Coin operated fortune teller on ebay

[moonriver]

Have been watching this for a few days and it looks a bit home made and poor quality 'put together and aged'?

[chrisroadhog]

It's a fake.

[badpenny]

This one?

[aristomatic]

I'm pretty sure that same seller had a Pace machine on ebay last week that was removed? (It had reached £400 or so before it got pulled). They may have more machines for sale, if you haven't already contacted them.

GP

[gameswat]

You guys must be looking at something else? Because the link BP posted is a nice early machine, can only see a few modern screws in the hinge that are wrong, otherwise a very honest and lovely old machine!!!

[moonriver]

No not that one BP, but the one with a couple of days left to run listed by blossom 72, Under 'Coin Operated Fortune Telling Machine'. The machine was very recently for sale on the vintagearcades.co.uk site.

It looks 'created for sale' to me as nothing seems to fit or be made very well and has a cobbled together look.

[gameswat]

Ah, that's better, well ...worse actually! I see what you mean. There is a lot of dodgy looking marks all over that case that just don't look right at all. Looks like someone used a round dremel grinder to try and age it? And what are those bunch of drill holes on the left side all about? Some kind of lame attempt at worm holes? Sketchy to say the least.

[moonriver]

Yes, that's exactly what I thought and then seems to have been all painted over with stain. Patina is a hard look to replicate.

[pennymachines]

I discussed this with another forum member last week and came to the same conclusion:

Wow that is crude - also something very fishy about the case - stained PINE? Don't believe it for a machine of this supposed period. Look at the marks of distress - a hammer has been smacked against the side for no apparent reason, lots of little marks with smaller implements and little holes dug in the side, edges deliberately chiselled off mouldings, improbable wriggly scratches, new screws to hinges - all smack of low-grade fakery to me. Probably all worked up from a card vending mech and a photograph.

Even the instructions look like a Photoshop mock up of what should be an enamel sign.

[gameswat]

The best part is they didn't get the wording right for that front sign. Should say "What fortune HAS in store for you" But because the original machine has rubbing where the "h" is they thought it was a "w", which doesn't make much sense, "What fortune was in store for you"? Haha, classic.