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American trade stimulators

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 4:35 pm
by junior
Are there any collectors of trade stimulators amongst us?
Are these machines o.k at the right price or actively sort after?
Are they scarce or rear in the UK?

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 5:37 pm
by arrgee
junior wrote:Are there any collectors of trade stimulators amongst us
There certainly are junior, and I am sure that they will awake from recumbent hibernation very soon and provide some answers.

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 6:28 pm
by badpenny
I have six, mainly bought when I was going through my "ooh look, it's got a coin slot, I'd better buy it!".. phase.
They don't tend to do very well at auction over here and very few would have originally been operated in this country.

They can be quite cute and being small get under the female radar where perhaps a Jennings Governor wouldn't.

To try and answer your questions ...
Are these machines o.k at the right price or actively sort after?
Are they scarce or rear in the UK?


Their home market America is where they tend to be most actively available and sought after.
Sadly the ones that end up here tend to be the more generic types with gum-ball vendors that often (sadly) have been tampered with.

I have a couple on my wish list that could tempt me to loosen my purse strings.

BP

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 8:24 pm
by gameswat
Judging from some of the odd ball trade stims I've seen turn up in the UK in small numbers I'm pretty sure that a lot of them have been imported in the last 20 years from the US, especially from Chicagoland where they used to turn up a lot and could be picked up quite cheap if you were quick. A UK friend I met there back in 1996 was buying them and after a few years had a good collection as there was still a lot of bargains to be had, especially pre-eBay, but still is for that matter if you look around. And obviously small enough to be taken home in hand luggage or packed inside juke cabinets etc. Always a lot more interesting if they've been operated in your country and the quick way to tell is are they on US coinage or old UK Penny coin mechs? The US 1 cent is easily converted to the UK/Aust 6 Pence, but back in the 30's that was a large bet so I don't think too many trade stims were running that high, more likely these are more recent imports and converted. Payout slots do turn up converted from 1cent to 6D sometimes though that date back. And as BP said often the gumball mechs have been removed, so that would often point to UK or overseas operation where that didn't work to fool Mr Plod. Like anything there are huge differences in how interesting or rare they are, so prices will vary. But if you like certain models then do a little homework online and you'll figure out what the approx going rate is at any moment in time is. But if you do really like something then go for it no matter what anybody else says.

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:37 pm
by junior
Hi, could anyone tell me the names of the machines that were used or common in the UK

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 11:26 am
by jra
I have enquired before to see if there were any trade stimulator collectors out there but did not receive any response so assumed I must be the only one.
I have been collecting these for 15 years and have built up a reasonable collection in that time. when I first started collecting there were always a few to be had at various UK auctions but then they seem to dry up in the UK So I started bringing them in from the USA but now they seem few and far between there too, the prices have shot up in the last year or so with postage and import duty it makes them very expensive to bring in now. I just keep on looking and buy the odd one now and again if the price is right. The only ones I remember seeing in this country in the early days were Mills/Sega vest pocket machines, I suppose there must have been others but do not remember them.
JRA.

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 11:46 am
by gameswat
jra wrote:The only ones I remember seeing in this country in the early days were Mills/Sega vest pocket machines,
Vest Pockets are fully working payout slots, so not trade stimulators. I've found the late 1920's early 30's ABT Big Game Hunter pistol galleries factory converted on UK Penny in the UK. Also the Exhibit Supply Select-Em dice games were operated in the UK in numbers as I've found those before on Penny play and seen a lot turn up that way. Possibly some variations of those Exhibit models turn up too?

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 12:35 pm
by jra
Hi Gameswat,
Of course they are silly old me. Because they are small I associate them with trade stims sorry. The other ones you mention I have these in my collection all on US coinage.
JRA.

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 3:19 pm
by junior
Well thanks for your input gents.I thought there would have been more collectors amongst us. I recently got a Frantz kicker & catcher and this has started me thinking about other makes and models that may be out there.Now I have a couple of names that I can google and research.Any more knowledge from you is welcome.

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 4:13 pm
by badpenny
jra wrote:I have enquired before to see if there were any trade stimulator collectors out there but did not receive any response so assumed I must be the only one. JRA.
What Ho! JRA, how ya diddling?
Being at a loose end and with nothing else to do, I've just checked your history of posts to see when and why you had been ignored.
Are you thinking of the right forum? :!?!:

Most of your previous posts have been related to Trade Stims and all formed part of active threads !PUZZLED!

Perhaps you were thinking of a different forum?
I once confused myself on "Sticky Latex & Chains" and started talking about my recipe for Yorkshire Puddings that I'd previously posted on "Gingham Pinafores for the fuller Figure"

Easily done. !!CHEERS!!

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 8:44 am
by bryans fan
There are a couple of good books on trade stimulators which, if you don"t have them, would be worth you looking out for.
Illustrated Price Guide To the 100 Most Collectible Trade Stimulators Volume 1 by R M Bueschel.

Illustrated Price Guide To the 100 Most Collectible Trade Stimulators Volume 2 by R M Bueschel.
They are both listed with further info in the library section of this site under American, page 5.

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:13 pm
by badpenny

Re: American trade stimulators

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 3:01 pm
by pennymachines
I reckon the trade stims I've seen most often in the UK (on old UK coinage) are the Daval Reel 21 and Marvel and the Groetchen Sparks, Twenty One Black Jack, High Stakes and Imp.