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moonriver wrote: ↑Thu Jun 14, 2018 2:46 pm I shipped the EH Prospector back from the US along with some other machines.
The exhibition photo and letter are great, I love the animated figures above the play field.

Do you still have it?

I am the owner of the EH machine. I bought it privately and it is currently working in my no 1 arcade at Merrivale model village, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Ready and willing to take your pennies. Happy playing.

I can't think of a better place for it to be!

Yes nice that it is in an operating environment. I remember it at the Elephant and as mentioned wondered about the speed of the motor as it seemed to run so quickly with no time for a coin to slide in, maybe intentional.

mr merrivale wrote: ↑Thu Jun 14, 2018 8:15 pm I am the owner of the eh machine. I bought it privately and it is currently working in my no 1 arcade at Merrivale model village, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Ready and willing to take your pennies. Happy playing.

The first time I missed my annual trip to Gt. Yarmouth, and look what I missed!
I'm going to visit this year. I always stay at Wroxham, so I'll have TWO to play at.

Very cool to have found so much about this obscure game, especially the paperwork. I reckon the one at Watermouth Castle was/is? a multi-station model like the advert. These are proper arcade pieces, so it's good to hear the one from the EH is now being enjoyed by the public in Great Yarmouth. I was going to post something about the Rolitina because it's obviously a close cousin of Prospector, but couldn't recall the name. Also, I failed to take decent pictures of it. Do we know if this is also Pugh Automatics? I suggested to Clive he could saw it down the middle, converting it into two more manageable/saleable Rolitinas...

The Watermouth Castle machine is a single player the same as mine but now on 2p play.
Watermouth Castle is a real must place to visit, a really good mix of everything for the family and my favourite family park in the UK.

So it had grown bigger in my imagination. Presumably 2p would slip more easily between those slats.

mr merrivale wrote: ↑Sun Jun 17, 2018 11:35 am The Watermouth Castle machine is a single player the same as mine but now on 2p play...

Horrible... How horrible...

I've recovered from my bout of depression (see above), and I am now proud owner of the Rolitina.
There's nothing which specifically mentions Pugh Automatics, but I'd guess it is their work.
Does anyone know any of its history? There are two player positions, and the right-hand one at least appears to have been in use fairly recently; it has been given a later payout solenoid, but still on old penny. This has a 50v coil, and there is an overly-large transformer, presumably ex-BFM, just to operate it. The payout relay switches the transformer!
Other mods are evident, but the whole thing is in remarkable condition, considering that it must have been obsolete at decimalization. It looks wonderful when lit up.

Well done. Your machine was Clive Baker's on Southport Pier, then went to Little John when he ran Anna Carter's arcade, then sold at EH auctions and now to you. Have fun.

Thanks for the info., much appreciated. It has the corrosion you would associate with seaside use, but then, haven't they all!
It's the biggest brute I've ever had, by far. Good job I've got more space now.
The payout is simple; no stepper, just multiple coin switches. I'll let you know when it's all up and running.

This example at Dingles Heritage Museum is in a narrower flat-fronted cabinet.

Topic merged - Site Admin.

Hello, just wondering, are there still any Pugh Automatic machines out there?

Arthur Pugh was my grandfather and I have fond memories of his Leigh on Sea factory, although I was very young at the time! (he may have finished building by this time). My mother has just passed onto me a scrap book full of newspaper articles and photographs of his machines. I know the machines he made were sold through Cromptons, but I understand he did leave a maker's mark inside (I actually have an envelope full of his water transfer logos somewhere). I won’t tell you how much of the old spare parts eventually had to go to the tip... Are there any still out there?

to the site automatics!

There are indeed a few of your grandfather's fascinating Prospectors around the country. I played one many years ago at Watermouth Castle, but I'm not sure it's still there. There's one at Percival's Old Amusement Arcade and another excellent working example at Merrivale Model Village, operated by forum member mr merrivale.

Perhaps you can confirm whether the Rolitina was also a Pugh game. I'm not the only one who'd love to see scans here from your scrapbook.

Hi pennymachines,

I can confirm that the Rolitina is a Pugh Automatics machine as shown in the attached picture (Arthur Pugh looking skyward to the left).

Splendid pictures.
Great to have Rolitina confirmed as one of yours. The construction is so like Prospector that I felt sure it was.
Mine's the two-position type. Good to see that a single-play version was available.
I remember the artwork on the Mississippi Gambler very well, but I can't recall the gameplay. A very early pusher, perhaps?

Those are brilliant pictures thank you. Very cool and unusual to see a work-in-progress factory interior image.
The single player Rolitina looks very appealing. I'd love to see more images/cuttings.

Do you know the trading period of your grandfather's company? Unfortunately, it is one of the few not included in Paul Braithwaite's otherwise comprehensive Arcades and Slot Machines. This four-player hexagonal Prospector appears to have been made in the 1930s, judging by the style. It rewards the player with boxed gifts, not coins and its slatted disc is similar to the Rolitina. Perhaps this is Prospector Mk1?