(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Coin Slot Box No. 1 (in Peerless Style "44" #1398). While categorized as a coin slot box, this device has characteristics common to magazine slot boxes, i.e., the ability to accumulate some number of plays, which in this case is only a few coins that can be stacked one above the other in the coin chute area. Here, the coin itself makes the electrical connection when it makes contact between two electrically isolated metal surfaces forming the bottom of the coin chute area. One of these metal surfaces, the one at left, is movable, so that each time the small pneumatic is activated, one coin at a time is released, with this operation being repeated until all of the coins remaining in the chute are dropped into a locked coin receptacle box, whereupon the electrical circuit then remains open until another coin is dropped into the coin chute. The manufacturer of this coin slot box is unknown.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Coin Slot Box No. 1 (side view of cast iron box in Peerless Style "44" #1398). This side view clearly reveals the unusually shaped cast iron enclosure, it having a deep extension for the bottom half, which seems to have no other purpose than the holding of a large number of loose coins. Normally the coin receptacle container is a wood or metal lock box, and is separate from the coin or magazine slot box, the two joined only by a wood or metal chute that allows coins to flow through unobstructed, dropping safely into a securely locked box.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Coin Slot Box No. 2 (installed in Peerless Style "D" #37715). This coin slot mechanism, protected by a large cast iron enclosure, is rather elaborate for a switching mechanism that has no ability to accumulate multiple plays. At upper left is the beginning of the coin chute, with the small red colored horseshoe magnet acting as a slug ejector, diverting the ersatz coin so that it does not impact nor trip the latch keeping the electrical contacts in the open position. When a coin impacts the metal paddle at one end of a lever, the hook latch at its opposite end is raised, releasing the copper contactor arm attached to the small pneumatic. The small pneumatic, when actuated, opens the electrical contactor, which is again latched in the open position, shutting off the player mechanisms. The electrical switch can also be turned on by means of battery powered wall boxes, which, when a coin is dropped, energize the two electrical coils (near center in this photograph), thereby releasing the hook latch to energize the piano's electrical system. The manufacturer of this coin slot box is unknown.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Coin Slot Box No. 3 (installed in a Peerless Style "44"). This slot box is similar to the above example, but simpler in design and housed in a much smaller cast iron box. Either a coin or an electrical impulse from a battery operated wall box trips the latch that holds the electrical contactor arm away from a pair of copper contact blades. The external pneumatic, when activated, by means of a wooden dowel, shoves the contactor bar away from the pair of copper contact blades, opening the electrical circuit and simultaneously re-latching the contact bar in the electrically open position. The manufacturer of this coin slot box is unknown.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Coin Slot Box No. 4 (installed in Peerless Style "D" #51414). This design is even simpler than the above two coin slot boxes. It too can be tripped by either a coin falling on the metal paddle, or by a battery powered wall box. Unfortunately, for this particular example, the pair of electrical coils for remote operation are missing, although the mounting screw hole and metal plate on the trip lever are obvious indicators that the two coils were originally present. Here, as in the first example above, the copper contactor arm is attached to the small pneumatic, which, when activated, pulls the contactor arm away from the pair of copper switch blades, thereby opening the electrical circuit and simultaneously re-latching the contactor in the electrically open position. The manufacturer of this coin slot box is unknown.

(Photograph courtesy of Paul Horgan.)

Magazine Slot Box No. 5 (in Engelhardt Style "A" #52019). This coin magazine is from an unrestored Engelhardt Piano Company style "A" keyboard piano. At left is the typical shutoff pneumatic, which when activated turns the ratchet wheel counterclockwise one tooth or notch, subtracting one play. Below it is the electrical switch with a copper wiping type contact blade. Central is the ratchet wheel, which, when the metal trip pawl is moved, allows the spring loaded ratchet wheel to rotate clockwise one tooth, equaling one play. The flat coiled spring the powers the ratchet wheel is located under the circular cover visible directly in front of the wheel. To the right of the ratchet wheel is the solenoid magnet that can actuate the wheel's trip pawl, allowing for the use of remote wall boxes. At far right is the coin drop chute (with cover plate removed), where a paddle extension on the trip pawl projects into the drop chute channel, so that when a coin drops through the chute and impacts the paddle the ratchet wheel will be advanced one tooth, or one play.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Magazine Slot Box No. 6 (in Peerless Wisteria #19538). This magazine slot box in housed in a sheet metal box and has been mostly restored, except for the armature for the electromagnet, which has not yet been put back in place. To view the complete working mechanism before restoration see the following image. The manufacturer of this coin slot box is unknown.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Magazine Slot Box No. 6 (close-up of working mechanism in Peerless Wisteria #19538). The overall layout is typical for a magazine slot box, with the ratchet gear used to keep track of or "count" the number of coins dropped into the coin slot, up to an advertised maximum of 20 tunes. Each time a coin impacts the long lever projecting to the left, or if the lever is momentarily pulled down by the wall box powered electromagnet, the ratchet wheel advances one tooth. Then, when the music roll shutoff perforation activates the small pneumatic, an attached pick-blade moves the ratchet wheel back one tooth. Thus, if five coins are dropped in succession, five tunes will be played, and after the fifth tune the pin on the ratchet wheel lifts open the knife switch, cutting off the electric power, until the next coin passes through the coin chute.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Magazine Slot Box No. 7. This magazine slot box is typical of what might be found in coin pianos of various brands during the mid teens through the 1920s. It was durable and generally trouble free, and easily attached with two wood screws to the inside of a piano case, often just above the coin receptacle box, all usually located in the bottom part of the piano. Like the above example, the ratchet wheel advances one tooth when a coin impacts a paddle inside the coin chute, or by the electromagnet when a coin is dropped into a remote wall box. And when a shutoff signal activates the small pneumatic, the ratchet wheel is pushed back one tooth, with a maximum of twenty coins being tallied at any one time. The electrical power is shutoff when the pin on the face of the ratchet wheel contacts the tail end of the knife switch, lifting the knife blade and interrupting the electrical power, until the next coin restarts the process. The manufacturer of this coin slot box is unknown.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Magazine Slot Box No. 8. Enclosed in a sturdy cast iron box, this type of magazine slot box is thought to have been manufactured by the Monarch Tool & Mfr. Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. This late design coin magazine has been observed installed in National Electric Piano Company's so-called Peerless instruments. Moreover, the Nelson-Wiggen Piano Company also used this same coin accumulator mechanism in their coin pianos and orchestrions. And like the above accumulator type magazine slot box examples, each coin passing through the coin chute impacts a paddle and advances the ratchet wheel one tooth; each shutoff impulse backs up the ratchet wheel one tooth, counting and subtracting coins until the piano player shuts off. Shutoff occurs when a pin on the ratchet wheel face contacts and tilts a lever that lifts the knife switch to the open position.

The unit pictured is unfortunately missing the pair of electromagnet coils necessary for wall box or push button operation. The raised mounting lug for the coil unit is to the immediate right of the knife switch assembly. The electromagnet triggered a play by means of a pivoting armature lever or tongue that pushed the lower part of the ratchet wheel pawl toward the wheel, representing a "count" of one coin for one tune.