AboutDavid Burritt Expertise My expertise is in the area of antique slot machines. Specifically pre 1940 era machines. I have an extensive price history list of slot machines that have been sold on eBay and other auction houses (e.g., Victoria Casino Auctions, Rich Penn Auctions, etc.).
Experience 1. I run a discussion forum on coin operated devices (http://www.coinopcollectorforum.com)
2. I maintain a web site which tracks price trends for antique slot machines (www.AntiqueSlotMachinePriceGuide.com)
3. I published an 8 hour video tape on how to properly restore a Mills slot machine back in the 1990s
4. I published a book (Coin Op On CD) which was distibuted on a CD. This CD had many articles and thousands of photos of antique coin operated devices. It also had many videos of rare and unusual coin operated devices.
This CD has since been published on the web (http://www.ibuyoldslots.com/COCD/)
5. I have written articles on how to identify fake/reproduction slot machines.
Organizations C.O.C.A. (Coin Op Collectors Association)
Education/Credentials Masters degree in Computer Science from University of Southern California
Expert: David Burritt Date: 9/6/2007 Subject: Mills Slot Machine
Question I have just purchased a 1939 Mills slot machine. Everything seems to work except it does not payout properly. I'll get the correct payout (2 quarters) for a cherry showing up on the left hand reel, but not for the middle reel. I also do not get paid out for any 2 or 3 of a kind combinations. Any thoughts? Thanks very very much.
Answer John:
Did you buy it from a dealer or a collector? If so, then take it back and have them fix it.
The problem is that there are fingers which slide through holes in payout disks to figure out if the reels have a winning combination.
Your problem could be that the disks are not aligned properly, or the springs are not connected to the fingers, or the disks do not match the reels.
These are all easy things for a dealer or a collector to determine but are hard to describe to someone who does not know what to look for. There are also books available which describe in great detail how your machine works.
You might also go to www.CoinOpCollectorForum.com
That is a discussion group where a lot of slot collectors hang out. You can ask questions and get answers for free.
If you want to determine the value of machines, then you might want to go to www.AntiqueSlotMachinePriceGuide.com
