Essex Flat Racer identified

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john t peterson
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Essex Flat Racer identified

Post by john t peterson »

All right, lad and lasses, it's show and tell time again. Show me your smarts and tell me the maker of this game!

Below is a coin operated game named "Dog Races." As you can see, it's a beautiful machine looking for identification. The owner is a long time American collector who has had the game for over 55 years. The game is currently set up to take the American quarter but the coin slide is adjustable and can accommodate sizes from other countries, including Great Britain.

Several distinctive features of the game are worth mentioning. It's a clock-wound/powered machine. You insert your coin, turn the handle to return the dogs to the starting gate, and await the winner. There is no dog selection feature. Pay-out is predetermined and occurs on the play AFTER you win; it other words, it's a future pay machine. The dogs race from right to left. This is a game that has worked for a living. It's now in well deserved retirement.

Full bragging rights to the one who identifies the maker. Posers in the past have suggested all possible American manufacturers as well as several British and German companies. Extra credit to anyone who has an advertisement or an identical game.

Don't disappoint me. I've told the owner that my Pennymachines brain trust is more than equal to the task. Let the contest begin!

J Peterson
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coppinpr
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by coppinpr »

Nice machine and unfortunately I know nothing about the actual machine. Two things do spring to mind: first the date, any ideas? Has to be after 1928 as dog racing isn't around before that, and second the background is clearly a horse racing scene. Could there have been a horse race version and is that one easier to track down?
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by coppinpr »

Looking at the colors of the dogs, I thought it might throw light on the country of origin, but not really, for the UK the color order should be red, blue, white, black, orange, black/white. It's close but not correct. There looks to be a green dog. Green is not used in UK dog racing but is in the USA, also there are six dogs which is UK style whereas in the US it would be 8 dogs but the size of the machine might have limited that, so, not much help really !PUZZLED!
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by john t peterson »

I like your deductive reasoning, Coppinpr. Anyone else?
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by badpenny »

It must be UK because I have spent literally moments having a shufty through the images on Google and every picture of a race track showing a winning post with a circle on the top of a pole was from the Mother Land or one of the still faithful colonies.

Hussar! Three cheers for Lord Harry ..hip ....hip ....hip :cool:
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by bryans fan »

My first instinct was British, then I waivered to the US, but then came back to good old blighty. I have discussed this machine with a couple of collectors, and we all have come to the same conclusion, independently. I thought they would have posted by now, but they haven't, so I will.
I think it was made by Essex. If you look at a picture of the Corn Exchange machine you will see the case has remarkably similar proportions and the payout cup identical.
Unfortunately I am only able to claim around 20% bragging rights.
Unfortunately I can't find a picture but there is a thread on the Corn Exchange on this site.
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by bryans fan »

Image
roger
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by roger »

Hi there dog race fans..... I have been following DOG RACE post and about to offer my 2 pc. when along comes BRYANS FAN and says that the machine is made by ESSEX because coin cup is identical.........better check out WATLING "Dewey" (circa 1900) as coin cup is IDENTICAL and it is a much older machine..............all Essex machines are pictured and I don't see any DOG RACE....also, the Essex mechs don't look anything like DOG RACE.......WATLING??????? ESSEX??????? Somebody out there must have an advertisement.
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by gameswat »

I just posted a pic of an Essex Stock Exchange in another thread. Please note that the handle backing plate is the same as on this greyhound game. The payout cup is the same style used on some Essex machines, I've seen at least 3 x diff styles of cup. Also note that the payout cup is mounted into the cashbox door like other Essex machines, something I don't ever recall seeing on any US made machine. And the fact that it has a lower front cash door is something almost always used on British cabinets like Allwins etc. etc. The front door uses the same 4 piece wood joinery as other Essex games. If you read the award card it says the game pays out with the next coin played, so this is a future play, just like the line of Essex games including Stock Exchange and Corn Exchange etc. The coin entry has been cut out for a wide coin, US made would be much smaller.
Hi there dog race fans..... I have been following DOG RACE post and about to offer my 2 pc. when along comes BRYANS FAN and says that the machine is made by ESSEX because coin cup is identical.........better check out WATLING "Dewey" (circa 1900) as coin cup is IDENTICAL and it is a much older machine..............all Essex machines are pictured and I don't see any DOG RACE....also, the Essex mechs don't look anything like DOG RACE.......WATLING??????? ESSEX??????? Somebody out there must have an advertisement.

The Walting Dewey cup is similar and was probably copied by Essex to save time as I've seen done in a number of diff ways by later makers. If the machine was anything like circa 1900 it would be far more ornate and not as streamlined as this. How do you know all the Essex machines are pictured? I know of quite a few machines by major makers that have never been seen in print or in game lists. This Greyhound game doesn't play anything like the other Essex machines so the mech has to be different in design than those. I don't have my Braithwaite book with me but I've been told there is a Greyhound game listed by Essex in there?

So after all that I'd date this to the later '20s and made by Essex. Nice game by the way, pity it's in the US.
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john t peterson
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by john t peterson »

Well done, young Gameswat! Unless someone comes up with an actual advertisement or a more compelling analysis, I think you may have won bragging rights on this one. Part of the fun of collecting British coin operated machines is the mystery of attribution and the fabulous community that rises to the challenge. Well done, indeed!

J Peterson
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by bryans fan »

At least someone agrees with me!
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by pennymachines »

Hey Bryans Fan, you can pull your pants up now ;-)
We discussed this topic a few weeks ago and finally I got around to composing my rather lengthy analysis last night, but Gameswat seems to have saved me much of the effort. Anyway, here's what I have...

The first reason for supposing the game did not originate in the U.S. is that the wall machine format is almost uniquely European. I can't think of any comparable American machine. It's also clearly not French (in style or substance).
HorseRacer.jpg

The B&W example, pictured above, was catalogued in a Sotheby's sale (Dec. 1976) as German. No manufacturer was cited and I'm sure it was just the vendor's guess. No example, to my knowledge, has been seen in Germany (Automatix shows pretty well all the known German games), but four have surfaced in England, all operating on our old penny. There are also more subjective aspects of the game's construction that point to a British manufacturer.

Credit to Coppinpr for spotting that the background is a horse racing scene and suggesting there might be such a version. His was right, as can be seen from both the Sotheby's example (above) and the Racing Investor (below) from John Carter's sale. I'm guessing, with its fancy metal front, it's the earliest. I had a quick look inside because, at the time, I was restoring a couple of these. If memory serves me right, the mechanism differed slightly; being weight, rather than spring driven.
RacingInvestor.jpg

The two I worked on were almost identical to the game found in America; one had the greyhounds but the other had a motorcycle theme. This provides a stronger clue as to country of origin, the die-cast bikes being made in Britain by Johillco.
johillco.jpg


MCRacers1.jpg


MCRaces2.jpg

As pointed out by Bryans Fan and Gameswat, the cabinet style (particularly the rounded edge mouldings) and construction are not dissimilar to those of the Essex Corn Exchange. I also concur with Gameswat's theory that the Dewey style coin cup is simply a copy. It's aluminium and, I suspect, an inferior casting (but I never owned a Dewey). Regardless, these appear on several '20s-'30s British machines. More persuasive is the instruction frame, which is interchangeable between the Corn Exchange and these racers. In fact, the motorcycle game used exactly the same fancy casting. However, the clincher (as Gameswat noted) is the fancy casting behind the turning handle. This can be seen on other Essex machines, but as far as I know, not on any other game, British or American.
John T. Peterson wrote:Pay-out is predetermined and occurs on the play AFTER you win; in other words, it's a future pay machine.

I think that's what first made me wonder if it was related to the Stock Exchange machines. The Racing Investor name even chimes with those other investment themed games.
It's a curious coincidence that these racers were probably trained by the same master as the monkeys in John's parallel thread If not dogs, why not monkeys?, namely, Gordon Smith.
roger wrote:all Essex machines are pictured...
If only they were... I'm sure Watling's output is better documented than most British manufacturers, even of a later period (Bryans excluded). The Greyhound game listed in Braithwaite's book might be our game or another Essex floor-standing, two player racer...

I think we're agreeing on a post 1928 date (as proposed by Coppinpr). Johillco was taken over and renamed John Hill & Co in 1946, so the Motor Cycle Races was probably made between these dates.

They're rare, attractive and interesting (although I nearly tore my hair out reassembling and adjusting the mechanisms). The method of running the races is really very simple. The figures run neck and neck until the very end, when one steals a lead. This is achieved by means of a perforated disk which advances one notch per play. Rods linked to the figures run up against the disk and the one which penetrates provides the extra forward motion of the winner.
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by roger »

How come Gameswat won braging rights.?????? Braithwaite book does not show this DOG RACE,,,,,,,,,,,,,Pennymachines list of British patents does not show an ESSEX DOG RACE.....All ESSEX machines do not have the look, style, age, or mechanism of this DOG RACE...........So, here's my entry for braging rights........DOG RACE was built by a German guy in his basement using an old WATLING coin cup,an ESSEX handle, toy FRENCH dogs, MONGOLIAN castings. plus parts from an old AUSTRALIAN flush toilet..
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AUSTRALIAN FLUSH TOILET

Post by roger »

you won't believe the parts used to make this slot.....see DISCOVERIES "DOG RACES"
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john t peterson
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by john t peterson »

Fascinating information, Mr. Pennymachines. Your pictorial evidence is quite compelling. I think the burden of proof has now switched to the other side of the pond. If anyone from the US believes this is NOT a British machine, let them bring forth their proof. That includes the Mongols. The Australians are already onboard.

Brillance is its own reward. All who offered up proof are hereby recognized and applauded! Your erudition is a wonder to us all.

J Peterson
Your Humble American Observer
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gameswat
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Re: AUSTRALIAN FLUSH TOILET

Post by gameswat »

Australian Flush toilet?? Me thinks you jest. All we have down here is a hole in the ground covered in old corrugated iron - called a thunderbox!
Last edited by gameswat on Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by gameswat »

Pennymachines, wow, thanks for all the info! Really dig the motorcyle versions, I guess.... I could find space for one of those.....if you have too many....
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Re: AUSTRALIAN FLUSH TOILET

Post by coppinpr »

Corrugated iron! Luxury! When I was a boy ...... and you tell the youngsters of today and they don't believe you!!
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by 13rebel »

roger wrote;.......plus parts from an old AUSTRALIAN flush toilet........................Australians don't have FLUSH toilets do they? :lol: (I thought I would say it before Mr.BP).
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by bob »

What are flush toilets? Where can I find one? !PUZZLED!

What an ingenious mechanism for a racing machine, to provide an exciting suspenseful race with a definite result every time. I'm surprised that no patent has been found for this.
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