FEATURED SLOT WATLING ROL-A-TOP When I first started collecting slot machines I had found a Mills Diamond Front. After buying it and restoring the machine I was hooked on the coin-op collecting hobby. My collection consisted of the Diamond front, a Ford gum machine, an Acorn peanut machine, a Columbus Dart (which I had no idea what it was) and a Groetchen Zepher trade stimulator. I thought I really had quite a collection going. Then I went to the first Fun Fair in Los Angeles at the Great Western Exhibit center and was in for the shock of my collecting life

When I first walked in the door and was looking at booth after booth of machines in front of me I was hooked. The first booth had mostly Watling machines and there was a 1 cent Rol-A-Top with a gum vendor front that just became my most wanted machine. Looking back at pictures from that show years later still amazes me at all the great machines that were there.

The Watling Rol-A-Top first was introduced in 1935 as the Rol-A-Tor but was quickly renamed due to a trademark conflict with a line of refrigerators. The Rol-A-Top was manufactured in many variations until the early 1960’s. Also a lower priced model without the horn of plenty casting and the circular escalator using a gooseneck coin entry was the Watling Treasury.

Many variations were produced with the coin front model being the most common. A vendor front was also available and both were offered with gold award and fortune telling reel strips. The vendors and fortune telling reel strips were an attempt to avoid legal problems in some locations by saying that these were vending machines, so the player wasn’t gambling, but actually getting something for their money. Also a skill stop option was offered as another attempt at legality.

Some additional models and variations were the cherry front Diamond Bell, the Bird of Paradise, Export Bell, Silent Salesman 4 column vendor, and the Checkerboard front. There were a variety of payout options and jackpot options offered.

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