part was originally cast iron, it should be recast in iron, not aluminum or brass. Once the part has been replated, it is hard to tell. Unless you are one of us oldtimers, that carried a magnet in your pocket at all auctions & shows. I can now visualize all you newbies in the hobby, that have purchased a Victorian Upright, or early cast iron machine, scrambling to find a magnet, to check your machines. If a machine has not been properly 'Restored', it should be noted as 'Rebuilt', 'Redone', 'Repainted', or the like. I also see hundreds of cast aluminum Trade Stimulators that have been repainted with incorrect and gaudy-looking colors. If a machine is a worn-out or dirty original, you can usually find a hint of the original colors on it. Then again, some of that is sometimes hidden by an old repaint by an operator.

[nvmos2]

RameGoom;

For a guy who is just starting, you've got some nice machines;
I covet that Bell Boy.

As Bill indicated, Revamps are a very interesting topic and it gets a little confusing.
After Rock-Ola, Pace was one of the biggest makers of replacement Jackpot Fronts and I would expect better from them than your (brief) description of some problems.
Unless you got some good history with the machine, no telling what has been done to it over the years.
If the guy who restored it built it from a bunch of parts, it may not have the same mech as when it was revamped or he may have mismatched the front to the rest of the machine.
Pace made this front in different versions depending on whose machine it was going on (Mills, Jennings, etc); within that, they had different models depending on what coin denomination the machine was and, on top of that, different models if the machine had a side vender!
I think you should find a N-60 stamp on the back of your jackpot front indicating it was made for use on a Jennings nickel machine with no side vender.
Your front is covered in The 100 Most Collectible Slots, Vol 2, page 103.
If you don't have the book, send me a PM with your address and I'll mail a copy of that page.

[RameGoom]

@nvmos2Thanks for the info. The back of the jackpot has "JT100" cast into it. I found a very close image of it in the "Reel History" book by David N. Mead, page 203 calling it the "Star, revamp gooseneck bell, double jackpot 1932"

The Bell Boy, it's been in the family for decades. When I got it, it was in pieces in a box, and it took a while to get it back together and functioning.

[Mendozaco]

Thanks you for your comments and advices. I'm going to keep it as is. Great history lesson.