Antiques & Collecting: Slot machine

“Base Ball: The Nation’s Greatest Amusement.” So says this 1930s Jennings slot machine, and we expect few people would disagree.

And in terms of great amusements, games of chance aren’t far behind. The O.D. Jennings Company brought them together for a trade stimulator, or as they call it, “Silent Salesman.”

This restored example sold at Morphy Auctions for $3,840. The machine tracks outs, runs and innings, but “hits” are made by spinning a combination of symbols. Play to win a roll of Jennings’ Superior Mints.

I have a bottle opener by Utica Club in good shape. Could you tell me its worth?

Utica Club started as a soft drink company in Utica, New York. During Prohibition (1920-1933), the company sold “near beers” and malt tonics. When Prohibition ended, they were the first brewery to legally sell alcohol again.

Anything related to beer or breweries is worth something to breweriana collectors. Bottle openers sell for a wide range of prices.

Simple “church key” types stamped with the brewery’s name can sell for $10 or less. Larger, more elaborate figural bottle openers can be worth hundreds of dollars.

A collectors club or auction house specializing in breweriana, like the National Association of Breweriana Advertising at nababrew.com, Tavern Trove at taverntrove.com, or Morean Auctions at moreanauctions.com can help you find more information and prices for specific openers.

Tip: Go green. Refinish and restore old furniture. It saves up to 95% of the energy needed to make a new piece, and it is probably less expensive.

Current Prices

Pottery, bowl, Santa Clara, blackware, carved, Avanyu, horizontal ridge, tapered base, signed, Celes Evelyn, 5 inches, $130.

Candlestick, opalescent glass, Foval style, blue top and base to column, blue spiral thread, flared cup, round foot, hand blown, 10 1/2 inches, pair, $160.

Toy, scooter, Teeter Liner, red frame, three spoke wheels, grip handles, bell, embossed footboard, Skudder Ball Bearing Car, 37 x 33 inches, $315.

Poster, exhibition, The Essential Cubism, Braque, Picasso & Their Friends, multicolor Cubist still life, Tate Gallery, frame, 1983, 30 x 20 inches, $510.

Tole, tray, stylized landscape, White House, Potomac River, grazing cattle, parcel gilt, black rim, octagonal, mid-1800s, 20 x 28 inches, $530.

Toy, truck, delivery, Motor Express, green, red cab, white lettering, white tires, Hubley, 9 inches, $1,080.

Advertising, cabinet, Meyer Bros. Coffee & Spice Co., Pure Ground Spices, stenciled lettering, three narrow drawers over large drawer, porcelain pulls, stenciled flowers, 15 1/2 x 21 inches, $1,765.