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Hello, I live in the USA... I was trying to find out anything I could about the Postman fortune teller, so I really appreciate all you guys for the help.




I also like the forum, it’s very informative and interesting... This is the first forum I’ve been on, so trying to figure it out.

As you can see, I mainly collect old Stamp Machines. Have you ever seen any like these, but made in the UK? I have included some pictures of my collection. The last two are of a black machine which was made outside the US, I believe in the UK, and I do not have one, just pictures of it. I would love to get one, if anyone knows of any sources.

to the Forum Bud. That’s a very unique collection you have there. Thank you for letting us see them.

I’m afraid I don’t think I’ve seen the British machine you’re looking for, but others here may be more knowledgeable on these.

Here are some other stamp vendors culled from the Arena. The first of these, the sheet metal American Stamp Vender, like one your collection, sold at auction today, for £100 and the cast iron one next to it sold for 460 Australian dollars last Sunday.

You may also find some of these topics of interest:
British Stamp Vending Machines
Hall Telephone Accessories Ltd. stamp vendors
Arcade Photographs
Video of Decimal Coin Stamp Vending Machines, 1969

Wow what a wonderful collection!

I have recently inherited this beautiful British machine and have a little information on it but was wondering if you’ve seen any like this before. The information I have already is below in photos from the postal museum.

I’ve only seen one before sold but it was quite broken and without a front.

Hi Budman, great collection of stamp machines! Just goes to show how prolific the US inventors were compared with the rest of the world. I've seen your Postman card machine before in the collection of Barry Goldfarb. Will be by BMCo with that mirrored marquee and cabinet style and judging by the artwork mid 1930's. I remember when seeing it in person that the mirrored artwork made it better than normal.




I see the Kone Klutch stamp machine, I recently restored one for a friend and those things are fiddly. The pot metal gears had slightly expanded over the last 110 years ever so slightly and both sides were seized. Without being able to tear the mech totally apart for fear of cracking those fragile pinned gears. I soaked in penetrating oil and and slowly loosed them both up by hand to actually move, though poorly. Then after some thought I made a rubber wheel for my drill press and by slowly touching a gear to that was able to build up some rpms, with the clutch disengaged of course. In the course of 10 mins I probably did 20,000 revolutions! This was enough to wear down the tooth surfaces ever so slightly and eventually had both sides of the mech running like smooth as silk.




The other machine you have that I'm still restoring is the Vendex pencil machine. I was able to figure out the missing pencil sharpener model and buy one cheap on Ebay. I also found an empty wooden box that held the bottle of ink inside the machine. My machine did have a stand once but the seller kept it to use on his wooden case model, though it was badly cracked in multiple places. I was lucky enough to find a cast iron four footed base at a local junk yard in Australia that looks almost exactly the same, and have almost finishing making a close replica. The only thing I'm missing is the marquee frame and artwork. I found the two clips inside the machine that hold the marquee and a US collector gave me photos to build the pressed tin frame. But looks like you might just have the original card in your marquee!? If so I'd love to have a copy to help me finish mine off please.

These are the ones I had

alan57 wrote:These are the ones I had

Have you moved them on Alan?
Lovely looking machines.

Sadly had to sell them due to lack of space. Not easy to find room in the house when the collection also includes allwins, bandits, Bundy Time Clocks, Choc vending machines, German mantle clocks 2 budgies and a wife,

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 years before Denham's patent application. It's a fascinating story: Penny in the Slot- Conceiving the Internet- the Birth of the Coin Machine 1735-1883

Hey Budman, ah ok, I was just able to blow your Vendex pic up and can now see it's a Wrigley's gum advert in the top so no help. Have yet to see a machine with an original advert.

pennyhalfpenny wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:00 pm I’ve only seen one before sold but it was quite broken and without a front.

I have one of these.

Wow how cool! I love that I’ve found a sibling machine and in such beautiful condition!

Interesting that they are still noteably different in colour and style. Does yours have a maker's stamp?

Do you know any information on them?

They look different in colour as I think yours is mahogany and mine is oak. It has the same maker's label as yours.

Hi Budman,
The black one in last photos could have been from the old British Commonwealth, maybe Bahamas, Australia, India? (Maybe not India, as they might have used their own stamps. Not sure.)
Mike.