DENVER, Penn. — A century ago, coin-operated machines could be found everywhere, ready to entertain, dispense a treat, tell a fortune, or offer patrons a chance to win a jackpot. They return to Las Vegas Thursday, April 11, Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13 in Morphy Auctions‘ latest coin-op and vintage advertising sale. The 1,919-lot auction is now available for review and bidding at LiveAuctioneers.
The sale’s top-estimated lot is a highly sought-after Caille Bros. Musical Triple Eclipse upright slot machine with a design that incorporates three separate machines — accepting 5¢, 50¢, and 5¢, respectively — in one stunning oak cabinet. Made between 1902 and 1904, it is marked with serial no. 121, confirming it is the earliest of only four extant examples of this model. The estimate is set at $150,000-$300,000.
A circa-1930 Fair-Weigh golf scale made by Colonial Golf Scale Co. is believed to be one of only three machines of its type still in existence. When a penny is inserted, the machine displays the patron’s weight and allows them to play a complex golf game by means of an internal golf club operated by a knob. With provenance from the collection of Bill Howard, it is estimated at $15,000-$30,000.
An Amusement Machine Co. 1¢ floor model game represents the 1927 World Series, which pitted the Pittsburgh Pirates against the ultimately victorious New York Yankees. The machine is unrestored, with original cast-iron figures of the umpire and players and an original cardboard grandstand. Made between 1929 and 1931, the machine is estimated at $40,000-$70,000.
A circa-1952 black ‘Lu-Cat’ machine combines a trade stimulator with a gumball-vending feature. Its action begins when a nickel is inserted and the painted-aluminum feline’s tail is pulled. Fewer than a dozen ‘Lu-Cats’ are believed to exist, and of those, this is the only 5¢ version known. It is estimated at $10,000-$20,000.
This circa-1920 Mr. Peanut cast-iron roaster-dispenser was made as a point-of-sale display for Planters Peanut Co. By means of an electric motor, a top-hatted, three-dimensional Mr. Peanut figure ‘operates’ the machine. One of very few of its type known to exist, it stands 89in tall and is in impeccable restored condition. It is estimated at $30,000-$60,000.
Antique advertising signs are led by a stained- and leaded-glass trade sign for S & S Shoes (Schauder’s Shoe Store, Rhinelander, Wis.), a firm that was established in 1890. Measuring a sizable 41 by 25 by 12in, the sign illuminates. Morphy’s experts have never seen another example of its type, and have estimated it at $40,000-$80,000.
