Special When Lit

Special When Lit is a Raindance nominated, cinematic ode to the joys of playing, restoring and collecting pinball machines. It's available on DVD and blu-ray. Bringing together a bunch of famous pinball luminaries, including Roger Sharpe, Gary Stern and Steve Kordek, to name but three (see cast) - it looks a blast. I'm saving up for a high-def copy.

Vintage Penny Arcadia Website

Ahem! Time for some news eh?

John Hanson notified me recently that he has just started a new vintage slot machine website called Vintage Penny Arcadia.

He plans to populate it with lots of the material he collected and published in his Vintage Penny Arcadia magazine which ran from January 2001 (originally as Hand Cranked Pleasures) to December 2003. Not much there yet, but worth keeping an eye on...

Fairground & Circus Auction

After a long lull, we have good news on the slot machine auction front with the announcement of Joby Carter's International Fairground & Circus Auction scheduled for October 25th. Organized by Carters Entertainment Ltd. it will build on the achievements of last year's auction and promises to be an annual event in the vintage amusements calendar.

Circus and fairground related lots and vintage coin-operated amusements of all kinds are invited from all and should be submitted by 6th August 2009.

It's that time of year again! Auction time! October 25th that is! It sounds like a long time away but before you know it the leaves will be falling from the trees and you will be off to White Waltham for the Annual Fairground Auction. This year my event goes under the banner of The Fairground and Circus Auction. So not only will there be the normal array of slot machines, pedal cars and fairground art, there will also be some very fine circus memorabilia to feast your eyes upon.

Any lot will be considered for the auction although I would prefer pieces that can be easily taken away on the day of the auction, simply because this seems to be where the market is strongest. In other words - I am not interested in small roundabouts with unrealistic reserves on! I would urge anyone entering lots to have no or low reserves as this is a sale not a valuation service. Any item which does not make its reserve will be stated as unsold.

This year we have a special section to the auction - a segment 100% for charity. One of my many ideas that has gone down very well! Our charity of the year is the Teenage Cancer Trust. There's never a good time to get cancer, but for a teenager the timing seems particularly cruel. Young people can get some of the most rare and aggressive forms of cancer while the emotional upheaval of adolescence can make a cancer diagnosis even harder to cope with. Every day in the UK, six young people will have to face that diagnosis. Teenage Cancer Trust understands that teenage cancer requires specialist care and that young people have a much better chance in their fight against cancer if they are treated by teenage cancer experts in an environment tailored to their needs. Teenage Cancer Trust builds units in NHS hospitals which improve the quality of life and chances of survival for young people with cancer. As Teenage Cancer Trust receives no government funding, Teenage Cancer Trust rely on voluntary donations.

It occurred to me to ask as many fairground artists as I know to do a piece of artwork to auction off commission free. This has the obvious benefit of raising much needed funds for a very worthy cause, and it also highlights the fact that if you want traditional hand-painted artwork you can still have it done for you - you just need to know where to look! All too often you see a set of gallopers with vinyl scrolls on the steps or a vintage slot machine with stick-on letters - why? Because it is cheap and traditional artwork isn't and nor should it be - it's a dying art-form that deserves celebrating and this is my way of doing so. We have already got two fabulous pieces here - one by my Mum, Anna Carter and one by Vicky Postlewaite. Myself and my apprentice, Aaron Stephens are both half-way through our pieces - mine being a guitar kindly donated by Fender - possibly the hardest thing I have ever decorated and will be a one off one of a kind piece! Many other famous artists are painting pieces for this event including a very well known artist from Australia!!!

To view the lots check the website: we will be updating it every week with the catalogue launch at the Great Dorset Steam Fair (hence the early closing date for entries - there is method in my madness!) We have already got a great deal of interest this year thanks to the success of last year's auction and the lot allocation is quickly filling up.

We look forward to seeing you on the last Sunday of October.

Joby Carter

COVENTRY COIN-OP SHOW 2008

The catalogue for the CENTRAL ENGLAND VINTAGE COIN-OP COLLECTORS' SHOW & AUCTION (in association with Mechanical Memories Magazine) to be held on 30th November 2008 at the Coundon Club, Coventry, CV6 1GP is now available in the MARKET. Admittance is by catalogue only at the discounted £4 rate in the Market or £5 at the door. A great chance get your hands dirty by investigating a bewildering array of antique mechanical amusement apparatus, slot machines, one arm bandits, etc,. and to network with lots of like-minded collectors.

Joby Carter's Vintage Slot Machine Auction

Joby Carter of Carter's Vintage Steam Fair is organizing an auction of "Vintage Slot Machines, Pedal Cars, Gag Boards, Wagons, Rides, Transport and anything else related to the fairground industry" to take place on the 26th of October, 2008.

Entries are invited from all and must include a photograph. Click advert above to visit the website. Contact details for entries and catalogues contained therein.

Arnett's Circus Sale

I received an auction catalogue from Southern Counties Auctioneers this morning for a Sale of Fairground & Circus Vehicles, Related Ephemera and Posters: Saturday 13th September. They do not seem to have combined this sale with the postponed slot machine sale - there are only two machines in the auction, but there are a total of 326 fine circus related lots including signs, posters, costumes, ephemera, carvings, a 97 key organ built in 1923, living wagons, vintage fairground vehicles and much more. The full colour catalogue is available for £5 post free from John Bundy on 01722 321215. (Southern Counties website seems to have disappeared at present).

Peter is the fourth generation of "Peter Arnett's who have been associated with the entertainments industry, from boxing to greyhound racing, bingo clubs, fairgrounds and finally the circus.

His father was friends with Billy Manning, whose fairground was situated a Clarence Pier; and with the late Billy Smart (senior). Young Billy Smart would take the young Peter Arnett "on holiday" with the circus during the latter's school summer holidays. Peter's early association with the circus and his ever widening circle of friends and colleagues led to a colourful career which culminated n a travelling circus.

Some of the pieces being offered for sale here were part of that organisation which toured the Easy and South coasts of England during the years 1999-2005.

An Auctioneer Responds...

Laurence Fisher, Specialist Department Head, Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus, Bonhams, responded to my last rather pessimistic post with this more upbeat message:

I am working on three collections now which together, would probably span a two day sale and a three-volume catalogue. May well take a year to do, but it should be worth it.

Things for us are looking up, but without the support of all machine collectors around the world, I agree that both MMM and Bonhams will be in the same boat until a change appears. At the end of the day, no one can make someone sell nor buy, but just the magnet of having Jerry's sales for instance should be enough to keep the door open for the masses.

Also, and I take this quote from a well-known member of the slot machine community - "having lower numbers of machines in regular sales does me a favour with the total price!" Mark and I try to get at least a few machines together for each of the two-per-year Knowle sales - 13 May next week has 9 machines.
Lets hope all of us can pick up machines more often from everywhere this year.

The 'credit crunch' will have no affect on those who really do have a genuine interest in the history of machines.

Salisbury Auction Postponed

I received the following letter this morning regarding the Netherhampton Salesrooms slot machine auction that was scheduled for 18th May this year in Salisbury:

Thank you for your entry for the above auction, however by the closing date, despite extending, we have had too few items entered to justify continuing with the sale. This is unfortunate as we have some interesting and collectable pieces here as promised.
We would hope that you will allow us to enter them into our annual 'Stourpaine Sale' which is timed to coincide with the well known Great Dorset Steam Fair due this year on Friday 29th August. This sale attracts buyer from all over Europe and should provide you with a very suitable alternative. If storage is a problem for you we will take the goods in, store and insure them and transport them to the venue.
Thank you for your understanding and please accept our apologies for any inconvenience you have been caused.

Yours faithfully,

John Bundy
Managing Director
(Netherhampton Salesrooms)

This news comes as no great surprise. Clearly a number of factors, not least the current economic climate, are making it very difficult these days to pull in enough quality machines for a decent sale. Bonhams and the MMM auctions are in the same boat.
A sale now really needs to be founded upon the break up of one or more collections (a rare event). Anyway, let's hope the 'Stourpaine Sale' is a success.

New British Slot Machine Book

I recently received an email from slot machine industry veteran Freddy Bailey about his new book All My Life... A Showman. Freddy has extensive historical knowledge and experience of the pre-decimal British amusement machine days, so this could be a very welcome contribution to our hobby. To be financially viable Freddy says he needs to sell 2000 copies. Unfortunately, in our hobby, that's quite a tall order. I've requested stock for the PennyMachines Library. If you want to see this book (price £40) in print I suggest you email Freddy.

Hi Everybody,
We are now coming to the final chapters in my new book “All My Life………….A Showman”, it will be going to the printers within the next four weeks, anyone who has an interest in purchasing copies, could you please e-mail me with your requirements. We have to publish 2,000 copies to make it a proposition, this has been a gigantic effort and what started out as my autobiography has turned into a 400 page coin machine history as well as a personal adventure. Wherever you are just interested in the many sections on coin operated machine’s, or in reading about my life in that business over the last 55 years, I am sure you will enjoy the book. There is I think something for every collector, be it jukeboxes, arcade machines or slot machines. I am sure you will find items that you have never seen in other similar publications. I have also tried to make it an International study of the various machines and the people that were involved with them. For any
further information please e-mail me at anglobritish@aol.com

Thank you. Freddy Bailey (British Coin Machine Historian)

Auctions Ahoy!

Two sales are confirmed for 2008 and inviting consignments: Bonhams Mechanical Music Sale at Knightsbridge is on Wednesday 19 March with an entry deadline of Friday 8 February (details below) and Southern Counties Auctioneers Amusement Machine Sale at Salisbury is on Sunday 18th May, with entries closing three weeks before.

From Laurence Fisher, Bonhams:

We are looking forward to presenting our London Knightsbridge sale of fine Mechanical Music, which charts the success of entertainment brought about by the technological feats of those who managed to provide musical enjoyment in the homes of the past. Today, Bonham's takes pride of place as the collector's choice for these musical wonders in devoted auctions, which are offered to the many who seek the right examples for the present age.

Following a very enjoyable sale on 20 November 2007, which included an array of rare pieces and two world record prices, we are currently inviting similar entries for this March sale. From early wind and stringed mechanical music instruments, singing bird boxes and gold musicai virtue, to fine cylinder and disc musical boxes, gramophones, phonographs, important wireless, amusement, musical and illusion automata, our international clients await the colourful catalogue with interest.

Already included for March, we have a rare Wurlitzer 1100 78rpm Jukebox, (estimate £3000-5000); a 4-air Grand-Format musical box, (estimate £10,000-15,000); and a fine 19 5/8-inch auto-change Polyphon disc musical box with its disc bin, (estimate £7,000-10,000).

Please join us in our commitment to serve the mechanical music community by contacting me regarding any suitable property well before the sale deadline of Friday 8 February.

I look forward to assisting with your selling needs, Kindest regards,

Laurence Fisher.
+44 (0) 8700 273 633

Coin Operated 19.5/8-inch 10-disc Polyphon Autochange Musical Box

Central England Vintage Coin-Op Collectors' Show & Auction

Just to make sure this one doesn't escape your radar - the CENTRAL ENGLAND VINTAGE COIN-OP COLLECTORS' SHOW & AUCTION (in association with Mechanical Memories Magazine) will be held on 25th November 2007 at the Coundon Club, Coventry, CV6 1GP. Admittance by catalogue only (available in the Market soon). A great chance get your hands dirty by investigating a bewildering array of antique mechanical amusement apparatus, slot machines, one arm bandits, etc,. and to network with lots of like-minded collectors.

Entries are currently being accepted, so now's the time to sort out any old slots surplus to requirements.

Bonhams Invitation to Consign

A message from Laurence Fisher (now of Bonhams) re. forthcoming Mechanical Music Sale:

We are looking forward to presenting our fine London Knightsbridge sale of Mechanical Music, which Charts the success of entertainment brought about by the technological feats of those who managed to provide musical enjoyment in the homes of the past. Today, Bonham's takes pride in including these specialist musical wonders in devoted sales for the many who seek them for the present age.
From important and early sur-plateau musical boxes, to the streamlined curves of popular pre-1940 wireless, mechanical music at Bonham's is now the collector's choice of the world. The forthcoming Knightsbridge sale, which will be held on Tuesday 20 November, will encompass the very best examples to ensure that market connoisseurs are provided with their preferred selection in this niche and important field.
Current consigned property includes this magnificent and fine Oiseau Chantant with timepiece actuation by C. H. Marguerat, in engine-turned silver-gilt and blue enamel case, circa 1929 (Estimate: £10,000 -15,000); A timepiece-actuated eight-air Cylinder Musical Box, in serpentine walnut veneered and inlaid case (Estimate: £5,500 - 7,500); and a Bond Cascade cabinet gramophone, with quadruple-spring Expert Soundbox (Estimate: £800 -1,200).
We are looking to include early snuff and other Musical boxes, fine Phonographs and Gramophones, delightful Singing Birds, important Electrical and Encoding devices, popular Dance and Band Orchestrions and classic French Musical Automata.
The backdrop of the many fine lots currently ready to include, makes this the perfect opportunity to finish this year with a healthy introduction to 2008 and, as market leaders for this popular and exciting field of collectables, you can expect Bonham's to share the magic of your property with the rest of the world.
Please join us in our commitment to serve the mechanical music community by contacting me regarding any suitable property well before the deadline of Wednesday 10 October.
I look forward to assisting with your selling needs. Kindest regards,

Laurence Fisher
Specialist Head, Mechanical Music.

Christies Pull Out Of Collectibles

While I was away the following arrived on 3rd August in my inbox from Laurence Fisher, former Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus Specialist at Christie's:

Good afternoon!

This is just a quick line to say hello and to inform those who are interested what has happened at Christie's. They have closed all the collectables departments, leaving only a couple of 'headed' departments which deal with selected high-value only pieces, not including vintage slots etc. I was made redundant from Christie's on the 22 June.

Upon going to work for the last sale set-up on the 23rd May, I suffered a heart attack. I am feeling much better, but I still have to keep a close eye on my health. The last-ever sale of Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus was held at 2.00pm on the 31 May 2007. The November date, as stated on the MBSGB webpage, will of course not be going ahead.

After a good few weeks to build up my strength, I have been appointed Specialist of Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus at Bonham's. Based in Relay Road in White City in London, I shall be consigning into sales for Knowle and Knightsbridge. Please be assured that I believe Knowle to be one of the many assets of Bonham's, not only being in the centre of the country, but also great parking, great selection if a collection comes in and in addition I now have the privilege of working once more with many good people who I had the pleasure of working with when I was at Philips 12 years ago.

I shall let you know when and where slots come up and in the meantime if you have any pieces you would like to consign at Bonham's, please call me on 07977 368 288. Remember - competitive rates and excellent mail-shot lists are with me.



many thanks and best wishes.

Laurence Fisher
Specialist, Mechanical Music

Bonhams 1793

Relay Road
White City
London W12 7JS


I was very sorry to hear about Laurence's illness but glad to know he's feeling better. Laurence "joined" the slot collector community when he handled the Nic Costa sale. He was courteous, enthusiastic and helpful beyond the norm. One is bound to wonder at the stresses imposed by these cut-throat operations and the lack of any job security received in return. I wish Laurence a longer and brighter future with Bonham's.

I'm not sure whether Christie's drastic decision to close all its collectibles departments reflects a crisis in the whole field or is a case of one top auction house pricing itself out of a market. I do think the combination of a downturn in realized prices for collectibles and inflated auction premiums (plus other costs associated with London salesrooms) has made them increasingly unattractive to buyers and sellers alike. Ebay must have taken its toll as well I guess.

The good news is that the Old School House at Knowle which has a continuous history of mechanical music, technical and coin-operated collectibles sales dating back to the 1980s (originally as Philips) has acquired a specialist with a genuine interest in our field, and one of the most charming, intimate and accessible professional auction venues in the country can only benefit from Christie's withdrawal from the fray.

Slot and Automata DVD

Darren Hesketh's two disc DVD production THE OLD-TYME PENNY ARCADE & THE VINTAGE FAIRGROUND has just been released. Running to over two and a half hours, it features a wide range of coin-operated machines, automata, toys, vintage fairground rides and related items many of which are on public display at various venues around the UK. There are chapters from Carter's Steam Fair, the Fairground Museum, Dingles Steam Village, The Bryans Museum, Drayton Manor Theme Park, Folly Farm Family Adventure Park, Merrivale Model Village, Watermouth Castle, Wookey Hole Caves and Yesterday's World plus some private collections. Professionally edited, production values are good with clear, sharp pictures and steady camera-work. The charm of Working Models and slot machines in general is only fully appreciated when they are "working". By capturing their intriguing actions and sounds in colour, these DVDs achieve what words and still images can't. Hopefully copies will be available through our site but in the meantime, try Darren's site at museumofamusements.
I believe the price is £19.99.

Christies Sale: 31 May

Email from Laurence Fisher of Christies announcing:
sale of Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus to be be held on the 31 May 2007:
See Sale Overview

Hi - Happy New Year! Hope all is well and that buys in 2006 are being enjoyed, restored and cuddled.

Just a line to announce that entries for the 31 May sale of Mechanical Music must be with me prior to March 20th. I look forward to helping, as always, this slot machine community.

Kind regards,

Laurence Fisher
Specialist,
Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus
BVWS, MBSGB, CLPGS

The Great Price Crash

Sell! Sell! Sell! The writing's on the wall. If you've invested your savings in vintage slot machines, now's the time to get out before it's too late! Prices continue to dive. In a year's time, at this rate, you won't be able to give them away. That's the message I took home from Sunday's Coventry Vintage Slot Machine Auction (12/11/06).

Perhaps I'm being a bit hysterical here. The prices weren't that bad. All the items I took to the auction sold, one for over twice what I thought it was worth and everything I bid on went for more than I was prepared to pay. The Bryans machines didn't do badly apart from the Retreeva (on new penny play and needing work) which failed to reach its reserve. An old penny play Bullion went for £620, possibly a record price, until a week later when another one made £700 at Anna Carter's Sale. What we did witness though, was an unusually high number of unsold lots, particularly at the start of the auction, although I'm told that many came within a whisker of their reserves and had the auctioneer's discretion been exercised the success rate would have been much higher. However, thanks to some unambitious reserves some great bargains were snapped up. The trouble is, it seemed not enough of us were eager to grab the opportunity.

Nevertheless, there was a clear consensus that it was a most enjoyable day, especially for a first auction and the organisers look forward to building upon their success by running another. It provided the kind of informal collectors' get-together that the hobby needs and I was surprised and impressed by the standard of items on offer. There seemed to be a lower than usual quotient of junk/basket-cases plus a decent proportion of rare and unusual machines. Good suggestions for future improvements have been made in the Forum and the organisers welcome further feedback.

See Full Auction Results in the Arena.

I'll also post the auction results from Southern Counties Anna Carter Steam Fair Sale (13/11/06) when I get them.

Many theories have been put forward to account for the decline in vintage slot machine prices over the last few years, such as eBay making them commonplace; the recent hike in fuel and other essential commodity prices; the dwindling supply of good items for sale; the numerous tecky products (computers, mobile phones, i-pods, sat-navs etc.) now competing for our cash; ever increasing property prices leading to ever decreasing living spaces and the aging collector syndrome. There's probably some merit in all of them, but I fear the aging collector syndrome is by far the biggest factor. It's evident to all of us who attend these sales that the bidders' average age increases roughly one year every year. In other words, new collectors are not replacing those who've either dropped out or dropped dead! It's hardly surprising, given that most of us got interested in mechanical amusements because we remember playing them as kids in the 1960s. Later generations cannot be expected to know what a mechanical slot machine is, let alone why it's so much more charming than a video game. PennyMachine.co.uk's mission is to promote a wider appreciation of these devices but the Catch-22 is that unless a person already has some knowledge of or interest in the subject they're not likely either to find this site or buy their first classic machine on eBay.

On the other hand, for those of us already in the know, there's a positive side to all of this. Of course, anyone who's selling wants to see the highest price possible, but I believe high prices in general are the collector's worst enemy and good news only for auctioneers. I know I'm not the only one who regrets the way the hobby has been plagued by investors and money-making opportunists who delight in hyping-up prices. 2006 has brought a welcome reality check which should go some way to kicking this element into touch.

I took my camera to Jukebox Madness (on Saturday 4th November) but for some reason failed to take it out of its case. Shame really, because I could have brought back pictures of a very elegant little Handani catcher from Dutch dealer Jukebox Gallery and two machines I haven't seen before: a Parkers clown/circus theme allwin on Jez Darvill's stand and a war-time single-reeler Bowland bandit conversion with aeroplane castings and reel motifs. As it was, I came back with nothing. There were plenty of buyers and sellers, but unusually, most trading seems to have been done on the Sunday. Generally, prices were down again on last year, I think.

In the "History of the Wall Machine" (last issue of MMM) I learnt that when you win the jackpot on a Bryan's Payramid, the last winning ball is recycled, giving you a chance to win even more, and this continues until you drop the ball. I never noticed that. Maybe because I so rarely got the jackpot. I return to the machine with a renewed sense of awe.

Dave Page of Skelter Publishing responded to my comment about the Pennies by the Sea's weak binding. He believes the problem arose because the first batch of books was released too hastily, before the glue had set properly:

Many thanks for such a positive Blog review of our recent publication, Pennies by the Sea. As a small publisher we are always very appreciative of the efforts of people like yourself who take time to review our work.

However, we were disturbed to hear that the copy you received did not physically stand up to scrutiny. We apologise unreservedly for this and would like to replace the copy you have ....

In terms of how your copy of Pennies by the Sea came to fall apart it comes down to the fact that we took a risk. Sounds dramatic I know,but we wanted the book out for Christmas, and, for various reasons, we were late off the presses. With every book we do we are advised by our printer to allow at least a week for the binding glue to harden properly. This time, however, we felt we could not wait that long for publicity to begin and released a small batch of Pennies by the Sea as soon as they were delivered to us and, therefore, against the advice of our printer. One of these came to pennymachines.co.uk. We suspect that the gluing on your copy was still volatile and therefore even a moderate amount of handling may have caused the glue to slide. For this we again apologise.

We think it also worth stating that Skelter Publishing has every faith in its printer, Thanet Press of Margate. They have always displayed the greatest professionalism when dealing with our titles and always produce work to the very highest standards. We have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone who may be looking for a good honest company to do business with.

Regards,
Dave.

Pennies by the Sea review

Having had time now to absorb Nick Laister's Pennies by the Sea, I must say, as the first book to cover the vintage amusement scene from the arcade operators' side of the coin box, it makes a fascinating read. We are lead through over seventy years' intricate history of several competing amusement venues in Bridlington (and those who owned and ran them), from their inception in the assembly rooms adjoining the Ship Inn in the mid 1880s; the first "pleasure palaces", cinematograph houses and theatres, to Britain's first purpose built seaside amusement arcade at Great Yarmouth in 1897. The central story is that of Joyland Amusements, following its piecemeal development and expansion as it became one of the biggest in Britain, right up to the present day. Something of the fuggy atmosphere of a crowded arcade; the noise and bustle; aromas of disinfectant, hot dogs, candyfloss and ozone, is evoked in pictures, stories and personal anecdotes from some of the key players at the sharp end of the British amusement machines industry. We are reminded of a simpler, more naive age when it was possible for an enterprising fellow to manufacture slot machines in a small shed, hand build them with the help of an uncle and deliver them to local resorts in the sidecar of a motorcycle.

A number of classic old machines can be spied in the tantalizing black and white images, mostly looking in from the Promenade or Esplanade fronts of the arcades, plus a few rather fuzzy interiors. It's sad that the insides of amusement arcades were so rarely considered worthy of a photograph. Most of our early views of machines in situ were taken on Victorian piers. The rows of wooden-cased wall machines that were more usually indoors are rarely seen.

The final chapter The Rides and Attractions, describes and pictures some of the games that were operated from Joyland Amusements. Clearly this isn't Nick Laister's area of expertise, as evidenced by a few errors that creep in - although the Laughing Sailor appeared in 1950, the same year vinyl LPs were first sold in Britain, it's 78" record would have been of shellac not vinyl, and we didn't have to wait until 1963 for automatic payouts on Fruit Machines! Nevertheless, the chapter provides a welcome "where are they now?" roundup of the games and rides that provided so many years entertainment at the Joyland arcade.

Handle with care: My copy fell apart when I was less than a third of the way through - and I wasn't particularly rough with it. It was printed in England and the pages attached by slapping a bit of cheap glue down the spine in what passes for softback binding these days.

Full tilt on the Black Country Museum Speedway

The auction catalogue for the Central England Vintage Slot Collectors' Day at Coventry on Sunday 12th November is now online here. You can order a printed copy here (required for entry). I should have more details of the Anna Carter auction by Monday.

Steam Fair Auction and more...

After a distinctly slack October, our Calendar is packed for November with exciting events kicking off with Jukebox Madness, the annual jukebox, pinball, slot machine and Americana collectors' favourite event on the 4th and 5th followed two days later by Christies Mechanical Music Sale which this time will only include a few coin-operated machines. That brings us to the Central England Vintage Slot Collectors' Day and Auction (in association with MMM) on the 12th. This will be the first dedicated vintage slot machine auction held in the Midlands for many years. If you plan to put some lots into this one, get them in soon - all entries must be received by 23rd October. 80 lots were already listed when I spoke to the organizers just after the first batch of entry forms had been delivered. Entry details here.

The following weekend (Saturday 18th) comes a surprise event, just announced by Southern Counties Auctioneers: Anna Carter's (of Carters Steam Fair) Auction of Memorabilia, signs, glassware, vehicles, amusement machines, fairground rides and attractions. From first reports, I believe this will include a "moderate" number of vintage coin-operated games, but not comparable to the famous Carter's Sale of 2000. The catalogue will be available shortly and I'll post the details as soon as I have them.

Further exciting news for slot-heads (not to be confused with cross-head screws) comes with the publication of Nick Laister's Pennies by the Sea, the first book to tell the story of the British seaside amusement arcade (and the first book for vintage British slot machine enthusiasts since John Carter produced Arcades and Slot Machines in 1997). It's available in the Library for £16.00 including postage, or if you want to avoid postage, get a copy from me at the Central England Vintage Slot Collectors' Day and Auction. I'll review the book here shortly. And for those who haven't yet subscribed to Mechanical Memories Magazine, here's what you missed this month: The History of the Wall Machine Part 2 (Catchers), Slotties Day Out report, Rock-Ola Pintables Part 1 (my contribution), the BAL-AMI Junior 40 Jukebox, plus news, classified adverts etc.

The Way Things Go

I recently returned from my Summer holiday travels to find all quiet on the slot machine front. Nothing much seems to be happening, even eBay sales seem to have dried up. There was some consolation in a few exciting packages that had arrived while I was away. John Peterson sent me some allwin spares and composite balls suitable for very early catchers etc. Great find, John! These are rare as hen's teeth and often missing. We may put some on the Spares page.

Issue 5 of Mechanical Memories Magazine featured an article by Clive Baker on his Southport Pier vintage amusements arcade, an informative piece on pre-decimal British pennies plus other articles and slot machine adverts.

Also awaiting my return was a DVD I've been trying to track down for ages called The Way Things Go (Der Lauf Der Dinge) made by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss in 1987. I'm sure this wonderful thirty minute tour de force of kinetic, chemical and pyrotechnic cause and effect would appeal to many of my fellow cog-heads. It's available from Amazon.com and although formatted for US TV it played fine on my home DVD player. Compare this short sample (requires Quicktime player) with the Honda advert that cleverly and shamelessly plagiarized it.

While in Falaise, Normandy (birthplace of William the Conqueror) I visited a museum of "window actors" (as the brochure quaintly described them) at Automates Avenue. From the 1920s to the 1950s, these automata captured the imagination of Parisian Christmas shoppers, luring them into the department stores. Given that they were manufactured over the same period as the British working models, it is perhaps not surprising that they bear many resemblances in theme and style, albeit on a larger scale. There are some more images in the Arena

Christies November Sale

I recently received this message from Laurence Fisher of Christies:

A few machines were left over from the May sale, but these will more than likely be returned to Mr. Costa. On behalf of Nic, a thank you to all who attended both the main slot sale back in January and this one just gone.

Since the May sale, I have consigned the following which will appear in the & November auction of Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus:

A Mills 'Castle Front' bandit, 1933 Estimate £500-800

A Jennings Little Duke
(number reels - 'female' re-cast front) Estimate £300-500

A Jennings Governor bandit with lit panels
& 6d. Play Estimate £200-300

There is also a chance of a few others, but only if the vendors of the machines are willing to provide the Gambling Commission their details so we can obtain the permit to sell them.

Viewing for this sale will start from 4 November- Saturday at 10.00am - or on request, I can send you pictures of these over an e-mail (See Christies site for email details).