Older Mechanical slot machine, no company name found? Help..

[Amechanic]

I was offered this machine today with 4 other, but the owner says it doesn't have a name plate.. I don't think it's a Mills or Jennings I don't believe.. I was thinking maybe a Callie? Not sure if that's how it's spelled. They were a company that made slot machine back here in the Detroit area in the 1920's and 30's.. I'll listen to any one opinions since I'm stumped??

Thanks, Gary

[CVslots]

I'm thinking you may have a Columbia....

[CVslots]

Correction...Groetchen Columnia...approx 1930s...snag it!!!

[Retro tech repair]

yes its a Columbia. i have worked on a few of them. they are not as easy to work on as the mills and Jennings are in my experience. if the play that holds the coins down in the carriage magazine(what ever you want to call what they use in place of a pay tube) i have seen jamming problems. i know the market on them has gone down but i don't know how much. looks like that one actually has a trade stimulator jackpot mech in it not a slot jackpot. most i have seen with the larger coin jackpot had cigaret packs on the strips and pay table.

[Amechanic]

Correction...Groetchen Columnia...approx 1930s...snag it!!!

Interesting.. I've never seen or heard of them.. The owner is a older gentlemen, he said it needs maintenance, but that's it.. What would by a fair price on this model? It's dime, not the most desirable coin model.. I know the smaller dimes jammed more often.. Also in the package is a Bally 809 fruit from the Show Boat, a Bally E2000 Cherry/Bar/7, and 1 S+ Triple Diamond Deluxe?

[Sunrise Side]

Nice find Gary! Hope you get a great deal on the package.

[rokgpsman]

photos of similar machines and some info...

Groetchen Tool & Mfg. Co., the Columbia maker, released at least 76 different machines under this trade name, starting in 1930. The company was located in Chicago, Ill.

Other machines made by Groetchen Tool & Mfg. Co. during the time period Columbia was produced include Punchette, 21 Blackjack, Smoke House, Twenty One, Columbia Deluxe, Tavern, Fortune Teller, Turf Flash, Ball Gum, and High Stakes.

And one collector at an arcade museum website answered a similar question in 2008 about the possible value:

"I am wondering how much a Groetchen Columbia 10c Slot Machine is worth that my grandmother owns.  She is getting ready to sell it, and has no idea what it would be worth.  It is blue and in really good shape.  It does work, but right now it is jammed, it has done this frequently in the past.  I am not sure of the year, but it has Chicago USA on it, along with No. A-200  C978.  She has had it since my grandfather purchased it in 1984 for $400.  It still has the key to the back and a very nice cabinet that it was sold with.  I don't currently have a picture of it.  Anything that you would be able to tell me about it I would appreciate.
Thanks,
Erin"

Arcade Museum REPLY:

"The value on these is around $650.00 on average. With just a couple of parts you can convert these easily to .01, .05, .10, or .25 cent. Great little slot. Having the original back door and key is a very big plus. It was made around 1936 by Groetchen Tool & Manufacturing Company in Chicago. It has a coin carousel that returned the last coins played, so if you were playing slugs, you won your slugs back! It is most likely jammed under the coin head in the carousel, the little coin dividers get bent and the machine tries to put two coins in one divider, straighten them out so one is not wider then another and it will help. There is a small flap on the coin head inside that can be removed by pulling out it's hinge pin to get at the jam, I know, I have one and love it.
Thank You,
Rodger Knutson"

here is a thread about one of these machines on NLG:
http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=16771.0

[buybestslots]

 

I'm thinking you may have a Columbia....

[buybestslots]

any old machine is worth more than a Columbia $650 is way to  high they are worse  slots ever made  imo  every other  goes up in value they  go down , mills, Jennings ,way better  even a pace is better,

[shortrackskater]

Gary did you end up getting this slot package? If so, how much did you pay?

[Amechanic]

No. I tried but me and the seller couldn't agree on a price for now.. Hopefully someday he will realize they still are not worth $1000-$1500 each. Heck even the price of gold is down.