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A close friend of mine that doesn't know much about slots has been dying to get his hands on a Jennings Indian quarter machine. Does anyone know where to get one other than eBay? He's been checking every auction locally, but I told him to let me ask the group first. I would rather see him buy from here than somewhere else...

Sin City Slots is a member here, Private Message him

Thanks for the referral my friend.



First let me say that I am not a dealer, like a lot of the members here on NLH, I'm just a hobbyist and collector.

Is your friend looking for a mechanical machine or an Electromechanical machine?
The Jennings Sun Chief is a very collectable machine and the current market value reflects that.
Beware of fakes and counterfeit machines!

I do have a number of Bally Electromechanical slot machines and usually have one or two that could be for sale.

I am currently working on a purchase deal that includes a Jennings Chief Electromechanical machine.
If I complete the purchase I will most likely sell the Chief that is included with the collection.
If your friend is looking for the 100% mechanical Sun Chief then I do have a couple sources for you to look into.

It will also be helpful if I knew what your friend has budgeted for his purchase.
You are welcome to email me to discuss further.

If I can help or you have questions just let me know.
Best luck with your search, just be cautious with your selection.

As a follow-up.....

Fakes and counterfeits usually are sold as "restored" and look nice because the castings are new reproductions and the glass may not be original. In many cases the reel carriage is not original either.

An original in original in unrestored good condition will sell for $2200-$3000
An original with a quality restoration using original Jennings parts can sell $3,500-$5,000

The machines with original Chief castings and original front lighted glass panels are hard to come by.
The castings are usually pitted and the glass can have small flea bite chips along the edges or even cracks and larger visible chips missing.
These items are reproduced and devalue the machine (and are many times sold as "original").
The problem with restoring the original castings is that it is VERY EXPENSIVE and there are reletively few plating shops qualified to replate and polish. Many times the casting is pitted so badly they require plasma spraying prior to plating, which also drives the price up for a quality restoration.

The Sun Chief is a very unique looking machine and when restored they could be considered a true art deco piece.
If your friend is just looking to fulfill a specific "look" for a display piece then perhaps a replica will suit his needs. As long as he understands that it will have uncertain future value and most collectors avoid replica machines because of the dubious origin.

There is always the story of the lucky "barn find" or someone selling for less than market value because they are unaware of the true value or it is simple a distress sale for personal reasons.

I think the most "duped" machines are  the ones that have "Golden Nugget" on them. I do like the Sun Chief, very nice. Of course it will be a while before I have that...............

You are correct, Sir
With the Mills War Eagle coming in a close second place.

And many uneducated buyers are paying up to $2,200 for these counterfeit machines. 
An original restoration can be purchased for the same, or slightly more, and will retain value and has the potential to increase over time. Originals always have the best potential to protect your investment 

When a buyer of a fake recognizes the mistake they made has only 3 choices:
- keep the machine and enjoy it for what it is
- sell it at a loss with an honest description of it being a reproduction
- sell it as "restored" without disclosing the true nature of the restoration

Caveat Emptor
There are a lot of unscrupulous sellers out there.
Due diligence is a necessity when buying.
- this is not limited to our hobby only
Life is a constant lesson to be learned.
- hopefully the education will not be too costly and the lessons will not have to be repeated

Okay, I have to ask. What are these?  
I've tried copying them into a hex editor, Word, and other programs, and can't retrieve the value of the character.

Don't mean to  :266- the thread. You can pm me with the uni code value (or the font and value) if you have it.

Thanks. :88-

I think that is called "digital decay" LOL

Does everyone see what I'm seeing? I know that that is not always the case. For example, if we post with a font that others don't have installed on their computers, we see the fancy font on our screens but everyone else just sees plain text. I used to use fancy fonts back on the old site until I discovered that there was no point.

I'm seeing a box with two hex values stacked inside: "E1" over "2F"  :103-

LOL!
My bad....

I travel for my job and currently I'm away from computer access.
- all I have is an iPhone

Probably as Stat describes.....
Icon only decrypted by Apple products or possibly limited to a specific iPhone version.

My appologies, for future use of icons I'll insert an appropriate icon from the Smiley selection available here

Ah!  IC -- It's related to fruit deficiency :162- and iSight problems. :209-  That explains it. I'll have to go to the grocer and stop by the optometrist tomorrow.. :208- :208- :208-


Back to the thread in progress:

As SinCitySlots said, there are a lot of counterfeit mechanical slot machines on the market. It is always best to buy from a respected dealer unless you really know how to spot the fakes.

http://www.ibuyoldslots.com/ReproArticle.html (http://www.ibuyoldslots.com/ReproArticle.html)

I don't remember who posted this, but I thought at the time it was worth saving.

Dave (I Buy Old Slots) has a great website that is focused on antique coin-op machines.
His video archive is very informative.
The membership @   http://coinopcollectorforum.com  (also maintained by Dave) is a valuable resource for anyone that has interest in the old mechanical machines.

I know where such a machine is located and it is for sale. Its a Jennings Sun Chief, 25 cent,chrome plated front (not back lit panels) Indian Head mounted in front center of casting. Panel that was mounted above castings where coin is inserted is a plain piece of  white plexiglass. Don't know what should have been  there as an original. Does not have original back door, (I could be wrong because I never saw an original back door)  machine does work, needs some cleaning and lub. First reel locks up as soon as machine is "kicked off".  also noted coin entry was loose, if it was tightened to the casting the Quarter would not advance down to the input of the escalator.   asking  1800.00  as-is.    could provide pictures,  machine is located in Columbus,Ohio


Jim