Sale of Harrah Gambling Machines Sees Visitors Flock to Las Vegas

As Harrah’s antique and vintage gambling machines went on sale, many gambling enthusiasts went to Las Vegas to acquire some of the impressive items.

Las Vegas is a town that commands global respect as it is maintains a reputation for being one of the first gambling towns on the world. However not many people that visit know the history of the famed city or what gambling establishment was initial ones to open its doors to gamblers. A man by the name of William F. Harrah (1911-1978) is responsible for just that.

He founded the popular Harrah’s Hotel and Casino which became an iconic gaming destination over time, according to online casinos in US. Recently many of the gambling machines and vintage items were sold at the Victorian Casino Antiques auction where people battled throwing thousands of dollars just to land a piece of history.

Big turnout for the auction that offered Harrah pieces

The widely respected auction house and antique gallery Morphy Auctions acquired Victorian Casino Antiques last August. The auction with Harrah machines that took place marked the first event since they took over the operations of the business. Overall, the entire event grossed an astonishing $2,381,700 (all prices were inclusive of 20% buyer’s premium).

Gambling news reports the reason for such a high figure can be directly linked to the sale of Harrah items and antiques which command a very high value. VCA president, Peter Sidlow, stated, “There can be no question that the Harrah machines brought the people in. Once here, they ended up buying other things, as well. The collection was a very good drawcard.”

The auction attracted more than 350 people from various regions, however the serious bidding was done by way of phones and internet. Sidlow highlighted how the event was conducted on an international scale that involved many countries. “Many things went to overseas bidders. We’re still in the process of shipping items to places like Belgium, Germany and England.”

There were 1,700 items on sale while the prime piece that came from Harrah was the focus. A Caille 25-cent roulette floor machines that dates back to 1904 and is made all out of wood with ornate repousse nickel-plated features. The initial estimates valued the machine around $150,000 and $175,000, which was eventually sold for a price of $212,500 to a US collector.

Great overall accomplishments for the auction

Along with the $212,500 roulette floor machine, there were some other great sells at the auction. A restored 1912 Mills 5-cent upright Violano Virtuoso contains some of the most fascinating features, for which reason is has been dubbed as one of the “Eight Greatest Inventions of the Decade.” Later is was reported that it sold for $51,600.

• Victorian Casino Antiques operates under Morphy Auctions
• Harrah’s roulette floor machine sells for $212,500
• Morphy doesn’t plan on making any changes to VCA

An amazing 1902 Royal Novelty Co. 5-reel poker machine was purchased for a cool $33,000. The interesting aspect of this particular machine is that it paid its winners in cigars instead of coins which made it all the more appealing to bidders at the auction. There were plenty of more items that fetched high prices at the successful auction.

Dam Morphy, president of Morphy Auctions, conveyed his joy at how well the first combined event between Morphy/VCA went about, according to mobile betting news. He highlighted the initial results were better than predicted and stressed how welcome him and his staff were received in Las Vegas.

“My staff and I were warmly greeted in Las Vegas. We were there with one goal in mind – to join forces with the VCA team and produce the best auction possible, and I think it’s safe to say we succeeded.”

He also added that Morphy Auctions doesn’t plan on making any alterations to VCA’s business model. “We don’t want Victorian Casino to change anything about the way they conduct their sales now that they’re operating under the Morphy banner, because their methods have been very successful in the past and are actually quite similar to our own.”

Morphy continued, “Any changes in the way the first join sale was produced were very minor. Their way of doing business blends seamlessly with the way we have always operated at Morphy’s. They uphold the same high standards for quality and customer service as we do at Morphy’s Pennsylvania headquarters.”