Tag: Caille Roulettes

Featured: Superlative circa-1904 Caille Bros. 5-cent Roulette floor model slot machine with seven coin-slots, estimated at $200K-$300K5¢ Caille Bros. Roulette Floor Model Slot Machine.DENVER, Pa. – Once found at saloons, hotel lobbies and oceanfront boardwalks all across America, antique coin-op machines are quaint reminders of an era when radio, television and video games were still mysteries of the future. For mere pocket change, turn-of-the-century fun-seekers could enjoy an entire afternoon of entertainment. By simply dropping a penny, nickel or quarter into the slot of a coin-operated machine, they could have their fortunes told, watch primitive motion pictures, listen to rhapsodic tunes from a mechanical band, or try their luck at any number of gambling devices or games of chance. Morphy’s in Denver, Pennsylvania, has catered to collectors of antique mechanical music, gambling and vending machines since opening their doors in 1997. Their next big coin-op specialty sale, which also includes antique advertising, general store, soda fountain and soda pop collectibles, is slated for November 3-5 and features more than 1,600 choice lots. While it only takes pocket change to operate the machines, it might take a walletful of Benjamins to bring home some of the rare beauties entered in the auction. Many are fresh to the market.A spotlight-stealer manufactured around 1904, a Caille Bros. 5-cent Roulette floor-model slot machine presents in a rich quartered-oak cabinet with nickel-plated iron castings and seven coin-slots. This marvelous, untouched original example has been in the same collection since its purchase from The Las Vegas Club in the 1970s. “Original machines of this caliber do not come to auction often, and this one is the finest original Caille Roulettes we have seen. It deserves the description ‘best of the best,’” said Morphy’s CEO Tom Tolworthy, a coin-op expert who also cataloged the November 3-5 auction. The stately