Liberty Bell Slot Machine

Fey never patented it, and probably could not have: when another slot maker, Gustav Schultze, sued over his own patent in 1897, the court held that a machine built for gambling deserved no protection. By the account of Fey's son, a San Francisco saloon was burgled one night in 1905 and just two things were taken, a bartender's apron and a Liberty Bell. Within two years the Mills Novelty Company of Chicago was selling a Liberty Bell of its own under the same name. San Francisco outlawed slot machines in 1909.

What the plaque says

Liberty Bell Slot Machine Charles August Fey began inventing and manufacturing slot machines in 1894. Fey pioneered many innovations of coin operated gaming devices in his San Francisco workshop at 406 Market Street, including the original three-reel bell slot machine in 1898. The international popularity of the bell slot machines attests to Fey's ingenuity as an enterprising inventor whose basic design of the three reel slot machine continues to be used in mechanical gaming devices today. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 937 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with E Clampus Vitus. October 21, 1984

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Shoreline Markers — steps away
• Site of First California State Fair — steps away
• Fort Gunnybags — 0.2 mi
• Site of Parrott Granite Block — 0.2 mi