Operator's Bell

[Op-Bell]

A big hearted guy like me is a sucker for waifs and strays... Can't turn them away... Especially when they're named after me (or is it the other way round?) 

I've just added this basket case to my extensive list of things I'll "get round to one day"... 

It's a 1922 Mills Operator's Bell Owl Front, mostly all there - it works but needs lubrication and a couple of springs. I see it's an early example of virtual reels! The reels have 10 stops, but 20 symbols on the strips, so half the symbols you see (like the numerous jackpot bars) you can never hit - they always show up as a near miss. And I bet you thought that was a modern idea? 

Don't anyone hold your breath for the "after" pictures.

[uniman]

A classic! Nice project there.
Jackpot symbols that never land on the payline, now that's the ultimate near miss.

[CaptainHappy]

So would the technical term be NEVER HIT???  What a teaser! 

Nice project, your namesake! 

CH

[Op-Bell]

"What, never?"
  "Well, hardly ever!"
     (HMS Pinafore)

One bar on the "can hit" stops, three on the "can't hit".

I should also point out that this is a quarter machine. Two bits was a substantial sum in 1922, enough for a shave and a haircut. Most slots of that era were nickel, so this is a bit unusual.

[brichter]

$.25? That's a high roller slot there!

It'll be sweet when you're done...

[knagl]

Neat stuff -- I would have never guessed that those would have the "virtual" (never hit) stops that tease you into thinking you were "that close" to a winner.

[StatFreak]

The thing is that inflation has been so uneven from one type of item to another since 1922 that comparisons are difficult.
Take a look at this price list from New Jersey: http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/prices/1922.html

What's interesting is that the price of a haircut may have gone up about 40-60 fold, and some other items likewise have increased 20-40 times, but look at the cost of food! It's all over the place.

For the sake of argument, I multiplied everything by 40.

Our standard shave and a haircut at 25¢ would be $10 today. A bargain, actually.

Bacon was 45¢/lb. Multiplied by 40, it would cost $18.00/lb today. No thanks.
Butter was 43¢/lb. It would cost a whopping $17.20/lb today.
Dr. Swifts Root Beer was $2.25 for 24 - 8oz bottles! Wow! That would have been $1.6875 for a 12-pack of 12oz cans as a comparison. Multiplied by 40, that would come to $67.50 for a twelve pack of soda! Holy Root Beer Batman! 


But cheese was 19¢/lb. That would be $7.60/lb today, which is pretty close.
Prime Rib Roast 31¢/lb. That comes out to $12.40/lb today.

Bananas at 30¢ a dozen. If that's about six pounds and were multiplied by 40, bananas would cost $2.00/lb
Bread at 5¢ a loaf multiplied by 40 is $2.00  I guess we're exporting too much wheat,     ..although I can buy bread for under $2 at discount grocery stores.
Cookies were 15¢ a package. That would be $4.50 today. Not that far off.


Men's Oxfords shoes at $1.95 would be about $80 today. Good luck buying them for that price.

New cars listed ranged from $550 to $2390 That would be $22k-$95k today, so we're ahead of the game there.
A new four-piece bedroom set was $145. That would come to $5800 today. If one bought solid wood furniture of the quality that was available in 1922, it would cost more than that.

There are some wages listed as well.
A fireman made $107.50 a month. That would be $51,600 a year before taxes. I'm not sure how close that is, but it's probably low, DOE.
A sales clerk seems to have made about $40 a week. That would be $83,200 a year! Shows you what's happened to employers' opinions of the service industry.

So how far did two-bits really go back in 1922?  Well, we know one thing: it could buy you one pull on a rigged slot machine.

[CaptainHappy]

The thing is that inflation has been so uneven from one type of item to another since 1922 that comparisons are difficult.
Take a look at this price list from New Jersey: http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/prices/1922.html

What's interesting is that the price of a haircut may have gone up about 40-60 fold, and some other items likewise have increased 20-40 times, but look at the cost of food! It's all over the place.

For the sake of argument, I multiplied everything by 40.

Our standard shave and a haircut at 25¢ would be $10 today. A bargain, actually.

Bacon was 45¢/lb. Multiplied by 40, it would cost $18.00/lb today. No thanks.
Butter was 43¢/lb. It would cost a whopping $17.20/lb today.
Dr. Swifts Root Beer was $2.25 for 24 - 8oz bottles! Wow! That would have been $1.6875 for a 12-pack of 12oz cans as a comparison. Multiplied by 40, that would come to $67.50 for a twelve pack of soda! Holy Root Beer Batman! 


But cheese was 19¢/lb. That would be $7.60/lb today, which is pretty close.
Prime Rib Roast 31¢/lb. That comes out to $12.40/lb today.

Bananas at 30¢ a dozen. If that's about six pounds and were multiplied by 40, bananas would cost $2.00/lb
Bread at 5¢ a loaf multiplied by 40 is $2.00  I guess we're exporting too much wheat,     ..although I can buy bread for under $2 at discount grocery stores.
Cookies were 15¢ a package. That would be $4.50 today. Not that far off.


Men's Oxfords shoes at $1.95 would be about $80 today. Good luck buying them for that price.

New cars listed ranged from $550 to $2390 That would be $22k-$95k today, so we're ahead of the game there.
A new four-piece bedroom set was $145. That would come to $5800 today. If one bought solid wood furniture of the quality that was available in 1922, it would cost more than that.

There are some wages listed as well.
A fireman made $107.50 a month. That would be $51,600 a year before taxes. I'm not sure how close that is, but it's probably low, DOE.
A sales clerk seems to have made about $40 a week. That would be $83,200 a year! Shows you what's happened to employers' opinions of the service industry.

So how far did two-bits really go back in 1922?  Well, we know one thing: it could buy you one pull on a rigged slot machine.

BAD STAT FREAK BAD STATFREAK!!!  I am shocked that you forgot the most obvious comparison, and the main idea behind the Topic!!!

Our 1922 Standard Op-Bell Slot at 25¢ would be $10 today, which is pretty close if you are on a  Penny Slot with Max Bet hit! 

They are one armed bandits that rob you blind, and most of them don't even have a darn arm anymore either! 

OK Stat, I am just playing with you, but I could not resist adding this pathetic reality to your list. Grandma playing a "PENNY" machine is causing the casino's to laugh all the way to the bank!!! 

CH

[StatFreak]

Yeah, they are pretty sad. They not only fool the player by paying back less than was played most of the time, on some games they make such a big deal of the win that you'd think you had won a car. If you're lucky, you MIGHT have gotten enough back from the cost of your last spin to buy a Hot Wheels.

But when it comes to taking your money on the spin, it does that quickly and quietly, and with no fanfare whatsoever. Now, I've seen folks win decent amounts on these bad boys. Wayne won $150 on one spin, but he was playing 500 pennies a pop! At $5 a spin, $150 really isn't that much, and it gets lost back really quickly. Of course, it looks good on the screen, since it's all pennies and shows a colossal win of 15000 credits.

I'm getting too old for casinos. I want to play three-reel three-coin slots, but they are disappearing. I want to play real table games with real human beings, but they'll be gone as soon as the corporations indoctrinate the players into accepting the new automated systems. I'm seeing more and more automated Roulette games, including some hybrids with a real wheel and croupier, but LCD betting stations that handle all bets and payouts through the touchscreen. Others are complete stand-alone computer simulations. More reasons to fire employees and to have gamblers who never interact with anyone else in the casino. I want to discuss my comps with a pit boss or host who has some leeway in deciding what to give me, not have a corporate bean counting computer calculate that I'm entitled to $2.50 after playing blackjack at $30 a hand for five and a half hours with no recourse to anyone in the casino.

Harrah's also had automated blackjack with a simulated dealer on a large LCD screen. You know the machine: it's the same model used for the casino variant of Texas Hold'em where the players play for bonuses, not against one another, and the phony dealer "looks" back and forth to give the illusion that she actually gives a s#^t about the players. The simulated blackjack game states that it uses 6 decks and appears to shuffle now and then, suggesting that it doesn't deal from the top of a new shoe on every hand, but I wouldn't trust the thing. I have to wonder if it tracks player betting patterns and reports card counters directly to the  ? Non-counters would get shafted if it actually did deal from an infinite shoe, as it were. They just wouldn't know why their money didn't go as far as it used to.

All that aside, it removes the tactile experience of handling real chips and cards and interacting with other living sentient beings. What's next? Simulated drinks on the LCD screen? I'll bet that they'll still cost real money, though. Might as well stay home and play on one of those cool $40 15-inch LCD touch screens from Flea Pay hooked up to my laptop running Masque slots or an online gaming website.

Can you tell that I'm disgusted with it all? Blech.

I will say that for home use, the multi-line 300 legged Alien-Terminator-Tabascos with cheese are fun to play, but they get way too expensive when real dollars are involved in a casino environment. I want a fair chance at winning some real money when I gamble, and the newer video slots just don't deliver, IMO.

[StatFreak]

Hey Brichter, pour me some of that scotch! 
No, I haven't been drinking...yet, but its not a bad idea...

[tacman]

I will say that for home use, the multi-line 300 legged Alien-Terminator-Tabascos with cheese are fun to play, but they get way too expensive when real dollars are involved in a casino environment. I want a fair chance at winning some real money when I gamble, and the newer video slots just don't deliver, IMO.

I agree, those 044 titles like Carnival of Mystery and Alien vs Predator!   I get a kick out of the "243 ways to Win" When I play them I can't find One way to win let alone the other 242 ways!!

 Dan (tacman)

[StatFreak]

I do like to watch over other peoples shoulders as they try for the bonus rounds. It's a lot less expensive that way. hee hee. 
The new machines can be cool when they don't cost hundreds of dollars an hour to play.

One game that I still enjoy in casinos in VP. CH got me hooked on his game, Three-Play Triple-Double Bonus. The cool thing about the game is that one can win 4000 coins with four Aces and a kicker, and that occurs much more frequently than a natural Royal. There is also the 2000 coin win for four 2's, 3's, or 4's with a kicker. Three-Play gives a nice balance between volatility and cost. The more hands one plays, the lower the volatility, but then, just as with the multi-lined video slots, one gets ground out of their money with no real chance to win. A 100 Play VP player that gets dealt four to the Royal will almost certainly hit one or two when they draw, but winning 4000 or even 8000 coins isn't that big a deal when it costs 500 coins a play to do it. That's only eight or sixteen complete losses.

CH did all the work of finding a good game with a good balance; I just followed his lead.   Of course, I don't play anywhere near as much as he does in casinos.

[Thor777]

I'm getting too old for casinos. I want to play three-reel three-coin slots, but they are disappearing. I want to play real table games with real human beings, but they'll be gone as soon as the corporations indoctrinate the players into accepting the new automated systems.
Can you tell that I'm disgusted with it all? Blech.

I will say that for home use, the multi-line 300 legged Alien-Terminator-Tabascos with cheese are fun to play, but they get way too expensive when real dollars are involved in a casino environment. I want a fair chance at winning some real money when I gamble, and the newer video slots just don't deliver, IMO.

   It's NOT that were getting too old but just what you said about everthing changing to automation, ect.

   I used to go EVERY Sun morning to the local casino in Yuma, AZ with $20.00 to $40.00 dollars and play a progressive bank of Red, White & Blue 25 Cent 3 coin slots.    These machines still took quarters and no TITO.    I could usually play for a good hour or two and had a lot of fun conversing with people next to me as these machines payed out so often you had to wait in line to get a spot. (that's why I went on Sunday morning).

   Cash out was in quarters only and you usually had to interact with casino personal as the machines ran out of quarters quite often, then you had to go to a real cashier because you had hundreds of "quarters".
   With all this interaction, I got to know the staff by name and the casino was a FUN and Friendly place to go.  

   NO MORE... In one weekend about a year ago they ripped out every one of them and replaced them all with the new Video slots.    (no one is playing them) I have only been back there 2x since.  

   Your right...I Miss the old days of having FUN and not just making a quick donation.

[brichter]

Hey Brichter, pour me some of that scotch! 
No, I haven't been drinking...yet, but its not a bad idea...

Hey, it's 5:00 somewhere, right? 

[Op-Bell]

Thanks for the inflation rundown, Stat. I was trying to do that myself and guessed it to be about 40, like you. My benchmark is a standard loaf of bread, though food is a bad example because of the consolidation of farming into large factory operations, and subsidies. Corn for example is sold for something like half what it costs to produce, the difference being made up by taxpayer subsidies. European food prices are a better guide - they are much higher, by a factor of 3 or more in some cases.

Interesting that the machine itself would have cost about $50 back in the day. Today, in new condition, it would fetch about 40 times that at auction.

[StatFreak]

Thanks for the inflation rundown, Stat. I was trying to do that myself and guessed it to be about 40, like you. My benchmark is a standard loaf of bread, though food is a bad example because of the consolidation of farming into large factory operations, and subsidies. Corn for example is sold for something like half what it costs to produce, the difference being made up by taxpayer subsidies. European food prices are a better guide - they are much higher, by a factor of 3 or more in some cases.

Interesting that the machine itself would have cost about $50 back in the day. Today, in new condition, it would fetch about 40 times that at auction.

So investing in a machine would have been a hedge against inflation, although without growth.. 

BTW, we didn't mean to hijack your thread. We're just keeping it warm until you post pictures of your restoration in     

[stayouttadabunker]

It's a beautiful piece op-bell!
1922...that's a little too far back for me to remember...
They were fairly small machines back then huh?

[Op-Bell]

BTW, we didn't mean to hijack your thread. We're just keeping it warm until you post pictures of your restoration

Well shoot, hijack away! It's interesting to talk about different periods, and it may be a while before I have any restoration pics 

They were fairly small machines back then huh?

Yes, it's 14 inches wide by 12 deep by 18 high, and I can easily lift it. It's so early they hadn't established the 10/14/18 pay schedule - it pays 8 for oranges, 12 for plums and 16 for bells. Not that it really matters, as the hit frequency for plums is only 1 in 250 and bells, 1 in 500, so raising them would hardly alter the payback percentage. It's 75% payback, but more than 2/3 of that comes out on cherries, which hit one time in 5.

[Goldfinger]

Op-bell if your like me you have more than 1 of those projects laying around for when you get some spare time youll get to it, I have way to many of those projects.
Nice picture will be keeping an Eye out for the restoration pictures.  

Goldfinger