In the mid-1960s, Jean-Claude Baudot compiled a collection of historic coin-operated machines that was unique in France. The collection has now been sold to Germany's Gauselmann Group.
From 1981 to 2004, parts of the collection were shown at exhibitions in Paris, Nice, Montreal and Las Vegas.
The 650 exhibits include slot machines, entertainment and vending machines, wheels of fortune, lottery games, bagatelle tables and pinball machines.
However, the focus of the collection was the historic development of French and American gaming machines. The slot machines of the American manufacturer Caille are especially valuable.
Around 1900 Caille was one of the most important slot machine manufacturers in the US, next to Mills.
Baudot decided to sell his collection some months ago and expressed a wish to sell the collection in total in order to secure its long-term survival. Gauselmann now intends to stage a permanent exhibition of the collection in Berlin.
