Essex Flat Racer identified

Show us what you found. Make us jealous!
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bryans fan
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by bryans fan »

I have spent quite some time looking for a patent, but so far no joy. What great pictures of the mechanism by PM. Am I right in thinking that the winner is not random but a pre determined sequence? The disc that gives the winners by allowing the pins to go through the holes appears to rotate on a ratchet system and advances after each play.
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by pennymachines »

Correct and because it's not very long, it wouldn't have been hard to spot the pattern. The machine takes a fixed percentage profit each cycle but a canny punter wouldn't play if, for example, the white was on the winning line when they approached the game.
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by gameswat »

Ahh, Penny Machines - pre-determined payout hey, then my offer on the spare Motorcycle Exchange (that I'm sure your're using as a door stop to your garden shed) - just went down. In fact I was told the owner of this Greyhound example was asking $30,000! Good grief, don't think that will happen, even if it had been some lost US machine, I can't see anybody paying a fraction of that. And if you looked closely at the pics, the cabinet has been messed up by someone stripping it back using an orbital sanding wheel.
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by pennymachines »

roger wrote: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
If it was in the book, there wouldn't be much to brag about - save an ability to read and look things up. Most slot machines were not patented, so unless you can find an American patent for the game, that's also a moot point.
roger wrote:All ESSEX machines do not have the look, style, age, or mechanism of this DOG RACE
We're only suggesting that one of them does. I wouldn't claim we've definitively proved it, but I think we've put together a strong case on the available evidence. You may have reason to be unconvinced (apart from a vested interest in the market value of the game), but unless you offer coherent counter arguments, I'm putting my money on the Essex Greyhounds.
EssexComparison.jpg

A Bit of a Flutter by Mark Clapson (History Today, Vol 41), describes the use of tote machines at horse races:
The machines varied from the hand-cranked variety to the more effective electrically operated types patented by inventors and companies. The machines issued tickets that were dispensed from the tote building. The first tote buildings were established at Newmarket and Carlisle in July 1929.
Tote betting was also operated off-course in tote clubs situated in towns, the odds and prices being relayed via "blower" from the racecourse to the tote office.
The little tote machines found in these clubs were made by companies such as the Essex Auto Manufacturing Company, who also made slot machines.
In light of this, doesn't it seem likely they would turn their hand to at least one gambling machine with a race betting theme?
Tote clubs were largely killed off by the 1934 Betting and Lotteries Act, which made them illegal, and facilitated working-class access to totes by legalising them at dog tracks.
Perhaps it is no coincidence then that 1934 also saw Essex Auto Co. go into liquidation: London Gazette, June '34. So if they made them, the racers can be no later than that.
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by gameswat »

All ESSEX machines do not have the look, style, age, or mechanism of this DOG RACE
Roger it's easy to say the above, but then you make no claims to back that up. It seems your whole case is based on one piece of flimsy evidence - Exhibit A - the "coin cup". And then the fact that it doesn't appear in any lists as by Essex, which is not really proof of anything. At least we came at this with some sensible and thought out arguments. But it seems you didn't like that much. I'm guessing that you are in fact the owner of the Greyhound in question?!
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by roger »

HATS OFF to all Posters on "Dog Race" for your valid arguments that this machine had its origin in the UK.....I did not mean to question your extensive knowledge of coin-ops , but really attempted to provoke a lively discussion on the subject------- it seems like I achieved my purpose, plus how about all that invaluable information that came out of the woodwork. ALL contributors deserve a word of THANKS. ........................As a new member of PENNY MACHINES , I have throughly enjoyed visiting this site. However, I am amazed that most postings get little or no response LOTS OF LOOKERS>>>NO REACTION.......hopefully, that will change................I would speculate that the "Dog Race" owner really does not want to sell this rare machine. There was a posting on PENNY MACHINES asking members to name the one machine they regret having sold. ..... I WILL MAKE YOU A SIDE BET THAT THE 25 cent DOG RACE GETS BURIED WITH ITS PRESENT OWNER.. roger
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by pennymachines »

Cheers Roger and well done for getting our juices going. I've learned more about the game thanks to this thread. Please don't become like the LOOKERS you talk of - I'm sure you have much more to tell us, and it doesn't have to be British!

I acquired my Motorcycle Races thanks to a brief comment by Steve Hunt in the Deal Directory. He'd seen the games while visiting a well known dealer. I was sufficiently intrigued by the mention of an unknown racing game to make the journey myself. They were in quite poor condition and I was offered the kind of proposal with which Gameswat is familiar: "you can have one if you restore the other". Only it was more like, "you can buy one if you restore the other." Nevertheless, I couldn't resist and, although I began to regret it during the restoration, it's a machine I'd find hard to part with.
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Re: "Dog Races" - Uncommonly unique and unknown

Post by john t peterson »

I echo Roger's comments. Kudos and thanks to all who participated or followed along. This is one of the many things that makes the Pennymachines community so special. If one were to try and get this information out of a prestigious auction house like Christies, one could expect to pay a pretty penny. Even then, the opinion rendered by their "expert" would pale in comparison to what was offered up gratis by the knowledgable members of this forum. As we say in the States, you gentlemen and gentlewomen rock!

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

Post by treefrog »

roger wrote: I am amazed that most postings get little or no response LOTS OF LOOKERS>>>NO REACTION.......hopefully, that will change...........
Of course some of us have not got a clue, so we cannot contribute unfortunately, just watch and learn !READ!
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motorcycle races

Post by roger »

Topic merged - site admin.

On april 8 (discoveries) "motorcycle races" was pictured as being similar to "dog races" however, there wasn't any background or crowd scene shown.....The background as shown on "dog race" would certainly not be appropriate for a motorcycle stadium.... I would appreciate a full picture of the "motorcycle races" and your comments..... Australians need not reply, as I do not want any more trivia about your antiquated flush toilets... roger.
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Re: Greyhound / Horse / Motorcycle Races

Post by coppinpr »

What makes you say the crowd background would not be suitable for bike racing? The motorcycle games are all related to Speedway which was unbelievably popular between 1929 and 1954, usually raced in the same stadiums as greyhound racing using the same facilities. The machine makers then, as they do today, latch on to the themes of the day. Incredibly a census of sports done in 1939 showed the top most popular spectator sports to be 1. Horse racing, 2. Speedway, 3. Greyhound Racing and 4. Football - IN THAT ORDER. The only team sport ever held at the old Wembley stadium on a weekly basis was speedway. 80,000 fans for a league match was normal! :didact:
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Re: Dog / Horse / Motorcycle Races

Post by pennymachines »

Hi Roger,

I think these games used a similar background, generic enough to cover most racetrack events. As coppinpr just pointed out, dog and bike races took place at the same venues anyway. If you look at the other horse and dog machines I posted, you'll see they look similar, if not identical (note the little ticket booth on the left).

One of the machines I worked on was identical to yours in every respect, except for the crank handle, which was a strange plastic-laminate knob. Unfortunately, the background was not intact on either of them. All that remained were two torn edge pieces from the sides (which I've kept). These match the edges of your background. Because I had nothing to copy, I had an artist friend make up a suitable speedway race scene (see below).

If you would be so kind as to take a high resolution picture of your background, I would be most grateful.
Attachments
speedway.jpg
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Re: Dog / Horse / Motorcycle Races

Post by roger »

Hi pennymachines...... the next time my son comes to visit I'll see if he can get the stadium picture you requested. With all the great work you do on this site I'm glad I have been given the opportunity to reciprocate. I cannot do it without help as I'm not into modern teck.... I still own a typewriter, a black & white TV, and an outdoor privy (just like Australians) roger.
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Re: Dog / Horse / Motorcycle Races

Post by roger »

P.S. But unlike the Australians we do have genuine toilet paper, roger.
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Re: Dog / Horse / Motorcycle Races

Post by pennymachines »

roger wrote:Hi pennymachines...... the next time my son comes to visit I'll see if he can get the stadium picture you requested.
Thank you Roger, that would be very much appreciated - I'll be in touch via email.
roger wrote:I cannot do it without help as I'm not into modern teck.... I still own a typewriter, a black & white TV, and an outdoor privy (just like Australians)
You're among friends - old tech rules!
roger wrote:P.S. But unlike the Australians we do have genuine toilet paper
A bit more quantitative easing and we can all use bank notes.
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Re: Dog / Horse / Motorcycle Races

Post by bob »

I'm really intrigued to know about Roger's experiences with Australian toilets that he has become so obsessed with them? Mentions of them in four out of his ten posts makes one wonder what the story is.
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Re: Dog / Horse / Motorcycle Races

Post by pennymachines »

Available on iPlayer until next Friday, BBC 4's The Toilet: An Unspoken History. Fascinating, but no mention of the dunny.
roger wrote:Australians need not reply, as I do not want any more trivia about your antiquated flush toilets...
How about some modern flush toilet trivia?
There are a couple of reasons Australian toilets do not flush backwards. First, the Australian toilet flushes straight down. This question is generally asked by Americans. The toilet bowl in America holds a lot of water while the Aussie version hardly has any water in comparison. So when you flush an American toilet, what's there goes round and round before it disappears. An Aussie toilet simply flushes straight down.

Second, it's a common mistake that the direction water travels when a toilet, sink or bathtub empties is different in the Northern hemisphere where the USA is from the Southern hemisphere where Australia is. This is often attributed to the Coriolis force and even some teachers incorrectly tell their students this.
The Coriolis force only acts on large bodies such as the earth. Things such as toilets, bathtubs, and sinks are too small to be affected. What causes the water to spin clockwise or anti-clockwise is simply how the container is made and how the water empties from it.
http://alldownunder.com/australian-blog/misc.htm

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Re: Dog / Horse / Motorcycle Races

Post by roger »

BOB wants to know about all the Australian references..... it's all about an inside joke with my Yankee friend who moved to Melbourne and escalated when Australians sent comments on this posting... Reread the entire post and you should get the picture...

P.S. No more references to Australia... I just got a threatening call from "Crocodile" Dundee... roger.
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dog race stadium picture

Post by roger »

to pennymachine...i have tried to reach you via BOARD INDEX Contact (E mail) but does not work....then again it could be my fault....In any case please send me your e mail address so i can send a picture roger
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Re: Dog / Horse / Motorcycle Races

Post by pennymachines »

Hi Roger, I just sent my personal email address - thanks in advance.
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