Milestone Records $802,000 In June Antique & Vintage Amusements Auction

Other highlights included upright slot machines: Mills 5¢ Dewey, $19,800; Caille 5¢ Puck, $18,600; plus rare Illuminating taxi cab roof signs: Old Reading Beer, $11,400; Tip Top Bohemian Beer, $9,600

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Entertainment came in many forms at Milestone’s June 28 auction of antique and vintage amusements, including coin-op, slot and vending machines; breweriana, gas and oil-related memorabilia; trade stimulators, and rare light-up advertising signs that once rode atop city taxis. Packed with nearly 1,000 high-quality lots, the sale boasted many prized pieces from the collection of Rick Frink, as well as those of other advanced coin-op enthusiasts. At the end of the day, Milestone closed the books at a robust $802,000, inclusive of 20% buyer’s premium. 

Rising to the top of prices realized, a Jennings Sun Chief 25¢ slot machine came to auction with exciting provenance. The flashy one-armed bandit had a Las Vegas history and, much later in its life, made a memorable TV appearance. The upper part of the heavily chromed red unit displayed its original Flamingo Hotel pictorial insert, a testament to its colorful past during the golden era of Sin City. Coin-op collectors too young to have seen it in action at the legendary Flamingo were more apt to remember the machine from Season 4, Episode 5 of A&E’s American Pickers. Estimated at $2,000-$3,000, the casino classic was chased to a final price of $24,000—eight times its pre-sale high estimate of $2,000-$3,000. 

Two of the top upright slot machines crossed the auction block with provenance from the Rick Frith collection. A beautifully restored Mills 5¢ Dewey upright slot, 66 inches tall, came with its keys and had an extra lock on its back door. It rose confidently through the bidding ranks to achieve $19,800 against an estimate of $7,000-$10,000. Also, a high-flying Caille 5¢ Puck upright slot, mostly original and in excellent condition with the key included, was bid to $18,600 against an estimate of $6,000-$8,000.

A trio of illuminating taxi signs evoked an era when city cabs routinely advertised products on their rooftops. Known as “taxi roof ads,” these nostalgic collectibles seldom turn up in the marketplace, especially if they are in fine condition and still light up. Leading the selection offered on June 28, a rare Gillco “Relax with Old Reading (Beer)” sign was all original and in excellent condition with great colors and graphics. It also retained its desirable Gillco “Brewed in Reading, Pennsylvania” sticker on its reverse side. It sold for $11,400 against an estimate of $5,000-$8,000. Also, an extremely rare reverse-on-glass Tip Top Bohemian Beer (Cleveland, Ohio) cab sign with an additional plug for Cheerio Ale printed across its base was described in Milestone’s catalog as one of the rarest of all illuminating glass cab signs. It sold just shy of its high estimate, for $9,600.

Native American imagery is always popular with collectors, and that proved to be the case at this auction. An Iroquois Beer and Ale “double bubble” clock made by Advertising Products was all original with a well-detailed central image of an Iroquois Indian chief wearing a full feather bonnet. It earned $4,440 against an estimate of $600-$800. Another advertising piece with vibrant graphics, a Sure Shot Chewing Tobacco tin depicted a brave poised to shoot a bow and arrow. In extremely clean condition with rich, bright colors, it realized $2,100 against an estimate of $1,000-$1,400.

Another rarity from the Rick Frink collection, a Daval Mfg “Rithmatic” trade stimulator had a very distinctive design with reels that showed mathematical equations. All original and graded VG-excellent, it garnered $4,080 against a pre-sale estimate of $600-$1,000.

Coca-Cola is a bona fide American classic, and so are the 20th-century vending machines that once dispensed glass bottles of the frosty beverage. Many bidders were hoping to claim a distinctive red-and-white Vendo H81B Coca-Cola vending machine designed to hold 10¢ bottles of Coke. All original, in working order, and in very clean condition, it attracted a winning bid of $4,800 against an estimate of $1,000-$2,000.

More than three dozen lots of artistically decorative metal serving trays were auctioned, each advertising a brand of beer, ale or ice cream; and Coca-Cola. One of the earliest trays was manufactured to promote Dostal Bro’s Fine Beers of Bucyrus, Ohio. All original with a well-preserved image of a lovely girl wearing a floral garland around her neck and matching floral adornments in her hair, it sold for $3,960 against an estimate of $400-$600.

To discuss consigning coin-op machines, antique advertising, breweriana, petroliana or any other type of antique or vintage collectible to a future Milestone auction, call Miles King at 

440-527-8060 or email [email protected]. All discussions are kept strictly confidential, and there is never an obligation to consign. View the June 28, 2026 auction catalog, complete with prices realized, online at www.milestoneauctions.com.

All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 20% buyer’s premium.