The Bollands Survey

[pennymachines]

More pics of the Haunted House and Frankenstein in clown case, plus Pharos Tomb, The Burglar's Nightmare and The Drunkard.

[pennymachines]

Reviving this thread to include the recently posted Bollands Frankenstein and Bloody Tower plus a Love Test fortune teller spotted in a Michigan store by a well know slot machine sleuth.

[pennymachines]

And a quick round up of other Bollands models posted elsewhere in the Forum (plus one from the forthcoming Arne sale).

[moonriver]

Reviving this thread to include the recently posted Bollands Frankenstein and Bloody Tower plus a Love Test fortune teller spotted in a Michigan store by a well know slot machine sleuth.

I have always thought that Bollands working models with a clown head cabinet were one offs ,as I have never seen two of the same model with clown head, I'm just wondering if this is the case? Also has anyone else seen another Bolland Love Test (as in the picture) or is that a one off machine? I was expecting it to be a simple mechanism inside but its actually quite complex compared to what it actually does

[pennymachines]

I'm no expert on these but my understanding was that the bespoke clown-faced cabinets are the later Bollands machines, made after the supply of cheap crane cabinets dried up (as sweets gradually became available after the war and working cranes became a good proposition again).

They aren't all one-offs, as evidenced by The Drunkard in clown-faced case above and (as Drunkard's Dream) in Merchantman Crane cases below.

Drunkard's Dream sold by Bonhams in 2007

Another sold at the Elephant House, this year.


I take it you tracked down the Love Test in Michigan?

[moonriver]

Sorry Dave, I didn't make it clear what I meant to say. I meant I've never seen two clown-faced cases with the same model inside, in other words two separate clown face cases BOTH with a Drunkards Dream in (or other model).

The Bollands Love Meter was in Minneapolis not Michigan and I bought it. I'm wondering if it's a one off?