Morphy Coin Op Sale Jan 30-31 2016

[pennymachines]

Another major Coin Op & Advertising sale at Morphy Auction Jan 30-31 2016, with some top level British machines (and top level estimates).
Catalogue just gone online.

[john t peterson]

I'll take the Blind Box for $2,500.
At least the appraisers did not follow the current trend: appraising ridiculously low to attract the punters.

J Peterson
American Punter

[gameswat]

I'll take the Blind Box for $2,500.

JP, you'd better have someone read this message out aloud since your eyesight has obviously gone for good. In fact I think all the PM members should rally together and try to help pay your obvious costs in safeguarding that huge house now that you're blind as a bat. Such as having custom padding wrapped around allwin handles so you don't puncture a kidney or something stumbling around your English machine hoard. I guess we'll need some kind of device for those of us who care to donate Pennies into, and that can convey your current dilemma.....anybody know of such a thing?

[john t peterson]

Paper money is fine too. Just fold them into little airplanes and launch them across the pond. In the meantime, I'll sit in the corner with my little dog Gus and try to avoid injury.

J Peterson
Blind as a bat in America

[bryans fan]

Only just looked through the catalogue, as have been a bit busy these past few days.
Nice stuff.
I think I may be able to afford the catalogue!

[sweetmeats]

Here are some of the most relevant prices of English machines in the sale. The estimates were very high reflecting the prices paid mostly from a well known English dealer the owner died last year and his whole collection was sold in this sale. I met the gentleman about six years ago and saw the whole collection in New York but had seen many pieces in England - in fact several I once owned! All prices were plus premium of 22%.

Cast iron cricketer with new stand $21,000, cast iron golfer $19,000, cast iron footballer $15,000, cast iron sailor $11,000, cast iron gripper $7,500, cart iron shooter $6,500, bottle shooter $10,000, Le Magic (ex Paul Haskel) $8,000, electra shooter (ex Paul Haskel) $9,500, wall machines John Bull $3,000, Domino $3,250, Paris course with English paperwork $ 8,000, Bollands models haunted room $4,250 and haunted churchyard $3,750. Other notable prices were Roovers Puss in boots (ex Ken Ruben) $80,000 , Roovers Madame Zeta a truly unbelievable $175,000 !

[pennymachines]

Thanks for the summary Sweetmeats.
Full results are here.
Dave of the Coin Op Collector forum also provided these statistics, indicating that prices were, on average, below the low estimates:

Number of items sold: 1,536
Average Price: $1,925.911
Gross Sales: $2,958,200
Sum of High Estimates: $3,644,500
Sum of Low Estimates: $2,344,125

[bryans fan]

[pennymachines]

Actually, looking at those figures again, the average price was between the high and low estimates. And of course many of the items weren't slot machines.

[bryans fan]

Actually, looking at those figures again, the average price was between the high and low estimates. And of course many of the items weren't slot machines.

Plus 22% , plus shipping if bought by someone over here!

[gameswat]

Apparently this Morphy auction Electric Sailor has been living in the US just a little too long, he seems to have gone under the knife for some bad plastic surgery!? I can't believe someone just paid $13,420. A face only the seller could love! It's just plain wrong.

[sweetmeats]

Re. the shocking sailor I agree with gameswop about the face but I did see it at the late vendors house and took several pictures of it at the time because it looked different. It did seem to be original from close inspection although I could not open it to see the casting from the inside. On speaking to him I understood it was brought from a toy sale in the States a couple of years before so about 1999/2000.

[gameswat]

I've seen some major variations to the internal mechs on originals of these suggesting different makers in different countries. But otherwise all the outer castings I've seen until this one have been exactly the same. I've also seen at least one complete fake and heard of another one or two coming out of Europe. The fake I saw in person had a base that was welded together from steel plate and not cast in iron as it should've been, easily spotted when the machine was apart, but too late for the US buyer to return! I didn't really look closely at the rest of it though.

[john t peterson]

The Morphy sailor looks Australian to me; a bit too much of the Fosters.

J Peterson
American beermeister

[gameswat]

JP - he looks like maybe he was punched out by an Aussie sailor on the Fosters! That head is just so damn asymmetrical I had to run a grid over it to see how wonky it really is.

[john t peterson]

Hey wait…….! That's a picture of ME, in my cuter Navy days.

And that Aussie sucker-punched me while I was hitting on his girlfriend.

J Peterson
Punch-drunk in the USA

[hottoddy]

Hi,

Can anyone shed some light on the LA CHASSE A COURRE (The Hunt) arcade game that was in this auction? I've only seen pictures and wanted to know more about it.

Cheers

[moonriver]

It came up just after one of the Bollands and after I came off the phone bid, I hadn't paid it much attention but it went cheap I thought, unlike most other things. The room on both days was busy, a lot of people with a lot of money to spend who noticed other things they liked whilst they were there

[pennymachines]

La Chasse a Courre was made by Louis Miquel (Foresty) in 1937.

A superb machine 1.70m high. Put in the coin and turn the handle on the right. The horseman with his hunting horn follows the hounds hunting the stag. The player doesn't have to fire straight away: he can let the hunt pass until he is ready. Then he has to aim for the stag's heart and squeeze the trigger. If his aim is good, the stag gives a wild cry (as the instructions say), and the winnings drop into the cup for collection.

Essentially it's a floor-standing version of the Running Hare. Miquel (founder of the Societe Foresty) also made a horse race game called Jockey (in similar floor-standing cabinet) and a wall machine called Boule d'Or. Arcadia Slot Machines of Europe and America

[pennymachines]

Jingle alerted me to this pre-sale tour of the auction room showing a very impressive line up of rare machines.