Friday 10 August 2007

One-Armed Bandits

When I was a nipper and we lived in Rochdale, a trip to the seaside meant these things as much as it meant going on the beach or paddling in the sea. Arcades in the 1950s were full of the sounds of mechanical cogs clicking, ticking and grinding away.

The Copper Sega above was a slightly later model than the wood-cased Beromat below. Each had their own distinctive sounds. The Sega's reels came to an abrupt stop.

The Beromat's reels were slowed by what sounded like a ratchet until they stopped. The machines required no electricity and could be sited anywhere. There were no features such as hold or nudge. All the player could do to try to influence the game was either pull the handle with a sharp yank, or pull it slowly and steadily. It probably made no difference whatsoever, but whichever method you preferred, you tried the other after a steady spell of losing...

Coin Slot Machines Index

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