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Yes, truly a gentleman

Just to pick up on the article. Whilst Nic Costa wrote back in 1988 that Dennison was the first recorded person in the world to make a living from coin freed devices (as per the unaccredited quote in the article) further research has revealed this to be untrue. By the time Dennison was operating ...

If you are interested in learning more about the lives of the earliest model makers check out Nic Costa's book. Lee in particular was quite a character!!!
https://www.amazon.com/Penny-Conceiving ... 9925796628

This is just a reminder that Nic Costa's new book: Penny in the Slot-Conceiving the Internet- the Birth of the Coin Machine is available to purchase direct from Amazon in addition to his two other best selling works entitled Automatic Pleasures and More Automatic Pleasures. For some unknown reason ...

!!YIPPEE!! At long last! Coin machines officially acknowledged! !!YIPPEE!! !! The councillors of Great Ryburgh in Norfolk have voted to apply for a blue plaque to be set up in the village to commemorate one of the founding fathers of the coin op industry: Percival Everitt. It’s early days but we’ll k ...

We have just learned that a notable somebody who wishes to remain anonimous is prepared to pay some $50,000 for any surviving example of John Perry's Mechanical Pump Automaton of 1863. We know it was manufactured for some 40 years and in use throughout the UK if not further afield. Full details of ...

You've got some wonderful machines shown here. Don't forget Nic Costa's latest book is the only one to give a detailed history concerning the hitherto unknown development of coin op postage stamp vending machines. They date back to the 1840's. One was shown and in use at the Great Exhibition of 1851 ...

Large fortune teller most probably by Amusement Equipment Company of Wembley c 1935.

As you can see Rich's machine dates from 1826-8 after the introduction of the first proper pennies.

Really good observations as ever. The key to developing coin operated machines was having reliable and consistent coins. These were the major developments in the late 1700's as witnessed by Abel Buell's efforts in the States and Solomon Henry's in the UK, as detailed by Nic Costa.