See the Pace in play with RealPlayer: Pace Play
Pace slot machines, as well as others manufactureed at this time, could manage tokens. They were used in locations where cash payouts were prohibited. The machine accepts both tokens and nickels, but only pays out in tokens. The machine linkage could be set to not pay out anything when tokens are played (Amusement only) or to payout tokens when either tokens or nickels are played. The machine would vend mints, if a mint vendor is attached, only when nickels were played, but not vend if tokens were played. (No cash value). The coin management capability of the machine sends all tokens to the payout tube and/or jackpots. Nickels played are diverted directly to the cash box. The hole in the token is what allows the machine to sense the difference. Where the machine is played for cash, the coin/token discrimination is defeated by a simple screw. All coins are then sent to the payout tube and jackpots with overflow going to the cash box.
THE PAYOUT PERCENTAGE The All-Star Comet is a 20-stop machine with the following reel symbols: Symbol No. Reel 1 Reel 2 Reel 3 1 Cherry Bar Orange 2 Bar Orange Lemon 3 Plum Cherry Plum 4 Cherry Bell Bell 5 Plum Cherry Orange 6 Orange Orange Lemon 7 Cherry Cherry Plum 8 Bell Plum Orange 9 Plum Cherry Bell 10 Cherry Orange Plum 11 Lemon Bell Lemon 12 Orange Orange Orange 13 Cherry Plum Plum 14 Lemon Orange Orange 15 Plum Cherry Bar 16 Cherry Bar Lemon 17 Lemon Bell Plum 18 Orange Cherry Orange 19 Cherry Orange Bell 20 Plum Cherry Lemon SYMBOL INVENTORY Lemons 3 0 5 Cherry 7 7 0 Orange 3 6 6 Plum 5 2 5 Bell 1 3 3 Bar 1 2 1 AWARDS PAID PAYOUT WAYS TOTAL Bar--Bar--Bar 150 2 300 Bell-Bell-Bell 18 9 162 Bell-Bell-Bar 18 3 54 Plum-Plum-Plum 14 50 700 Plum-Plum-Bar 14 10 140 Oran-Oran-Oran 10 108 1080 Oran-Oran-Bar 10 18 180 Cher-Cher-Bell 5 147 735 Cher-Cher-Lemon 5 245 1225 Cher-Cher-Any 3 588 1764 ---- ---- Total Coins Paid (1080) 6340 Total Combinations 20x20x20 8000 Percent Payout 79.25% The payout percentage could be adjusted by reducing the number of coins held in the jackpots. An adjustable plate physically reduces the volume of the jackpot holding area. The 1080 possible winning combinations provides a reward to the player each 7 to 8 plays average. The arrangement of the symbols on the reels, however, display many "near" misses which encourages the player to continue playing. This machine was restored by Fred DeBaugh. I invite you to visit Fred at his website Cherry Restorations. Purchasing a slot machine from a restorer is far less risky than bidding on unknowns at auction sites such as e-Bay. There are many "re-manufactured" or reproduction machines out there. Reproductions "No matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney" Well, unfortunately there are enough reproduction slot machines out there to do a separate page about. Every category of antiques has its repros, and slots are no different. What I mean by a repro is not an original machine with a few minor new parts on it. There are times when a machine is missing a part or two and the only thing available to make it functional or presentable is a new part. If it's a major part, such as a front casting it should be reflected in the price. A reputable dealer will know what he/she is selling you and pass on this kind of information. A full repro machine is completely new, from the new metal castings, the new wood case, right down to the entirely new mechanism. And new definitely does NOT mean better. The following list contains some of the more commonly seen and most prolific repros out there. Mills "War Eagle". Mills "Golden Nugget" Mills "Roman Head" Mills "Lion Front" or "Wolf's Head" Mills "Castle Front" Mills "ExtraBelle" Mills "High Top" Mills "QT" side vendors Watling Treasury Jennings "Light Up" chief Many of these machines are used in casinos as jackpot awards. There is a carousel of slot machines with the "antiques" displayed conspicuously above. They are not truly antique machines.