Product Description
1930s Fan-Tan Pinball-like gambling machine by Northwest Games also known as Northwest Coin Machine Corporation. Countertop game. Original c 1930s machine, solid (cherry) wood cabinet, and authentic Northwest plunger. Great condition considering its age. Machine plays well and in working condition. See video for more details. Fan-Tan front label includes words: “Fan-Tan A Game of Skill. 5 plays for 1 cent. Machine is used for Amusement Purposes only. Not a Gambling Device.” This is a mechanical skill card playing game pin ball machine with similar concept to the typical Fan-Tan Chinese gambling betting wagering game and roulette. The center of the roulette-like wheel features pictures of playing cards adjacent to ball ridges circumscribed around a Chinese fan. To play this Fan-Tan Pinball gambling trade stimulator, dispense coin in coin slide and pull plunger to shoot each ball. Player receives 5 balls per 1 cent (penny). To score, count the playing cards or playing card numbers where each ball lands. Fan-Tan award score card lists possible scoring card hands as flush, four of a kind, straight, three of a kind, and pair. A player with more skill releasing the Fan-Tan plunger typically receives a higher score.
Per the Fan-Tan catalog flyer, “You will be surprised at its simplicity. Then we put it in an unusually beautiful cabinet that gives the game class and eye appeal. It has the action, suspense, skill, eye appeal. Not too complicated for counting the score – not too many cards. Just enough to make a real skill game and make it interesting.” Four black rubber bumper pads on base of device. c. 1930s Fan-Tan Pinball mechanical skill playing machine measures approximately 18 in length x 12 in width x 6.5 in tall. Shipping: $95 (USA)
The trade name Fan-Tan was patented in the US in the year 1914.
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