Play Nine Holes golf penny game

American, British, French or German? We want to know about it.
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mei-mei
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by mei-mei »

Hi, thanks guys, all useful info. Problem with keeping the original track is that it will result in many gaps and possible trip up points for the penny to negotiate. Plus the fact that the track is so brittle, I'm not sure it will stand me drilling through it. I think that pennymachines is correct and this early type of plastic has a limited shelf life a bit like the mass of yellowed plastic bits I presume was once a barrier between the glass and the pennies, there to protected the back painting of the imagery. Another slight problem is that at some time the previous owner has stuck a second piece of glass over the original. At a guess I think he tried to protect the imagery from damage, or maybe there is a hairline crack that I haven't spotted yet. Unfortunately dirt and water have seeped between the two layers leaving yellow streaks that I would really like to clean, but I'm terrified if I take the two layers apart that it will damage the image further. I could try the method I used to repair the back painted fortune teller machine that I have, but that would mean having a reproduction image instead of the original. This is truly driving me nuts? !!SUICIDAL!! Mei-mei
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

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Seems that the track has deteriorated to the point of replacement then. :( Mr P, question, would it not be possible to fret saw new tracks out of wood? Would this be easier? Also, is there any reason why you couldn't mark the track line with a white board pen if it's being painted in advance of removing the tracks as it just wipes off?
I bet the second glass was added to replace the disintegrated plastic one. Could be a disaster separating them as you say.
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by mei-mei »

Thanks coppinpr, it is great to be able to chew these problems over with someone else. Using fret sawn wood for the track could work as the machine shouldn't get a great deal of use, so wear and tear would not be an issue. I still think I could give the right angled plastic a try, it would be easy enough to bend and fit in one piece. I'm going to take the glass to a glazier mate and see if he has any suggestions. If all else fails I can get the image scanned and printed onto another piece of glass, shame but if there is too much damage sometimes you just have to bite the bullet! :cry: MM
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by bryans fan »

Hi mei-mei


I expect you have spotted this at the E H Auction today, but thought it worth posting this picture on this thread as they appear to be from the same stable
ROLLING HOME MACHINE.jpg

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mei-mei
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by mei-mei »

Thanks Bryans fan, Wow I wish mine was in as good a condition. I guess they made these over a long period of time. Anyone know when they first started making this type of machine? MM
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by pennymachines »

The earliest version I know of appears to be 1930s and, as is often the way with these things, was the most attractive. Unlike the later ones, it's wider than it's tall, and the cabinet incorporates a clubhouse on top. The only example I've seen is pictured in the showroom image on the front of the 1930s Bolland's Amusement Machine Supply Co. catalogue.
golf-game.jpg

Last year however, what appeared to be the innards from a similar game was sold in New Zealand:
124a.jpg

Several versions were made with different graphics, but usually following the same basic design, even down to the old car driving away, bottom right.
I've put a couple of glasses in Resources.
I think the Peerless Golf may be by Peerless Novelty Co. and the Nine Holes says,
Protected Registered British Design Nos. 837474 & 337774 - U.S.A. Registered Design No. D 8?243 Modele Deposé. FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY MFD. BY BCM/MMMM LONDON.W.C.1
I've also put a few examples of these games in the Museum. The Nine Holes shows the stand and coin return tray as it probably existed on yours originally. See also Rolling Home (unsold in last Sunday's auction) and the metal-cased Mastermatics Master Golf Game.
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

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I was tempted with the EH one as it did look nice although not sure how much had been replaced or restored. Also the minimum bid seemed to be £200, which seemed reasonable to me and maybe if you contact Steve it could still be available. They are big old things though, but entertaining....
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by pennymachines »

The same machine sold for over £600 previously at the Elephant House. Some folk playing it before the sale were clearly having fun, so I was surprised when it couldn't get a bid at £200.
coppinpr wrote: Sat Jul 29, 2017 8:26 pm Would it not be possible to fret saw new tracks out of wood? Would this be easier? Also is there any reason why you couldn't mark the track line with a white board pen if it's being painted in advance of removing the tracks as it just wipes off?
Hardwood's not very stable at the required thickness and ply will not present a very smooth edge, even after sanding. It can also splinter a bit and warp if damp. I see no reason not to use suitable thickness sheet plastic. It's probably easier to scroll saw than wood.

To get a really clean, smooth backplate, I'd remove the track before rubbing down and respraying.
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

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Hi,
"Protected Registered British Design Nos. 837474 & 337774 - U.S.A. Registered Design No. D 8?243 Modele Deposé. FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY MFD. BY BCM/MMMM LONDON.W.C.1".

I did wonder if it was a type of trade simulator as there seems to be no other payout when you win. I just love the look of the original with the club house on top, so typical of that era. Does this also mean that it was made in the good old US of A?

The guy I bought this from did mention a table that had been lost in his moving house so it is possible it is as early as the one you have posted. There is however a small label on the glass that says 'Master golf' which is confusing as this is not a metal model? MM
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by mei-mei »

Hi, further to my last email. I am fortunate to have an old peddle driven fret saw and as it has a very fine blade, it should be easy enough to cut a plastic track for the penny. I am excited at the thought of getting started over the weekend. MM
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by coppinpr »

A UK machine I think and not a trade stimulator (not simulator). When I was a kid this type of machine that simply gave you your money back on a win was commonplace (Steer-a-Ball and the 6d shooting games spring to mind).
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by mei-mei »

Hi, coppinpr, I don't believe you were around in the 1930s! :shock: So were all trade 'stimulators' (sorry typo) made in the US then? or did we make some here? If so what did they look like? MM
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

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These games were still common until decimalisation in arcades and places like golf clubs. Just because they were made years earlier didn't mean they didn't last. People in the '50s & '60s didn't look for updates in slots like they do now. These would go on the wall and sit there for years and years, slowly becoming less popular until they were replaced. It wouldn't surprise me at all if several still exist on golf club walls. I know of at least one that was converted to 2p in a golf club in the '80s.

The trade stimulator was very much an American idea which took route in the "punchboards" operated under the counter in almost every general store in the US. The mechanical stims also helped to avoid the strict gambling laws. I don't know if many were made in the UK. The only one that I can think of that you could even slightly include would be the round, clock-like fortune teller that was common on pub counters. Some still exist in situ now used as charity collectors.
I think trade stims are very interesting. I have only five though, Richard Bueschel's book "Vintage Trade Stimulators & Counter games" is a must if you are interested in the type.

The demise of the trade stim was started by prohibition when high street bars closed but was really killed off by, of all things, the arrival of the supermarket in the 1930s with its checkouts and lack of counters.
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by pennymachines »

Trade stimulators do seem to be a uniquely American phenomenon. They brought a touch of low-stakes gambling into the retail environment, in the form of small, cheaply-made devices which could be played by the customer in lieu of a direct purchase. Instead of buying a low value item (confectionery, cigar etc.), you put your coin in the machine and played for the chance to win three or four cigars, etc. As the name suggests, the opportunity to have a flutter stimulated trade by encouraging customers to spend money on items they might not otherwise buy. The trade stimulator was often supplied free to the shop when they purchased a sufficient quantity of whatever product was being promoted by it.

Perhaps it was never tried in the UK because of stricter anti-gambling enforcement. Some trade stimulators would combine spinning reels with vending a low value item such as a gumball etc., but the defining characteristic was they didn't pay out. Any winnings were to be claimed in goods from the shop. That's quite different from the Nine Hole Golf, which is a coin return amusement game. The nearest British equivalent to a trade stimulator would be our amusement machines which give a score but no coin return (Bryans Rippler, Trickler etc.) These would sometimes advertise prizes to be paid (by the proprietor) for high scores. Again, they're not true trade stimulators because they were designed for arcades, clubs or bars, not retail premises.

Nor was the 'round, clock-like fortune teller' mentioned above. These were purely fortune tellers and made originally, I believe, as collecting boxes for St Dunstan's blind veterans charity.

The golf games we've been looking at are all British-made (for the old penny), but they're such simple things to manufacture it wouldn't surprise me if versions were made in America or elsewhere (although I've not seen any).
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by mei-mei »

Thanks guys for a really interesting piece of history. I too love the trade stimulators and the simpler style of English machines for their simplicity and variety. MM
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by treefrog »

These type of machines were made well into the '60s and maybe later. Below is a version from Kraft, Ski Run....
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IMG_0635a.jpg
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by bob »


Penny Patience 7-603.jpg


Penny Patience 1-597.jpg

Similar machines were also made in Australia and New Zealand. A 1933 patent exists for an Australian machine which I used to have a couple of versions of. I bought these from the manufacturer, an operator who bought the company from the patentor. The original patent and machine had a jackpot which was fed from one side of the playfield, coins lost on the other side went straight into the cash box. These machines were deemed to be an illegal gambling machine and consequently most were converted to just return the penny if one completed the course.

Two types were made, one with a captive washer used to propel the penny, the other had a special tapper which the operator said gave more control. The game could be adjusted to make it easier or harder by elevating or lowering the piece of track beyond the drop to the next lower lever. This was quite imperceptible to the player and I have encountered owners of these machines who were not aware of this feature. I will attach a couple of pages of the patent. The elongated holes on the alloy playfield on which track is mounted were to prevent players from banging the glass and trapping the coin when the "fluid" glass moved to "hold" the coin which would then tranquilly proceed and drop to the next level if the elongated holes were not there. When the machines were converted from the jackpot model, the jackpot mechanism was removed and they were put on a stand.

The same manufacturer also made a small "Penny Skill" machine based on the same principle but made very easy to win. However the operator said that players invariably kept playing until they lost the coin. Once they start playing he said the coin was his.

Similar machines were made later in New Zealand and Australia. The tin patience machine is a later Australian one dating from the forties or fifties. Some of these had a movable playfield which could be tipped from side to side. I don't have any photos of these to hand but maybe Gameswat could find these more readily than I can and will oblige.

The early play fields were generally hand painted with scenes from parts of Australia or the world. The track simply consists of strips of sheet metal slightly thicker than a penny simply bent as required and bolted to the playfield. Much simpler than sawing.
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Penny Skill.JPG
Penny Patience Floorstanding Model.jpg
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Penny Patience with tappers587.jpg
Tin Patience.jpg
Penny Patience 8-604.jpg
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by pennymachines »

Fascinating info and pictures Bob - thanks!
I love the jackpot feature. The more you delve into them, the more interesting these games become.
The 'innards' which sold in New Zealand last year may have been from a locally made version then, which would explain the slight differences in track layout from the Bolland's catalogue example.
coppinpr wrote: Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:05 am 2. 5min 30sec into this video you catch a glimpse of several machines much like the "nine holes golf" that has a thread running. Would these be US made?

3.jpg

The Steeplechase was made by the Automatic Novelty Co., San Antonio, Texas, but is not the same as the golf games. It involves rolling balls down the tracks; you don't strike the balls from the sides and you don't get your coin back. Unlike the golf games, it is a trade stimulator.
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automatic-novelty-steeplechase-trade_2a.jpg
automatic-novelty-steeplechase-trade_3.jpg
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by mei-mei »

Hi coppinpr, with regards to the 'steeple chase' machine. My understanding is that 5 different coloured balls would 'come out of the gate' and the idea was to bet on which colour got to the finish first? Though not really sure how a payout would work on that? Have I misunderstood? MM
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Re: Play Nine Holes golf penny game

Post by pennymachines »

There is no payout on these. It's a trade stimulator or betting game upon which you could place wagers.
The one in the video is attributed to Exhibit Supply Co., 1932. It would appear similar games were also made by Keeney and Automatic Novelty Co.

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