Owning a vintage slot machine is one of those fun yet daunting ideas. Many old school one-armed bandits are beautifully designed and instant conversation pieces. Plus slot fans who own a machine don’t ever have to worry about losing money to the house.

Likewise, some antique slot machines are very rare and valuable, and a poorly-done restoration can do irreparable harm to the machine and destroy a lot of monetary value. The information contained herein is provided as-is and without warranty of any kind. Use it at your own risk. There is a booming trade in antique slots. Motivated collectors are scouring this niche market looking for original machines, and anything that can be brought up to snuff. A restored slot machine can still fetch good money. There are highly skilled technicians that can restore your find. The following are fine examples of antique slot machines. Mills Slot Machine Restoration on DVD. A collector videotapes the complete restoration of a Mills Castle Front slot machine. It is an incredible amount of work, but the end result was an 8 hour video which documented the entire process. The video is put on the following five DVDs or a thumb drive. Antique Slot Machine Repair and Restoration Restoration and Repair of Antique Penny Arcade Coin Operated Devices Casino Restorations is a premiere company for antique slot machine repair and restoration MN, we work with Mills, Superior, Lucky, Reel Amusement, Jennings, Watling, Callie antique coin operated device.

Charles August Fey, a Bavaria-born inventor, was living in San Francisco when he invented his first gambling machine in 1984. His games grew to be so popular at local bars, he quit his day job and opened a factory to start mass producing them, most notably the Liberty Bell machines in 1899. A lot of the functionality from that early game remained in place through much of the 20th century. Watch this video to see the seven mechanical actions set into motion when you pull back the bandit’s arm. The inner workings are probably a little more complex than you expect.

Restoring Antique Slot Machines Jackpots

Given that a lot of old slot machines are hand built, it isn’t surprising that coins can get jammed on their way through the mechanism. Big warning: If your machine jams, don’t force the arm or you can break, twist or damage a part inside. Different models and makes tend to have common jam points. The Mills model shown in the above video can have coins stuck in the “elevator” section that displays the last five coins dropped into the machine. Getting the slot working again can be as simple as cleaning the gunk off of an old part. You just need to be smart when you’re disassembling and reassembling the machinery.

Okay, there are plenty of more places where a coin can get stuck and the above video demonstrates how to fix a variety of jams. It also explains how to disassemble the major parts of the machine and where common problem areas are.

Curious how an antique slot machine knows how much money a winner gets? This video shows the punch-card like communication that trips payouts and how. If you ever need to replace the reel symbols or calibrate the machine you’ll need to understand how these work. Even if you don’t ever plan on owning a machine, the metallic “circuitry” is interesting to see.

Want to own a modern slot machine? New ones have plenty more bells, whistles and dings, and also a lot more advanced parts. If you plan on getting one, you may want to have an idea of what’s inside. In addition to the classic reels, there are speakers, motherboards filled with programming chips and plenty of wires. Unless you have a way with a soldering iron you probably won’t try and fix it. But in case you do, here’s a clip from Discovery showing what’s inside.

Did you know newer slot machines are smart enough to test themselves when a problem happens? This video shows you the procedure for having the machine check its own system. The host’s desert dry delivery is also enough to make this vid worth a watch.

Repair Antique Slot Machines

Welcome to CoinOp Restorations. We restore vintage arcade and other coin operated machines. We turn trash to treasure and fully restore every machine to its “just rolled off the factory floor” condition. Explore our site to see examples of our work and contact us if you are interested in learning more about our machines.

Our coin operated machines are sold on eBay, Craigslist, Offer Up and other online channels and are available for local pickup. Should you buy direct, we can offer a discount on the listed price.

We can deliver to your driveway within 15 miles of North Scituate, Rhode Island zip code 02857 for a flat rate of $99.

To inquire about products for sale, to speak with us about restoring a machine you already own, for repairs, or to contact us, contact us at CoinOp Restorations 401-250-8150 or email us today.

Restoring Antique Slot Machines Machine

We receive cabinets and machines in terrible condition – most are not working at all and have incurred extensive damage and wear. We work to restore cabinets to their original glory and all of our cabinets and machines are restored to working condition – but with updated, modern features to make the machines more desirable for today’s discerning consumer.

Our restoration work includes cabinet repair work, painting, decal applications, wire brushing, bondo work, and much more. Click the link to learn more about our process.

To inquire about products for sale, to speak with us about restoring a machine you already own, for repairs, or to contact us at CoinOp Restorations at 401-250-8150 or email us today.