Page 1 of 1

Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 2:58 pm
by pennymachines
This panoramic view of the 1962 Amusement Trade Exhibition at the New Royal Horticultural Hall, London is from Cash Box Magazine. Mills Novelty Co., Bryans, Ruffler & Walker, Phonographic Equipment, Wondermatics, Morris and Philip Shefras all in attendance.

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 3:44 pm
by ollie h
Great photo !THUMBS! Shame we couldn’t time travel back and have a go on some of those machines!

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 5:04 pm
by pennymachines
Wouldn't that be cool. And '63-'64...

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:29 am
by coppinpr
ollie h wrote: Sun Dec 02, 2018 3:44 pmShame we couldn’t time travel back and have a go on some of those machines
Even better, go back and buy a load, have them delivered all nicely cased up to a lock up, pay the £50 per year rent in advance for 50 years, turn up next Oct, pick out those you want to keep and sell the rest,still in there packing cases, at the next Coventry auction :lol:

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962/4

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 9:51 am
by brigham
Excellent photos.
The 6 (?) player machine with the octagonal display is one of the 'lost' machines of my early arcade days, and had a very distinctive sound. It was usually on 'fruits', although the pictured example is on 'letters', a hang-over from the association with US organized crime.
What is it called? Is it of Ruffler's own make, or did they just distribute it?
More to the point, do we have any literature about it, or, better still, is there a known example?

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:03 am
by aristomatic
Mr PM, was hoping by now the thread would have been revised to read 1962/4/6....... Does that mean no show in 66? or a no show from the photographer that year? Or maybe 1960/2/4 is an option, unless 1960 was an underground event........

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:06 am
by coppinpr
I think the light box from one of those six players (a fruits one) came up for sale at Coventry a few years ago. In the show photo it looks like there is another one on the stand as well, a fruits one? Impossible to tell.

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 7:05 pm
by pennymachines
The light box is pictured on this page: Anyone remember these large multi-players?
Incidentally, the two Arcadia vintage slot machine exhibitions were held at the Horticultural Hall in '85 and '87.
aristomatic wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:03 am Mr PM, was hoping by now the thread would have been revised to read 1962/4/6.......
Here's the 1965 photo. By 1966 the exhibition had moved to Alexandra Palace.

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 7:23 pm
by aristomatic
Mr PM, thx for the extra pix

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:51 pm
by trevessa
pennymachines wrote: Sun Dec 02, 2018 2:58 pm This panoramic view of the 1962 Amusement Trade Exhibition at the New Royal Horticultural Hall, London is from Cash Box Magazine. Mills Novelty Co., Bryans, Ruffler & Walker, Phonographic Equipment, Wondermatics, Morris and Philip Shefras all in attendance.
Interesting for me to see Nixson's 'The Calypso' 10 player and Worlds Flight 10 player, 'flashers' as they were called then on Ruffler and Walker's stand. They were our distributors for many years until we decided to sell direct under our 'Nixsales' banner. Sadly these are the only surviving images of these two machines that I know of, although I have many other images of other Nixson's machines from this era if anyone's interested.

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:00 pm
by pennymachines
trevessa wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:51 pm ...I have many other images of other Nixson's machines from this era if anyone's interested.
Yes please. !!THUMBSX2!!

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 4:47 pm
by coppinpr
In the "ATE65" photo, anyone have any idea what the area bottom right is? Looks like a kitchen. :lol:

I looked up the edition of "Billboard" to see who the "up to 90 firms exhibiting" were only to find it was 65 firms in the end. But in so doing I found (as you always do when looking through old copies of Billboard) these interesting sections about the fair. I do like the mention of a Rock-Ola machine designed for political locations :lol: and the section saying the German firm (the only overseas company to take space :o ) had to display at a nearby hotel the year before. :D

Rock-Ola's specialized attraction panels for their line of fruit machines include displays of the House of Commons, for political club locations; 19th Hole, for golf clubs, and a Legionnaire, for British Legion and similar societies.

The Mazooma Bell and Money-Honey fruit machines which make change will also be seen. Mar-Matic Sales - sole concessionaire for the Jennings company and Mills Bell-O-Matic in the United Kingdom - will have a specially designed stand to give the utmost impact to various machines on show. Their display includes an advanced version of the former popular Blue Spot. The Keeney Super Blue Spot, making its world debut, accepts coins worth 35 cents, 28 cents, 14 cents and 7 cents, and has four coin boxes, one for each denomination, to facilitate counting. A credit meter registers the amount of plays due on insertion of a coin and subtracts as plays are made. Change or winnings can be taken at any time, but multiples of 100 are paid by a gold token cashable for money. Meters are provided which register the coins "in" and "out" and "total play." In the Jennings range, several new machines will be introduced, including Lucky Lady, giving five jackpot chances and 180 surprise awards; Golf Ball Bonus, a light-up with a special bonus payout of I I for completing nine holes, and the Challenger Consul which is mechanically played and has an electrical device for payouts. Also on this stand the Mills Bell-O-Matic machines will be shown for the first time since the British company was formed. Over 78 years' manufacturing experience goes into the construction of these models. An entirely new conception in construction is used for the Mills Midas, receiving its world premiere here. Several other new models will also be shown, including a front - opening unit.

New to the show will be German manufacturer Lowen-Automaten of Bingen, the only overseas maker to take space. Last year they were unable to make the show because of premium on space and exhibited at a nearby hotel.

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2021 9:06 am
by chris roadhog
coppinpr wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:06 am I think the light box from one of those six players (a fruits one) came up for sale at Coventry a few years ago. In the show photo it looks like there is another one on the stand as well, a fruits one? Impossible to tell.
Said light box was bought new by Joyland Amusements Bridlington. I salvaged it out of their ransacked warehouse along with a double player Brenco Copper Mine in mint condition. The lower half of machine had been damaged beyond!

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2021 1:50 pm
by brigham
It could form the basis of a reconstruction...

Re: Amusement machine trade fair, 1962-5

Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2021 2:19 pm
by aristomatic
Well, I currently have a Jennings Lucky Lady but I'm pretty sure that I haven't seen a Jennings Golf Ball Bonus model which would have been introduced at that date..? I appreciate that not all machines marketed as new models at Trade Shows actually ever later made it to market, or not in the form described at the event, but would be interested if anyone has a flyer/actual model image of a Jennings light-up Golf Ball Bonus.