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Prior to Prohibition and the Volstead Act of 1919, gambling was a mainstay of the saloon. Patrons played card games such as poker, wagered on bagatelle and billiard games, and bet on the outcome of coin-operated, mechanical horse racing and strength testing devices. Payout slot machines simplified gambling and functioned automatically. Played by an individual or in a group, slot machines dispensed rewards for winning bets with minimal oversight by the owner. Early slot machines incorporated a vertically mounted gaming wheel marked by segmented colors. Freestanding models in ornately carved oak and walnut cabinets stood over five feet high and were aesthetically impressive devices. When space was at a premium, saloon owners installed machines similar to the larger slots atop their bars. This countertop model by Watling features an optional music box and is decorated with characters from the Brownies cartoon series by Palmer Cox (1840–1924). "The Automatic Age: Coin-Operated Machines" is on display, pre-security, in the International Terminal. http://bit.ly/CoinOperated This image was posted on January 08, 2018.

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Fortune-telling was so fashionable in the first half of the 20th century that some machines, such as The Gypsy Fortune Teller, advertised the subject and did not actually offer a fortune. This image was posted on August 30, 2018. #coinoperated #fortunetelling #fortune #crystalball #theautomaticage #coinop #vintage #antique #gamemachines #slotmachine #slotmachines
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“Who hasn't dropped a nickel in the slot of those seductive little machines to be found almost any place where men most do congregate?...They are located in nearly all the saloons and cigar-stores in the City, eating up nickels as fast as the ‘tiger’ (card game) can eat up dollars.” San Francisco Call, February 2, 1896. This image was posted on December 09, 2016.
Prior to Prohibition and the Volstead Act of 1919, gambling was a mainstay of the saloon. This image was posted on January 08, 2018. #coinoperated #theautomaticage #coinop #vintage #antique #gamemachines #slotmachine #slotmachines

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