Slot machines have captured the fascination of players for over a century with their bright lights, exciting sounds and promise of a big jackpot. While modern video slots feature advanced graphics and interactive bonus games, the classic mechanical slots live on in the iconic symbols displayed on the reels. These symbols hold decades of history.
Many classic slot machine symbols emerged in the late 19th century with the Liberty Bell, the first slot machine released in 1899 by the Sittman and Pitt company of Brooklyn, New York. The machine featured playing card suit symbols like hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs as well as the Liberty Bell symbol that produced the machine’s name.
In 1907, the Mills Novelty Company invented the “Jackpot Bell” slot that paid out coins automatically instead of requiring a slot attendant to pay winners. This groundbreaking “Money Honey” slot used fruit symbols including plums, cherries, oranges and lemons. These bright, colorful fruit images would go on to become icons of slot machine games.
| Symbol | Year Introduced | Reason for Popularity |
| Cherries | 1907 | Sweet, low-paying symbol added by Herbert Mills that reminded players of the machines’ ability to pay out winnings. |
| BAR | 1910 | Logo abbreviation for the Bell-Fruit Gum Company that produced early slots. |
| 7s | 1980s | Based on the lucky number 7 symbol commonly used in multiple dice slots. |
| Gold bars | 2005 | Valuable symbol that fits the escapist fantasies of playing slots. |
Over a century later, these symbols are universally recognized. Let’s explore the cultural significance and backstories behind these classic slot machine icons that still populate casino floors like Leon Bet today.
Slot Machines’ First Fruit Symbol
When the Mills Liberty Bell slot machine debuted cherries as one of its symbols in 1907, Herbert Mills likely chose the bright red fruit to remind players that the device was capable of paying out money if you matched enough symbols. Back then, the inner workings of mechanical slots seemed dubious to a public accustomed to games of chance that did not always pay winners. The sweet, low-value cherries symbol demonstrated that slot machines reliably paid out cents if matching symbols aligned.
Cherries appealed as an iconic symbol because they always grow in pairs and often triplets. Landing a “double cherry” or “triple cherry” combo nicely aligned with traditional slot machine mechanics to award a small payout.
Over a century later, cherries remain a beloved icon that conveys classic slots in media and games. Video games often use pixelated cherries in mini-games and character animations to represent slot play. The ruby red fruit reminds us of slot machine gaming’s early days.
Bell Symbols Echo Slot Machines’ Liberty Bell Origins
Bells stand out as another slot symbol intertwined with the history of early machines. The Liberty Bell slot machine produced by Sittman & Pitt in 1899 that helped launch the slot industry featured a bell symbol which lined up to produce the machine’s name.
In 1907, the Mills Novelty Company designed the Jackpot Bell slot machine that could automatically pay out coins with no attendant required. Large metal bells atop the flashy machines would ring to alert floor staff that more coins needed to be loaded into the payout reservoir after a player hit a jackpot. Bells triggered big wins.
For decades after, bell symbols reminded players of slot machines’ practical origins when bells signaled big payouts. Game designers often incorporated bells into the double bar (DB) symbol, overlaying the word “Bell” inside the double bars, or they created a triple bar icon with three bells inside it rather than words.
The ringing bells in modern slots continue the heritage of classic jackpot machines, announcing winners with sound and celebration. Bells still trigger the excitement of slot play today.
“BAR” Symbols Represent Slot Machine Commerce
Among the most recognizable classic slot symbols are the BAR icons. Single bars, double bars and triple bars were among the first symbols incorporated into mechanical slot machines in the early 20th century.
The BAR symbol ties directly to the Bell-Fruit Gum Company, which was a major British manufacturer of slot machines in the 1920s. As legend goes, the company’s logo featured the Bell-Fruit acronym framed inside horizontal bars. This logo was incorporated into slots as a symbol that reminded players of the trustworthy, quality machines Bell-Fruit built.
The BAR icon thus came to symbolize the commercial side of slot machine gambling. Slots represented big business for manufacturers as well as entertainment for players who dreamed of hitting a jackpot. The BAR symbol signified the core driver behind slots – commerce.
BAR symbols also provided classic slot machine wins. Three BAR icons lining up often produced modest payouts that kept players invested in the games. The recognizable shape also led players to believe they were always close to a win when landing one or two BARs.
Slots Symbol Based on Dice and Craps
The number 7 holds deep cultural meaning as a lucky, magical number going back centuries. This symbolism seemingly made it a natural fit for slot machine symbols. However, slots did not actually incorporate the 7 symbol until the 1980s with the rise of video slots and games that integrated symbols from dice and playing cards.
Video slots based on craps and poker made the number 7 a staple symbol. In craps, a roll of two dice resulting in a sum of 7 meant an instant win for players betting on it, so it integrated luck and payouts – perfect for slots. Single 7s, double 7s and triple 7s became popular symbols that signified jackpot wins in video slots just as they did in craps.
The 7 remains a hallmark today of traditional video slots as well as multi-line video slots and online slots. Game designers often use 777 combos or the lucky number 7 as wild symbols. For players, seeing that classic 7 symbol appear on the reels still brings hopes of good fortune.
Modern Symbols That Align With Slots Fantasies
Gold bar symbols represent a more modern slots addition that emerged in lockstep with digital technology around 2005. However, gold bars fit nicely within the escapist fantasies slots have always represented – imagining yourself rich with mountains of gold.
As video slots advanced to integrate bonus games, expanding wilds, movie themes and free spin features, gold bars were a natural symbol to add. Matching gold bars triggers jackpots and bonus rounds, where animated gold bricks rain down the screen.
Gold bars hit on the aspirational desires and life-changing jackpots players want when they spin slots. They represent wealth and prestige. Matching rows of gold bars inspire players with the possibilities of amassing great riches by playing slots, hearkening back to the core dream that makes slot machine gambling so compelling.
Classic slot machine symbols like cherries, bells, BARs, 7s and gold bars trace their lineage back over a century ago to the earliest mechanical slots. These iconic images signify core themes tied to slots play – payout potential, jackpot wins, manufacturer trust and dreams of wealth.
Next time you spin a classic slot machine or spot one of these symbols pops up in a video slot, take a moment to appreciate the rich history behind these graphical icons. Over 100 years later, we still chase the flashing symbols that represent the enduring allure of slots.
