Caille Peerless 5-cent floor roulette slot machine, $300,000, new world record for a slot machine sold at auction.

LAS VEGAS — Morphy’s hit the jackpot during its May 1–3 auction in the gaming capital with a $3.7 million auction of antique coin-ops, gambling machines and advertising. Leading the parade of gaming rarities was a Caille Peerless 5-cent floor roulette slot machine in original condition.

Described as “one of, if not the best example known,” the embellished nickel-on-oak device set a new world auction record for a slot machine when it cashed out at $300,000, well above estimate. “We expected there would be a lot of competition for that particular machine,” said Morphy Auctions president and founder Dan Morphy. “It had everything going for it and was a connoisseur’s piece. Whenever an item comes up with such originality and such a beautiful patina, it draws the attention of the most serious of collectors.”

A complete report on this auction will appear in a future edition.