This information provided via the courtesy of Vintage Slots of Colorado, Inc.

If you have an antique coin machine and want to sell it, please send me an email. If I am not interested in it, I will forward your email to a collector who probably is.


The following information is the web version of Coin Op on CD which was a book all about antique coin machines and it was distributed on a CD-ROM. This book was written in 1995 and sold in 1996. Please take this into consideration when reading the articles. There are no plans to come out with version 2. However, we do plan on periodically updating the information on the web version.
The CD version of the book has pricing information as well as a dealer directory. Since the prices are out of date and many of the dealers/collectors may no longer be collecting the machine we have purposely left this information out of the web version. However, we do keep in contact with many dealers and collectors who are actively buying and selling machines and would be happy to put you in touch with one if you have a machine you are looking to sell.

If you are looking to purchase an antique coin machine you may also send me an email and I will put you in touch with a reputable dealer. Odds are, I will not be selling the machine you are looking for (since I rarely sell any machines).

How to Become a Coin Machine Collector
By Dick Bueschel

You're intrigued by the machines. You have an interest in their history. And you want a working antique around the house, or the office. So you ask yourself: how do I get to be a coin machine collector? The trite answer is: you start with a coin machine. That's not quite as silly as it sounds. Only by getting the "feel" of the game, and concluding what you will do with a machine if you have one, can you make an intelligent assessment of your seeming desire to become a collector of these indigenous American, mechanical working commercial devices. For that's what they are. We are not talking toys, or amusements (unless you want to collect arcade machines, although they tend to be fairly big) or even home entertainments. They may end up that way as vintage collectibles, but their initial function is far more pragmatic. Coin machines are built as commercial devices that operate on a coin in order to make money for their operator or location. That specification comes first, last and foremost, because if the machine doesn't make money it's out. Gone!
So what you are considering collecting is something made for a use entirely different than that which you will put it. Valid comparisons are militaria (made for war, but displayed in peace), country store (made for sales, and collected for nostalgia), barber shop (made for a business and collected for its charm), railroad (made for operation, and statically displayed) and the many other disparate collectibles that so capture the public imagination. To show you there is indeed another side to this coin, dolls are always dolls, classic cars are best collected when still driven the way they were meant to be, and coins can still be used as a medium of exchange. That makes coin machine collecting one of those disciplines that places the artifact in an unoriginal location. It is also the reason that collectors of means, or not, like to recreate a casino environment for their slot machines, or a vintage penny arcade atmosphere for their amusement, pinball and arcade games. At the high end of the scale this is a case where the collectible modifies the collector. So if you have a gum ball machine that you like, and put it up high on a shelf where it sits forever and ever, you have a gum ball machine, but you aren't a coin machine collector. Likewise, if you have 50 gumball machines lined up on antique store counters, and have restored most of them yourself to their days of glory appearance, you are unquestionably a dedicated coin machine collector.
Somewhere in the middle between that one machine on a shelf, and the display of a lifetime, is where most coin machine collectors fall. Once you have a machine or two or more, some interest in their workings, the capability of some of them being operated by you or your friends, and the desire to add to your collection, you're one. You are a valid coin machine collector.
So where do you go from that point?
Having that one machine will tell you that you need contact with other collectors to learn more about the machines, and gain some real machine knowledge to determine what types of machines (and specifically what models) you want to collect, and finally you will need sources of supply for replacement parts and maintenance items and, when needed, complete restoration capabilities. Fortunately, all of this information is at your fingertips through the fanzines of the hobby. And here is one of the unique things about coin machine collecting. Where most collecting hobbies, even major ones such as carousel horses and music boxes, have a fanzine or two, but not much more, vintage coin machines have over half a dozen. It is an enthusiasm blessed. And the reason for this is because it is also an enthusiasm splintered. Most coin machine collectors have a variety of machines, and it is not extraordinary to see a collector with a slot machine or two, a jukebox, and maybe two or three of them, a gumball and peanut machine, maybe a scale in the john and a shooting gun game in the rec room. That just about runs the gambit of coin-op collectibility, from slots to jukeboxes to vending to scale to arcade, missing only pinball (and many collectors have at least one of them, too) and trade stimulators and counter games, and often they are included. In short, coin-op collections are often polyglot. But the media isn't. Because these various groups of machines are so different in appearance and application, each has garnered a hard core following, and the fanzines reflect these vertical disciplines. There are magazines for jukeboxes, slot machines, pinball games and vending. There are no dedicated fanzines for arcade machines, scales, trade stimulators or counter games yet, but there probably will be somewhere down the line. So if you are a specialized collector, you'll want the magazine for your specialty. If you're not, or you collect a variety of machine types, you'll want a generic magazine that covers them all. Many, if not most
For general horizontal coverage of all forms of vintage coin machines, and a high level of editorial interest, there are two prime fanzines:
1. Coin-Op Classics.
17844 Toiyabe Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Bi-monthly. $39 per year US (US$54 Canada).
Covers all areas of coin machines, from slots to vending, jukeboxes to pinball, arcade to counter games, and even scales. This is the most editorially filled fanzine in the hobby, profusely illustrated, including 4-color. Covers collecting, coin machine history, recent "finds" and much, much more. The leading generalist magazine.
2. Gameroom.
1014 Mt. Tabor Road, New Albany, IN 47150
Monthly. $24 per year US (US$30 Canada).
This has long been the bargain of the hobby, 12 months for 24 bucks. Also a generalist publication, with concentration on jukebox, arcade, soda machines and pinball, not to mention antique advertising, Coca-Cola and gameroom stories. Format is B&W on offset stock, with 4-color covers. Plus lots and lots of classified ads.
For vertical coverage of specific areas of coin machine interest, these four publications are fascinating:
3. Jukebox Collector.
2545 SE 60th Court, Des Moines, IA 50317-5099
Monthly. $30 per year US (US$36 Canada).
If you like jukeboxes you'll love this magazine. Every issue has historical jukebox stories, plus restoration tips, news of shows, and a great looking jukebox on the cover in color every month. Again, lots and lots of classified ads.
4. pinGame Journal.
31937 Olde Franklin Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48334.
Monthly. $30 per year US (US$34 Canada).
B&W. Pinball only. Mostly current and newly introduced games, and some historic. This is a true insider publication, and if you like pins you'll be in on the know months before you see the games on location. And wads of classified ads selling and buying pinball games, plus ads for parts, manuals, everything.
5. Coin Drop International.
5815 W. 52nd Avenue, Denver, CO 80212
Bi-monthly. $12 per year US (US$18 Canada and offshore).
Here's the new bargain of the hobby, a full year of 6 issues for 12 bucks. B & W tabloid newspaper format, and the latest publication to join the fold. The first issue is scheduled for July 1994, with issues coming out every-other-month after that. Major concentration will be on vintage slot machines, and the states allowing collectibility, although all phases of coin-ops will be covered as the publication grows.
There are a few others, and I should say here that I get them all, and enjoy every one for the variety of material covered. I might also add that I am the editor of one of the publications listed (Coin-Op Classics), and write for at least three of the others (Gameroom, pinGame Journal and Coin Drop International). If any seem to cover your area of interest I highly recommend that you get a subscription and quickly get yourself knee deep in your area of collectibility. You'll find it rewarding. Or get them all. You'll learn a lot in a hurry. The quick way to do that is tear out (or copy) this feature and circle the publication you want (or publications, make separate copies for each) and send the sheet to them with the money. And you'll get the next issue.
Q. - I am looking for a couple of entertaining pinball games for my children. They definitely do not need to be rare, as much as they are fun to play J. B., Logansport, IN.
A.- One of the best way to find games, and keep up with the fascinating hobby of collecting them, is to subscribe to either pinGame Journal or Gameroom Magazine, or both. They have pages and pages of classified ads of people selling games, and often at very modest prices. Gameroom Magazine costs $24 a year, and pinGame Journal goes for $28. Both are listed with addresses in this column.
The other way is to check the trader newspapers in your area. Often you can obtain a machine in the $100-$200 range, or even get it just for the taking away. But beware. If the backglass is broken or missing the game has little value, and if it isn't working you can face up to $350 or even more to get it shopped and back in running condition. Unlessyou are willing to try and fix it yourself. Once again, both pinGame Journal and Gameroom Magazine advertise books that show you how. The specific game doesn't matter that much; most are a lot of fun to play. And once your children get real good at it, then you can start shopping for a truly collectible game with fabulous playfield features. Ask them. They'll know what to get.
Q. - My pinball machine is called OUTER SPACE, manufactured by D. Gottlieb. Is it of any value to a collector? M. M., Findley, OH.
A. - Your Gottlieb OUTER SPACE pinball game was made in February 1972, so it is over 20 years old. It's a nice machine, and your "cosmetics," meaning the backglass and paper instructions, appear to be in good shape, which is 90% of the value of any pinball game. The sad thing is that average pinballs have little, sometimes no, value. OUTER SPACE is not particularly a collectible game, and falls in the latter category. It's unfair, but from a collector standpoint that's where it stands. But all games have some value. I'd say it would value in the $100-$175 range. A dealer would give less, but a private buyer looking for a pinball game might give more. So if you shop around and run ads, you might get paid for it. One of the problems is getting the game to the person that wants it. The shipping costs of a pinball game often far exceed the value of the game. If it is a matter of needing space or moving, as sometimes happens, the other alternative is to give the game to someone who will take it away. That way two people are happy.
Q. - I recently came across a pinball book listing all the machines made by Williams, and saw one made in November 1951 called SHOOT THE MOON. Is there any means that I could find out what the playing board looks like as this could be one I'm looking for? P. K., Glen Mills, PA.
A. - Here's its original sales flyer. Judge for yourself.
Q. - Can you tell me anything about my WALL STREET slot machine, such as age, rarity and value? I enjoy your articles. L. J., West Alexandria, OH.
A. - Congratulations for coming up with that most treasured of all vintage pinball pieces, the payout pinball game. Your machine is the Jennings WALL STREET made in 1936. The original game was called SPORTSMAN and came out late in 1934. It uses a slot machine payout mechanism to spit cash awards out for exceptional plays, which are very difficult. Jennings made variations of the SPORTSMAN called HUNTER, and WALL STREET, the latter made just as people were beginning to get over the Great Depression and their aversion to stock investments.
As for value, it's good. The SPORTSMAN, HUNTER and WALL STREET machines sell anywhere from $300 to $850 depending on condition (it must work!) and who is doing the buying; dealer, or collector. SPORTSMAN is the most common, with HUNTER and WALL STREET rarer, although the value doesn't seem to change much.
Nice machine! And I'm glad to hear you enjoy my articles. I write them for the enjoyment, too. It probably shows it. It seems that a publisher is even interested in putting them all together for a book, so we'll see what happens.
(c) Richard M. Bueschel, 1994