I came to the Native American slot machine first, but it was the big red head of another machine on a table just behind it that pulled me in. I had seen the array of arcade games in black and white on the auction bid sheets, but that was no match for seeing them in color.
The auction-house owners had lit up the place as bright as the sun outside of the newly enclosed space that had once been a roofed lot. It was so packed that you needed the brilliant light to keep from bumping into the furniture and other big items crammed into it.
Fortunately, the staff had left a pathway through the stuff, and I found the collection of machines not far from the entrance. Many of them were figural items, and they looked pretty remarkable.
The Native American slot machine seemed to be the tallest of the gambling machines; most were tabletop size. Slot machines were not the only items for sale in this grouping, though. They were joined by a salted peanut dispenser, penny arcade girlie machines, a dice/roulette wheel, a love tester and much more.
This wasn’t the first time I’d come across slot machines at auction, but these were by far the oldest – from the early 20th century. Slot machines date back to the late 19th century, but there is some question about who actually invented the first one.
The machines at the auction were a lot more interesting in both design and style. They also pointed to a time in history when men had to leave home to take a peek at slightly clothed women through a machine (they can do that now at home) or people could get a handful of peanuts and gumballs from a penny machine (now you can get them in safe packaging).
Here are some of the machines from the auction. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did. The descriptions are from the auction bid sheets.
The Baby Bootlegger, 1908 (left): This was “one of the first machines that showed young men the ‘hidden’ beauty of women. After inserting a coin, the machine automatically displays three-dimensional pictures of scantily clad women. Each picture is seen for approximately 3 seconds.” It had been restored and was working, $2,000. Figure studies Stereoptic Viewer, 1922: “For 1 cent, a young man (or old man) could see 15 three-dimension pictures of a young ‘revealing girl.'” On the glass front: Approved by New York censors, $1,600.
This giant patriotic-looking wheel sold for $2,000.
The Silent Sphinx machine, 1932 (left): This was “one of the most elegant ever produced.” It operated silently by using a pneumatic pump as a timing device, $1,100. Penny Pack Trade Stimulator, 1939 (center front): It was one of the most popular counter games ever made. Players had to match winning combinations to get a pack of cigarettes and a gumball, $375. The Al Jolson blackface plaster sculpture sold for $50.
The iron claw machine (1935), also known as a ‘crane’ or digger machine, grabs a plastic toy and drops it into the hopper, $1,800. Later versions of this machine are still around.
Jennings Favorite Trade Stimulator, 1926-1930 (left): Player drops in a penny that goes through a field of nails and wins 1 cent, 2 cents or 5 cents if the penny falls into the corresponding slot. Player gets a gumball, too, $1,100. Love Tester machine, 1936: Player inserts a penny and one of the hearts illuminates with a short verse, $275. Try-Skill gambling machine, 1929: Player drops a penny in the top and then tries to balance it to the bottom, level by level, keeping it from dropping. The winner gets a reward from the proprietor, $350.
A hand-carved Native American wooden figure with an old Mills Hightop slot machine by Dick DeLong, who makes them and uses old slot machines. He also has made a Louis Armstrong with a trumpet. This slot machine is 1940 and the carving, 1995. It sold for $3,500. The machine on the left is a Mutoscope Mystic Mirror fortune-teller machine. A player uses the pointer to choose questions (Am I going to travel?, Shall I be wealthy?, Am I going to marry?, Shall I have a family?) and gets an answer, $1,600.
