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oxford allwin fan wrote: ↑Sat Feb 16, 2019 12:27 pm ...to my delight I have just acquired an old HALFPENNY PLAY PAYRAMID!!!

It cost loadsa money but I am quite delighted...

Predictably, I would like advice on how to restore/maintain the Payramid and will create a post asking the question 'should I restore or conserve?' (questions like 'should I strip the horrible old paint from the metal parts of mechanism & repaint it' and ' should I have the chrome redone; it is quite badly worn?')

Morning gizas, won nd awl.. Perfectly pixilated Payramid picture phinally posted (possibly, if postee's phingers phunctioning!)

luckystar wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 1:31 pm I think the Pyramid is one of my favourite games. Was it originally on one old penny?

It's one of my favourites too and I have a slight preference for this more compact first version (but am told the later version attracted more play).
The adverts for these early Bryans games said, in addition to the old penny, they could, "be supplied for ½d., 1/-, or any coin over the size of 1/- at no extra cost." Occasionally, I believe, they were made to order on foreign coins for export.

This Payramid looks fine in its current condition. Personally, I would leave the chrome parts as they are. Their current condition support the age of this machine like the fine lines in the face of a beautiful woman as she ages. Bright an shiny would steal some of the history this game has earned.

J Peterson
My 2 cents from America.

Definitely agree with Mr Peterson, looks great as it is.

Looking at the instruction card, I think I can make out, 'INSERT HALF PENNY', in which case it would have been factory built for that coin. The '1p' was presumably painted on the coin entry in the '70s when it was sleeved for that coin, and the sleeving will have been removed.

Apart from the missing locks, I see a couple of other things - the oak veneer appears to have gone from the front, and the original beading around the inside of the playfield has been replaced. Unfortunately, that's hard/impossible to obtain, short of having it made up. Such details only worry the purists amongst us who hanker after absolute originality. For reference, see BP's Payramid here.

Thanks for comments.
Yes; it's a 1/2d play- coin conversion removed.

Instruction card is glued in and is rather rough; needs to be replaced; anyone got one they could copy for me please?

Locks being refurbished.

You know, I think I'm inclined to agree about the chrome/obvious age etc... But I intend to replace the glass if I can.

...and I'm going to refurb the cabinet too - the main case has been painted gloss black - is that 'right'?
Side panels varnished wood; they look v good.

Best to all...

Bryan's often made the main case darker for a kind of two-tone effect. It is shown like that in their flyer. Not sure if it was stain or paint.

There are payout cards in Resources but you would have to change 'PENNY' to 'HALF PENNY'. If you prefer a reproduction to the original which is showing its age, I would recommend just placing the copy over the original. Always best to preserve what's there when you can.

The example below shows the ½D on the top casting which you might find is behind some filler on yours. In my picture hunt, I've yet to find a '30s Payramid which hasn't at some time had its case refinished. This may give you pause to consider before stripping yours.

I wonder what proportion were on ha'penny play? Most arcades kept an old allwin to mop up the odd ha'pennies at the bottom of our pockets, but I don't imagine many were ordered new after 1930.

I'm still waiting for one of these to show up in the States...

There is one at the Coventry auction in 4 weeks. Why not bid on that? Good shipping to be vectored into your budget of course.

Just curious. What's one of these machines typically go for? I have no frame of reference.

Here's one example (if the pic shows up) that sold at Elephant House Auction in 2016 for £1500.

I was interested in brigham's comment about how he felt there were not many Payramids, in the arcades after 1930 or so, on halfpenny play. I was a child brought up in the 1950s and it was the opposite in the seaside arcades and the regular Hull Fair that I spent such a lot of my younger days in. A good example was at Withernsea an East Yorkshire coastal seaside place which had many many arcades unlike today. The arcades had a very high range of 1920s onwards fivewin type allwins and a good number of the half penny Payramids. Actually along all that coast I can't ever remember any of the Payramids that were not on the old halfpenny till into the middle sixties when I did see some. I played on the Payramids at times but, to be honest, have always found them rather boring!! Over the years I have always been surprised at how many penny ones are at auctions and very few half penny... Perhaps a lot got converted later in their life?? The diversity among esp one of the large arcades at Withernsea (that I think was called 'Teddies') of half penny machines among the penny machines was amazing. If you played say just 6 halfpennies, it would take you ages to either lose or you would come away with profit. Usually they were quite hard to lose on a lot of them.. However, if you won, it was often your halfpenny back and another ball as free play. They were very smooth to play and a half pull on the flicker handle resulted in a win into one of the win cups. The Tuck Shop range of sweet paying pinball machines were often on halfpenny play too, and if you were a winner, a roll of the Polo Mints or Fruits rolled down the glass to you. Polos at that time cost a penny halfpenny to buy, later they became 3d a packet!!

brianh wrote: ↑Mon Feb 25, 2019 7:33 pm Here's one example (if the pic shows up) that sold at Elephant House Auction in 2016 for £1500.

Yikes..... I may have to resort to building one as I originally planned.

Yaksplat,

I've sent you a PM about a possible acquisition.

J Peterson
Yanks united

I must tell you I paid in excess of £1500... probably too much I now realise but it is quite a rare machine so OK over the long-term I hope!

Personally I do not think around £1500 was too much for that machine - enjoy it.

I agree with Argee - £1500 is the lower end of what one should expect to pay for a Payramid, and you could certainly pay much more. They're brilliant machines, which is why they command the prices that they do.

I'm really pleased to be the custodian of my halfpenny mk1 type Payramid, and I must admit I paid a lot (+100s) more than £1,500; but I would love to compare it to others 'in the flesh' as it were. Is the collection at the Drayton Manor 'family park' worth a peep?

Oh - I hope to be able to attend the auction at Coventry next weekend - I'll be the old geezer......