1939 Mills QT 'Smoker' Slot Machine-5 cent play-Near Mint Original $3,250 (pdx Portland) pic hide this posting restore restore this posting.
The QT Smoker coin-operated Slot Machine by Mills Novelty Co. (circa 1939), and it's history and background, photos, repair help, manuals, for sale and wanted lists, and census survey is brought to you by The International Arcade Museum at the Museum of the Game.

Bay Mills Resort & Casino: Not for non-smokers - See 158 traveler reviews, 20 candid photos, and great deals for Bay Mills Resort & Casino at Tripadvisor. This 3-reel miniature bell countertop cigarette payout slot machine features cigarette reels and award card. Condition (Good). 1 Mills QT Smoker Slot Machine. Estimate $1,500 - $2,000 Oct 17, 2015. See Sold Price 21 bids. Sell a Similar Item. Dan Morphy Auctions. MILLS QT SMOKER 5 CENT SLOT MACHINE. View Item in Catalog Lot #221 (Sale Order: 230 of 617) Sold for: $1,850.00 to onsite 'Tax, Shipping & Handling and Internet.

This mid 1940's slot machine has been in our proprietor's family since he was a child (a long time ago!). It is commonly referred to as a Mills black cherry quarter slot machine.
It was rescued from a fraternal lodge in Northern Illinois just before the sheriff came with his sledgehammer.
By the time our proprietor inherited it, it was in somewhat sad shape. Apparently, every time the lodge's bar walls were painted, they painted the slot machines as well. It had many different color coats of latex house paint over the face, side and back. The reels operated, but very slowly. The handle worked its way loose, and the slop eventually split the wood on the right side.
Restoration started with removal of the mechanism from the case and complete sandblasting of the case. The split in the wood was repaired through biscuit joinery. The wooden sides were then sanded and revarnished and a reproduction of the original Mills decal applied to the left side. The front panel was painted a hammertone blue, a close match to the original discovered during sandblasting (see comments below on Buckley slot machines.) The rear bonnet and door were painted the original wrinkle black and a reproduction 'Owner's Maintenance' card was glued to the inside of the rear door.
A relubrication of the mechanism cured the slow operation. The slot now looked and operated as new.
This example of the Mills Black Cherry is actually a Buckley Company remanufactured Mills. You can see the Buckley stamp on this picture of the frame. Buckley would buy used Mills machines, refurbish the mechanics, change the color scheme a bit, then resell them. So technically, this is a Buckley black cherry slot, which is why the arrangements of the cherries and the color differ slightly from the Mills version (the original Mills cherries were offset rather than lining up horizontally and they painted their cases silver rather than light blue.)
The slot came with the original double sided key, somewhat of a rare occurrence. Over the years these keys tend to get lost and modern replacement locks end up getting installed.
Here is a decal we created in Photoshop to replicate the original Mills Owl used on their slot machine stands.

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Bally Bingo Green Book -- Parts List and Exploded Diagrams of components.

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Autobell Circus Schematic.

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Mills Bell Machine Parts and Service Manual HiTop 7-7-7 Model.

PAR sheet for Fourth of July.

Example of a Bally Bally SMI Sheet (PAR Sheet) in PDF format.

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Coin Mechanisms, Inc. See National Slug Rejectors and Coinco below.

Bally V-1088 and V-1090 Operator Instructions Manual.

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Two Mills catalogs from the early 1900's: The Mills Commercial trade stimulator and Mills Amusement, Skill & Vending Machines.

Keeney's Super Bell Operators Manual in PDF format. 1941 document.

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Evans Winterbook Parts Manual in PDF format.

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National Slug Rejector and Coinco Service Manuals in .PDF format for some older equipment. Coin acceptors normally operate transparently, but they can surely be a nuisance when needing service or adjustment.

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Jennings Chief Parts and Service Manual in PDF format. The scanned doucment was a poor copy so this is possibly just better than no manual at all.

Bally Slot Consoles parts list and description including Triple Bell and Deluxe Draw Bell. This includes pictorials of the reel assembly. A schematic for the Triple Bell is available from Internet Direct.

Bally Reflex Unit With Snap Switches used in Champion games through Serial No. 9053. They were not used in the companion game, Kentucky.

Buckley Track Odds 1938 Machine description, troubleshooting, partsand diagrams. About 80 pages. The file number = page number.

Buckley Track Odds Circuit Tracing Guide for machines 12,000-12,500.

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Buckley Track Odds Remote Control installation instructions.

Bally Electro-Mechanical Slot Machine Manual. Covers Money Honey up to the 'computers' took over. The file numbers = page numbers in the manual.

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The Last of the Bingo Kings -- Not exactly the Sopranos.

Bally Victory Special Setup Instructions showing some adjustments available to the operator.

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