Expert: David Burritt - 2/16/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have recently purchased one of the above in what seems to be very good original condition. It has a MLB serial number on the upper rear casing plus metal side plates and shows signs of age, reel strips have bell fruit gum and look old!(I have been caught before with a Golden Nugget repro as I was not aware they made fakes!).
Anyway, apart from the lock which has been changed the only other part that seems to have been replaced is the escalator which has a roll down type which I would like to change to the normal type. I have seen one on ebay (USA)which takes 10c, I think this will work okay as the 10cent seems to be the same size as the old UK sixpence.Do you think it would change straight over and would a very slight difference in coin size (if any) stop this from working?(I can get a UK escalator but a lot higher cost than the US one even after postage.)
Thanks for any help or advise. Steve

ANSWER: Steve:

Sorry to hear that you got burned with a reproduction Golden Nugget. You are one of probably thousands though. I get at least one email a week from someone who has a Golden Nugget and thinks it is a highly valuable antique only to learn it has zero value as an antique.

Regarding the Bonus. No one has reproduced either the Hosehead Bonus or the High Top Bonus and I don't think they ever will because it requires special parts for the Bonus mechanism. These parts would be expensive to reproduce so the people who make the knock-offs would never do it.

The roll-down style escalator might be a reproduction or it might be a Buckley escalator.

If the US dime and the old UK sixpence are identical in size then buying an original dime escalator should work. The escalator is easy to swap out because it is only held in place by three screws.

HOWEVER, before I would actually buy a dime escalator I would pull the mechanism out and fill the coin tube with the sixpence coins to make sure they work correctly in the slides. If the are a different thickness (even slightly) then you can expect frequent jams and frequent incorrect payouts.

If you have more questions feel free to contact me. I email address is Dave@IbuyOldSlots.com and my web site is www.IBuyOldSlots.com

I also have several videos on DVD. One of them tells you how to manually cycle the machine and force winners. This could be useful for you in verifying the payouts.

Dave

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Dave, thanks for your reply, I am, watching a Golden Nugget on ebay now and it is listed as "Rare", even I can tell its a fake as the parts are all new and cheap looking and everyting looks cheap!
Anyway, I have tried a couple of dimes in the 6pence escalator that I have and they seem to work the escalator okay. As long as my sixpences work on the dime escalator when I but it then it should all be okay as the tube if for 6pence (6d). Its a really nice machine, I hope to get a couple of the cosmetic parts re chromed or polished soon.The reel strips are a bit worn but I can live with that.
Thanks very much for your help.

Kind regards.. Steve

ANSWER: Steve:

Every week a "rare" Golden Nugget" shows up on eBay :-).

In the past collectors have notified eBay about these scams but eBay does nothing.

I have never bought a machine on eBay and probably never will.

Good quality replacement reel strips are available if you decide yours are too worn.

Dave

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again Dave,

Sorry to be a pest but for no aparrent reason the coins are not now allowing the hanlde to be pulled, everything seems to be in place but the coin rolls just to the entry side of the wire that sits in the side of the escalator attached to the bar(sorry not sure the correct term). When I pull and push / pull the wire piece it then works fine but not with coins. Was working fine before, all I have done is taken the reel mech out and replaced, have not touched the escalator etc.I am sure this is an easy fix,Any advise? Thanks again, Steve

Answer
Check the spring on the horizontal lever on the escalator which hold the pin which goes against the dime.

If the spring is OK and if the bar is moving freely back and forth then the coin detection pin might need adjusting there is a set screw which will allow you to more the pin forward or backward.

Dave