Treasure Cave (Elephant Gift Vender)

[JC]

Thanks for clearing up the mystery of the twin doors - it all makes sense now, one for 'in' and one for 'out'.

Congratulations to Stuart for such a detailed explanation of how the carousel mechanism works, but I can't help thinking it's a really long-winded, Micky Mouse way of doing things - far more complicated than the usual Maltese Cross arrangement.

In answer to power requirement, the machine would definitely have been mains powered - you'd need a shed load of batteries to power that beast!

As BP has observed, the machine's cycle is controlled by a mercury switch. When the coin slide is pushed in, the switch is 'tipped' which sets the mechanism in motion. At the end of the cycle, a part of the mechanism will tip the switch back to its rest position.

[slotalot]

Stuart, can't thank you enough this is going to help so much.

Hi Michael, it was no problem at all, I enjoyed doing it, it’s what I joined the forum for, and it made a change from the usual subject of what colour to paint a bandit . It’s just a pity you live so far from me or I would have offered to pop round and guide you through it .
I still can't quite see what is happening with the start/coin switch. As BP says, there is a mercury switch, but I can also see a pair of contacts. Once you get the front off the machine, and can take some photos side on to the switch I am sure all will be revealed
As for the wiring of the motor and lights?? I would think that 1 fuse will be for the motor, and 1 fuse for the lights. The switch, I think, will be to turn off the motor when filling the carousel with boxes with the lights still lit...... but without seeing it in front of me I could be wrong Maybe more photos of the motor, fuses and wiring might help to sort that out.
Regards Stuart.

[badpenny]

I've isolated that portion of the photo behind the switch and by re-polarising the shadow and back pedalling the hues of the spectrum I've managed to isolate the bit you can't quite see .........

Jeremy

PS, All bandits should be painted red except for the ball on the end of the stick thingy.

[slotalot]

Yes, that looks like one of my wiring jobs

[miked16]

Thanks again Stuart and Jerry for the help.

Stuart, I will get the front off this weekend and then get some better photos! Do you have an email address I could contact you on?

Michael.

[slotalot]

Hi Michael, I have sent you a private message, re my email address.
regards Stuart.

[coppinpr]

PLEASE READ

Are any members interested in buying boxes custom made for this machine (or any other that takes the same size) I have made a few inquires in Hong Kong and can get them custom made for about 28p each plus shipping and i only need to buy 500. The shipping should not be much . If only 5 people will take 100 each I'll order them. Let me know soonest. The pretty Chinese girl I'm dealing with thought the video of the vendor was the best thing since packeted rice

[slotalot]

Jerry also sells the boxes on his new allwin spares site, https://www.allwinspares.co.uk/#/miscel ... 4566414724 and I think it's free UK postage.

[coppinpr]

I didn't realize the win a gift boxes were the same size as the elephant ones. I thought these were much bigger

[slotalot]

I know that the Whales gift allwin and the Whales elephant treasure cave machines used the same size boxes, but there may well be other makers who had their own size boxes, which would make some kind of sense because the operators would then have to go back to that maker for more boxes. .
The elephant machine that I restored was as far as I know not a Whales machine, but did still use Whales size boxes

[miked16]

Managed to get the front panel off today. Unfortunately no key for the lock , but was able to unscrew the brackets holding it in place inside and then slide it out. So now I have managed to get some *hopefully* better pictures of the Coin Mechanism:

I imagine it's just a case of looking around, but does anyone know a supplier of locks or even keys for old locks? I would like to get the front one changed especially so that I have a key to it. The side doors aren't so important really because one is open already. Here are the locks;

Front door:

Side doors:

Stuart, thanks for your email, just going to send you one now!

Thanks again all!

[JC]

Yes, the boxes on my site are for the Elephant vendor - they're listed as suitable for Whales Win a Gift allwins because it's supposed to be a site for allwin spares! But they're all the same size. (I have 10,000 of them, by the way - so hold the Hong Kong order for now).
Back in the '60s, there were are lot of Auto Gift machines to be found on fairgrounds - the boxes in these were bigger (I don't know why - all you got was a crap tinny ring which would have fitted in a matchbox).

[trevb]

Brings back memories as one of the better novelty machines giving out gifts or cards. We had them in the arcades I worked in in the '70s. The light blue boxes came flatpacked and had to be made up and filled with very junky trinkets and small toys. Fun if you have a machine at home as a hobby, but a bit dull on a busy summer's day with the thing constantly emptied by punters, making up several hundred boxes at a time! The other novelty machine needing 'feeding' was the fortune teller - put your hand in, press down on a springplate which lit up and read your 'fortune'. These had to be topped up constantly with stacks of cards, and I'm afraid to say they were random - they didn't really analyse your future prospects and deliver a personal message....perhaps we would be caught by the Trades Descriptions Act these days! Another one was a target shooter which gave out paper targets with holes in. These were, of course, punched from behind by a puncher mounted on a bar connected to the gun - so it did depend on a good aim. Happy days!

[jimmy55]

Whereabouts was that Trev? I always wonder where arcades buy in their gifts from ....is there a trade magazine or do they get reps that call with suitcases full of plastic wonders? There is a lot of quite good Diecast cars in the 2p pushers these days and I'd love to get my hands on some of those in quantity, but the operators keep it all pretty quiet!

[badpenny]

Try looking up "Swag" a lot of the swagmen were known to the showmen and just turned up with a van load periodically where the fairs were touring.
World's Fair used to be full of adverts for swag, I should think nowadays they just buy it off eBay.

Yemerj

[pennymachines]

Mike - your Treasure Cave is the earliest (and most attractive) version I've seen.
Treasure Island, from last year's Elephant House auction, is probably the most recent (and ugliest).

Treasure Island by Sound Leisure Ltd.

In the composite picture on page 3 of this thread, showing eight machines (at least four of which look radically different), I notice all employ the same PUSH prize door casting.
The only one which doesn't is Sound Leisure Ltd.'s revival of the game, above. I always assumed Oliver Whales was the sole maker. Is there any evidence (apart from the diversity of styles) that another company made them?

[JC]

I notice all employ the same PUSH prize door casting.

The PUSH prize doors are actually from Waltonian merchandisers. It's odd that so many should end up on these Elephant machines - their use seems to be universal.

[jubileeriviera1]

Hi
I'm in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was offered one of these a few weeks ago by a showman if anyone is interested in buying one.
Kev

[craig123]

Hi All

I know it's a long shot but I was wondering if anyone is, or knows of someone who is selling one of these machines??

Thanks,

Craig.

[13rebel]

There is a video of a Treasure Cave on You Tube. Search 'Oliver Whales Treasure Cave.