Columbia BS Coin-Op - Reproduction Machine?

[outune]

Hi Mike- I've owned two BS machines over the years-- Still have one of them. I've also had two Columbia N coin-ops that I've recently sold-- My take on your machine is- old case and base--- At some point someone took a complete Columbia B mechanism (which is the main mech for a BS) and added reproduction coin-op parts. In the 80's there were two main suppliers of all the parts needed to make a "B" function as a "BS". Elmer Jones in California and Mirek Stehlik in Canada. They both made excellent parts for coin-ops, Berliners, Zonophones, etc. It would be my guess (somewhat educated)that all the coin specific parts are repro, but without seeing in person it would be impossible to say definitively. On the feet, it is easy to see the rough casting marks of a repro part.
So.. like others have said.. It's a functioning "BS" that has all the "right" looking parts-- but the coin parts are likely all repro. The mechanism started life as a "B", not a "BS"

As George said-- If it was sold as an "original" BS, then there would be questions to ask.

Hope that helps-

Brad Abell

[TinfoilPhono]

(I am suggesting that this may have started life as a parts machine in the current cabinet; perhaps a badly damaged BS with non-functional or missing coin-op and other parts,and that someone may have gone in and replaced much of this machine to make it functional again)

There's no way to be absolutely certain but I think that is unlikely, mainly because of the data plate. I can't imagine anyone taking off the plate while leaving the rest of the mechanism. It's more probable that the original mechanism was entirely removed, along with the plate, and the cabinet re-purposed for something else entirely. Whoever restored it apparently took a normal Type B and used the mechanism as well as the name plate, plus repro coin parts, to assemble a complete, working machine.

[MikeB]

Thank you all again. I will share this information with the seller.