British One Arm Bandits

[treefrog]

I know this has loosely been discussed before, but Britain really was not great in bandit manufacture, even though after the war they were deployed in large numbers. It was not until the electronic age that companies seem to have been making machines from scratch in the '60s.

Germany had multiple companies, Australia led the world and of course the US. I am sure we were one of the biggest users of Aussie machines.

In terms of mechanical, was it really only BDR that made bandits from scratch? I have excluded the likes of Bolands, Vale etc. as they used other manufacturers' parts.....

Anyone know any - maybe I have missed another obvious maker.

[pennymachines]

One that comes to mind is Bell Fruit Manufacturing Co. They took tooling from Watling and developed their own line of countertop (later, floor-standing) bandits. This was towards the end of the mechanical bandit's reign. See also the Balfour Silver Queen

I attribute the dearth of British bandits to the uncertain and often hostile legal position, combined with the difficulty of competing against American mass-production (and similar from Germany, after the war). Second hand games from those countries made it even tougher.

American companies were able (for a while at least) to exploit gaming regulations in different States, marketing their products where conditions were most favourable, and benefiting from much larger economies of scale. One or two companies in Germany (Automatenbau Rhein-Ruhr, Tura) made bandits before the war, but not in large numbers, it would seem. Gaming machines were banned by the Nazis, then, as we've discussed before, there was a post-war boom as the rules changed again, and factories were repurposed from war production to mass-producing bandits, bubble cars, etc.

There are a few pre-decimal British machines l would class as bandits, but they're usually heavily disguised and always (as is characteristic of all British product) made in small numbers. Two that more or less resemble bandits (they have reels) are Supermatic's Multiplay and Street's/Jamieson's ? Snap. Less obvious would be Bryan's Tick-Tock and Hidden Treasure, BMR's Skill Adda and the OK Novelty Roundabout. Then there are the wacky nixie tube bandits by Sturgeon Electronic Manufacturing Co. Ltd. I'm sure there are others.

Another company that comes to mind in this context is Firman. I noticed their Sphinx was wrongly attributed to Mills in the recent Morphy auction. I'm not sure whether they built any mechanisms from scratch. Maybe widget can comment, as he's had at least one to pieces.

Later of course, we have Ace Coin Equipment Ltd., Brenco, Peter Simper and others.

[chris rideout]

The Bell Fruit club machine boasted on the front panel: "The world's largest auto drop jackpot". It looked nearly 3 times wider than the Sega and Mills jackpots and might have held about 300 6d coins. Does anyone know how much could drop from the enclosure? (Assuming it is full).

[treefrog]

I did think about Bell after I had posted the thread as for a very short time they did do a Mechanical one armed bandit.

All the other manufacturers and machines you mention were either not mechanical or one armed bandits, perhaps with the exception of the Skill Adda.

Firmans like so many others just remade cases on other manufacturers mechanisms....

Still don't understand why the Brits were so behind, given we were one of the biggest buyers of them after the war.....maybe the reason was the war and lack of funds to tool up

[daveslot]

Brenner's Supermatic Multiplay is defo a mechanical one armed bandit. There was also BMR which I presume became BDR in the post war.

[badpenny]

This appeared on FB today .......

Click on image to enlarge.

I've checked the value of money then for comparison to today.
Apparently £980 in 1972 equates to £12,735.85 today and £99 equates to £1,286.58. !!!!?????

[richard_goddard]

I think I posted this pic somewhere a month or so back, but now I can't find it, and as it relates to the "British Bandits" thread, here it is again.

I got these from my brother-in-law who used to work with a guy who had machines in Bognor; and that's presumably why the award card (?used) and the four "Dial" signs (unused) were around, since Sturgeon were, I think, based in Bognor.

Anybody interested in acquiring these? I'll put them in my shop in Hay on Wye next week, but they'll be in the online shop too at http://rpgoddard.wixsite.com/goddardsamusements/shop-5 when I next update it.

[treefrog]

Well we know one person has one of these, MR Pennymachines

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=150&hilit=Nixie&start=60

These were attributed to Whittaker Bros and seen in their leaflets, but given Sturgeon made Nixie machines as well, did they make these like Beat the Bandit and Dial for Money for Whittakers

Bet Mr PMyour machine is still awaiting repair

[pennymachines]

You're correct in your assumption I'm afraid... I'm still looking for a suitable uniselector. The only one I've seen so far (apart from in a private collection) was on GaryTheGolfer's Electrodart (although most of these use the Strowger type).
The flyers you posted prove that Dial for Money at least is made by Electronic Machine Manufacturers SEMCO Sturgeon Electronic Mfg. Co. (Automatics) Ltd.1 Lennox Street, Bognor Regis, Sussex

I wonder which of their machines carried the totalizator plate above, with fruit symbols on it.

[treefrog]

Yes I am getting a bit long in the tooth and forgetting even what I have posted, yes your right Sturgeon, as you say the top award card does not match their nixie range, so maybe another machine or manufacturer