Newbie Collector - Advice sought

[clown444]

Hi,
I'm interested in starting a collection of some Allwin/Bryans type machines and would welcome any advice, do's/dont's and general guidance from other members.
I accidently acquired a derelict wall mounted machine some years ago which I patched up and only recently I have found out it is a Clown Catcher, but missing it's clown - otherwise it's all there and working. Any help sourcing a clown would also be helpful.
Thank you
Laurie

[slotalot]

Hi Laurie, welcome to the forum,
Please feel free to post some photos of your machine, I am sure we would all like to see it

in the meanwhile this might be of help to you, if you print a copy out and stick it to a bit of thin brass sheet you will soon have the clown you require.
Don't forget the photos, we like photos on here.

[coppinpr]

Welcome to the forum. I'm a slot guy rather than a allwin fan, but I have both in my collection. Pity you missed our annual auction in Coventry - lots of good allwins/Bryans machines there, some at low prices (some not ). Look up the photos from the auction on the resources page and drool.

My advice would be, don't start with expensive machines, buy what you think you will like then get it set up and running right, keep it a short while and see how you feel about it, look at all the machines that get talked about on here and note the ones/types you are drawn to. Two of the biggest pluses about this hobby is that unlike many collecting hobbies it has a secondary side, fixing/restoring/maintaining as well as just owning. You might be interested in both aspects or just one. Also, and strangely, as long as you don't go mad at the offset, it's not a hobby that is a permanent drain on your cash (oh boy the others are going to disagree with that comment, but the fact is it needn't be). As long as you're careful, don't rush and take advice from the guys on the forum before you buy, then any machine you buy will be saleable for near enough the price you paid, if not more than you paid if you need to sell it. I think most of us had a machine in mind when we started this hobby, set out to own that machine, bought one and then decided we wanted to move in another direction, sold the first machine and bought another (and another and another).

Warning!! This hobby can be addictive. I know of poor souls on the forum who have 200 locks in there spares box. I myself bought over 100 payout slides at Coventry, none of which I need (YET!)
Always remember, this forum shares one thing with the sex industry, we love photos. If you buy a machine, see a machine, sell a machine post a photo of it.

[pennymachines]

Hi Laurie and welcome.
I'm sure you'll be offered some great advice from the very helpful folk who frequent this place. You'll also find a wealth of it just by trawling through almost 10 years accumulated wisdom on this forum.
Top Tips for Newcomers is not a bad place to start.

[clown444]

Many thanks for the advice and thanks slotalot for the image - will certainly try your suggestion.
As requested, I have (hopefully) loaded some images of the machine including one of how it looked when I first acquired it.
This was 25 odd years ago before the wonders of the internet, Google images and forums like this, so my restoration was largely guesswork. I have since seen examples with a moss green/gold back covering which I think look more pleasing than the deep red velvet that I used, so am considering recovering. It would also be nice to add the spandrels if anyone can point me in the right direction. Any other suggestions of additions to add to the authenticity would be welcome as would any info on my particular machine...
Whilst browsing for other Allwin/Bryans machines, I have seen some on ebay made by a company called Nostalgic Machines which I'm guessing are later reproductions?
Again many thanks for the useful advice and hugely helpful website

[slotalot]

Hi Laurie, Thanks for the photos, and the private email. Looks like you have done a good job on your machine. It is amazing what can be achieved from a wreck of a machine with a little work - well done.
Looking at your photos, your machine looks like it was a Shield Catcher, same as the Clown but with a coat of arms. That said, their is nothing stopping you from putting the clown artwork on it. Check out the link for shield catchers...
Jentzsch & Meerz Simplex catcher
Or you could always put your own coat of arms on it??
Regards Stuart.

[bryans fan]

Reproduction spandrels available here :

http://www.allwinspares.co.uk/#/nostalg ... 4565239056

[john t peterson]

At the risk of stating the obvious, Laurie, it would appear that your catcher was "above average" in that it was altered at some point in the past to include a shocker function. That would be the purpose of those two round knobs on the front of the door. They added value to the game by providing a refreshing jolt of electricity in addition to an arguable position that the game was not a prohibited gambling device but rather an amusement only machine. I cannot see remnants of the battery and wire leads inside so it may be safe to assume that the electricity feature was disabled quite so time ago.

Even so, you have a rarer machine.

Best regards and welcome from the States.

J Peterson

[pennymachines]

It's certainly looking a lot happier than when you bought it - well done!
I think you're right that the deep red plush is distracting. Personally I would prefer to see the Union Jack coloured plastic strips replaced (even if these may have been the result of some post-war revamping). It's possible that the shield replaced the clown at the same time? Whatever, I'd be inclined to leave the shield as is, or as Slotalot suggests, decorate it with a coat of arms or something suitably patriotic like the Union Jack or British Bulldog.

bulldog.jpg (4.88 KiB) Viewed 3015 times

I'm not sure there's room for the pressed brass spandrels unless you arrange the pins back to their original positions.
The mechanism and fittings are classic Jentzsch & Meerz clown style, but an early example, evidenced by the side mounted coin slot. Compare it to this one recently seen on ebay: Anyone up for this clown challenge?. It even appears to have unusually tall hinges like yours.

[ddstoys]

I love your starting point. There is nothing better than bringing something back from the brink of complete destruction

WELL DONE

[clown444]

Again, my thanks for all the helpful feedback and kind words.
I have now ordered some repro spandrels (thanks Bryansfan) and we'll see if some repositioning of the pins will allow them to fit.
From the helpful links, I can see my pin field isn't right anyway, but not sure I have enough to replicate the original pattern.
Stuart - sadly, I don't think I have my own coat of arms(!) but I now realise the shield could well have been original. I do find the clown attractive though and may fix one up temporarily to see how I like it. Interestingly there is a hole on each side of the frame roughly where the brass rod that would have formed the tightrope would have been fixed, just beneath which is a tiny brass strip where I'm guessing the flattened end may have been secured? It occurred to me that these strips could have been cleats to fix a piece of elastic and in that way a tightrope tensioned against the clown's ball (ooh,er missus!) would have still provided the traction to turn the ball, but would have had the necessary 'give' to sag in a realistic way as the clown moved along it. However, I daresay it would have worn out too quickly to have been a viable proposition long term. So would be interested in confirmation of these strip's function.
Thanks also to John Peterson - I had always wondered what the two knobs were for....I had assumed handbag/walking stick parking!
I would be interested to know how the shock element would have worked (eg what would have triggered it and why the player would have held the knobs as at least one hand would be needed to play the machine presumably?)

Thanks again to everyone,
Laurie

[slotalot]

Stuart - sadly, I don't think I have my own coat of arms(!) but I now realise the shield could well have been original.

OK, you can use mine !!

[pennymachines]

Interestingly there is a hole on each side of the frame roughly where the brass rod that would have formed the tightrope would have been fixed, just beneath which is a tiny brass strip where I'm guessing the flattened end may have been secured?

That's right, the strips hold the brass wire under tension against the clown's wheel so that it makes contact along the full run.