Mills Bell Fruit Slot Machine

A Liberty Bell machine

In 1907, Herbert S. Mills collaborated with Charles Fey, the inventor of the slot machine, to produce the Mills Liberty Bell. In 1926, the company had moved to a plant of 375,000 square feet (34,800 m 2), comprising a factory and administrative building, at 4100 Fullerton Avenue in the northwest of Chicago.

The Liberty Bell was the first variation of the modern mechanical slot machine we see today, originally being referred to as a 'fruit machine' or 'one-armed bandit'. Created in 1895 by Charles Fey (1862–1944), a car mechanic from San Francisco, the Liberty Bell's popularity set the standard for the modern slot machine; its three-reel model is still used today despite great advances in slot technology over the past several decades. The original Liberty Bell slot machine is currently on display at the Liberty Belle saloon in Reno, Nevada as a historic artifact.^[1]

1How it worked

How it worked[edit]

Each of Liberty Bell's three reels were imprinted with a symbol of a diamond, heart, spade, horseshoe, star and a cracked Liberty Bell. Once the player deposited a nickel, he could pull the lever on the side of the machine and the reels would begin to spin, stopping on any random combination of symbols. If the same symbol appeared on all three reels a bell would ring and the player would be awarded with coins. Three Liberty Bells offered the largest payout of fifty cents (10 nickels), which was ejected by the machine.^[1]

Payouts[edit]

The payouts for the Liberty Bell were as follows:

2 horseshoes = 5 cents
2 horseshoe + 1 star = 10 cents
3 spades = 20 cents
3 diamonds = 30 cents
3 hearts = 40 cents
3 Liberty Bells = 50 cents

Popularity[edit]

Mills Bell Fruit Gum Slot Machine Manual

Liberty Bell Slot Machine memorial, San Francisco

In 1907, with the growing popularity and demand for the Liberty Bell, the Mills Novelty Company began manufacturing the 'Mills Liberty Bell'.^[2]

In 1910 the company introduced a slight variation of the Liberty Bell, called the Operator Bell. Changes such as a gooseneck coin acceptor and fruit symbols to replace the traditional images became a standard for slot machines for decades to come, and over 30,000 of these machines were produced. In 1915 the company then began manufacturing a less expensive version of the Operator Bell, replacing the heavy cast iron machines with ones made out of lighter wooden cabinets.^[2]

Free Fruit Slot Machines

In the early 1930s the Mills Novelty company made additional changes to their line of slot machines. First, they designed it so that their machines were much more quieter, which eventually gave the machines the name 'silent bells'. Secondly, they created a line of themed wooden cabinets each with its own unique design, the first being Lion Head released in 1931.^[3]

It was this time in the 1930s that slot machines saw a rise of popularity in America. In the late 1940s Bugsy Siegel added slot machines to his Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, initially as a way to entertain the wives and girlfriends of high rollers. Soon the revenue generated from these machines matched those of the table games.^[3]

References[edit]

^ ^a^bInventors.about.com, The History of Slot Machines-Liberty Bell.
^ ^a^bSlot Machines Payout, Slot Machine History.
^ ^a^bSlot Tips Guide, The History of Slot Machines.

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Have you ever wondered about the most common slot machine symbols and icons?

Did you know that the slot machine symbols’ meaning are actually quite specific?

The gambling machine industry has a long history of experimentation and innovation. The earliest slots games were invented in the late 1800s and were originally distributed to bars in New York City. Instead of awarding cash prizes they awarded prizes like cigars, free drinks, fruit, gum, and other things you might find in a bar. The slot machine bar meaning is just that you won a piece of chewing gum.

Gum was, in fact, a popular prize among gamblers, and the fruity colors would tell players what kind of gum they were about to receive.

Modern slot machine makers like VGT have retained the fruit symbol because of its long association. There is no particular need for any type of symbol now, however, because modern slot machines are inspired by all types of stories, traditions, and symbols. And the prizes are also usually paid in cash or machine credits, which may be exchanged for cash or merchandise at casino stores.

The term “slot machine” is more commonly used in the United States. For example, in the United Kingdom the machines are usually called “Fruit Machines” and any vending machine that dispenses candies, cigarettes, etc. is called a “slot machine”. Fruit machine symbols are more or less the same as for the other types of games.

The earliest of these games used 5 reels covered with poker cards each and they did not dispense prizes at all. The players inserted a nickel, pulled the handle, and then reported what came up to the bar owners. Each store decided for itself what it would award as a prize and there was much confusion about what the prizes should be.

Charles Fey invented the first 3-reel–The Liberty Bell slot machine. It paid out prizes during the years 1887 to 1895.

The first fruit machine was called a Trade Stimulator and it awarded prizes in the form of gum, candy, and other non-cash items. These machines were favored by stores and saloons, and they were popular in areas that outlawed true gambling machines. The modern vending machine is direct descendant of Trade Stimulators.

Even the bar symbols still used on some slot games owe their existence to a fruit-association with early slot machines. The Mills Novelty Company of Chicago, Illinois used a Bell-Fruit-Gum logo for one of its gum products that was popular in these games. The original Mills Novelty Company no longer exists but the name continues in business use today.

The slot machine cherry might be the most iconic symbol of them all, but I’m also a big fan of the three lemons slot machine–mostly because I like the color yellow so well.