Alpo Posted June 21, 2024 Posted June 21, 2024 I was wondering around YouTube, and a short popped up called WHY DO THEY PAINT COINS RED I thought everybody knew that. But then I got to wondering if they still do it, and if people of this generation, and even the last generation, know why. For those that do not know Restaurants, and bars, and places of that nature used to have jukeboxes. Do jukeoxes still exist? Anyway You put money in the jukebox and it played music. If it was playing, that kind of prompted customers to continue wanting to hear it, so they will put money in. The management of the restaurant or bar or whatever would go drop a nickel or a dime or a quarter - depending on what decade this was - into the jukebox. The same reason the beggar will put a couple of coins in his cup. If the cup is empty people will walk by but if there's a little bit of money in there, they might put some more in. And if the box is making music, the customers might put some more coinage in. And the restaurant or bar or whatever got a percentage of the money from the jukebox. So the coins they put in the jukebox they painted red. That way when the jukebox guy came to get the money, first they would take out all the red coins and give them back to the bar or restaurant or whatever, and then figure out his percentage of what was left. Red coins were a shill.
Stump Water Posted June 21, 2024 Posted June 21, 2024 I've seen coins with remnants of red paint on them... 40-50 years ago. Never knew why.
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted June 21, 2024 Posted June 21, 2024 So if a customer asks for change for a dollar and get a red coin in the mix, the store cheated.
Cypress Sun Posted June 21, 2024 Posted June 21, 2024 The last jukebox I saw, besides one at a friend's tiki bar, was in a Waffle House in Tallahassee while I was getting breakfast before the State match 7 or 6 years ago. I don't even know if they take coins anymore as I wasn't going to play a jukebox at 6:00 am. I always wondered why they had jukeboxes in Waffle Houses, still haven't figured that one out. I would think that most newer (if they still make them) jukeboxes take dollar bills, credit cards and debit cards for payment these days but I don't know for sure. I'm sure they have them in bars but I haven't been to one of those in 15 years or so and didn't play the jukebox then either. The last pinball/video arcade I went to, about a year ago, charged by the day. All day, all of the machines, for $15.00. Still had slots for coins but the machines were all free play so coins weren't needed.
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted June 21, 2024 Posted June 21, 2024 1 minute ago, Cypress Sun said: The last jukebox I saw, besides one at a friend's tiki bar, was in a Waffle House in Tallahassee while I was getting breakfast before the State match 7 or 6 years ago. I don't even know if they take coins anymore as I wasn't going to play a jukebox at 6:00 am. I always wondered why they had jukeboxes in Waffle Houses, still haven't figured that one out. For the folks who come in at midnight.
Rip Snorter Posted June 21, 2024 Posted June 21, 2024 Way far out in the country, our great little bar & grill has an absolutely state of the art jukebox. You can apparently pick songs, pay and play from your cell phone. I suppose it takes coins or bills, but not my thing, bad hearing and all. Don't believe I have ever heard it in use, but then, we are early shift customers.
Eyesa Horg Posted June 21, 2024 Posted June 21, 2024 5 hours ago, Alpo said: I was wondering around YouTube, and a short popped up called WHY DO THEY PAINT COINS RED I thought everybody knew that. But then I got to wondering if they still do it, and if people of this generation, and even the last generation, know why. For those that do not know Restaurants, and bars, and places of that nature used to have jukeboxes. Do jukeoxes still exist? Anyway You put money in the jukebox and it played music. If it was playing, that kind of prompted customers to continue wanting to hear it, so they will put money in. The management of the restaurant or bar or whatever would go drop a nickel or a dime or a quarter - depending on what decade this was - into the jukebox. The same reason the beggar will put a couple of coins in his cup. If the cup is empty people will walk by but if there's a little bit of money in there, they might put some more in. And if the box is making music, the customers might put some more coinage in. And the restaurant or bar or whatever got a percentage of the money from the jukebox. So the coins they put in the jukebox they painted red. That way when the jukebox guy came to get the money, first they would take out all the red coins and give them back to the bar or restaurant or whatever, and then figure out his percentage of what was left. Red coins were a shill. I've seen them come out of laundry mat coun boxes as well
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