This floor standing cabinet machine featured a large spinning disc with coloured panels and owls, the machine was a great success and Mills incorporated the Owl into its trademark.Ī year later Mortimer sold the controlling interest in the business to his son Herbert Mills and the company name changed to The Mills Novelty Co. In 1897 the company launched its first coin-operated gambling machine the 'Mills Owl'. Somewhere between 18 Mortimer founded the M.B.M Cigar vending Co using machines based on that earlier patent. The Mills name enters the coin-operated world on the 14th April 1891 when Mortimer Mills was granted a patent on improvements to a coin-operated vending machine. The Rye Heritage Ctr Collection of Working Models.