Rontgen X-Ray Photo Machine

[scottie]

Boy, does this ever look like an allwin cabinet!
Is it British or American?
scottie

[pennymachines]

Hi Scottie,
Interesting find there. I've only seen one other example - in very poor condition - and I own it.
On mine, the area that looks black in your picture is mirrored. Is it mirrored or transparent on yours?

It is definitely British, made by BMCo. - hence the similar cabinet style. It's a 1930s mirror version of the earlier BMCo. X-Ray below.

The Postman is a sister mirror-front fortune machine.

[scottie]

Hi pennymachines,
I love the look of it.
It's not mine, it's on ebay as I type with 2 or 3 hours left..... 351056848314.
$348.00 right now....mmmm.
It's on the East Coast of the U.S...
scottie

[pennymachines]

Hmmm... currently standing at £222 ($374), still plenty of scope to bid. Most of us are tucked up in bed now in the UK and, as you found it, I'm holding fire. If you get it, just make sure the shippers look after that glass!
P.s. I see from the other pictures the background is mirrored.

[pennymachines]

Sold for £440.56 - a bit of a bargain for someone I think. Scottie? JP?

[wembleylion]

This one sold for £480 at the Easter Elephant House Auction.
Presumably the 'X-Ray Photos' were of a comic nature; does any one have any examples they can post?

John
ps; I trust I can use the Elephant House picture in this post.

[slotalot]

This what you are looking for? X-Ray Photography Cards
If in doubt, check in Resources first it is bound to be there...

[wembleylion]

Thanks Slotalot, I keep forgetting about Resources.
John

[scottie]

It sold for $743.33 U.S dollars with 22 bids....
Then there's shipping.
Like I said, it's a nice looking machine ....but it's not something you stand in front of for any length time and play (like allwin type games)... so I didn't bid ....

scottie

[hottoddy]

Topic merged - Site Admin.

Can anyone shed some light on this X-Ray fortune card dispenser?

[moonriver]

Dispenses the 'X-ray' cards with the great skeleton figures, Male skeletons dressed in coats and hats one side, female in coats and hats on the other.

[jingle]

I have one of these
There is a fake camera inside
And when you put penny in you
Can look in to the hole in centre
And press the button
There is a battery connected to a light bulb
It flashes to give the flash effect
And then yes it is as moon river says
Gives a skeleton looking card

[longbobongo]

I had one offered to me when I was buying a few machines but turned it down for £400. Maybe I should have bought it, but it just didn't appeal to me.

[pennymachines]

I've merged Hottoddy's topic to an earlier thread which shows different examples of this once popular novelty.
I think the one hottoddy posted was by the British Manufacturing Co. It may originally have had a top sign, like this example:

The distressed cabinet sold last May at the EH auction was of this design:

A later incarnation was produced under the Bollands marque:

One of these also sold in April at the EH

Another version with a cast metal front looks like this

From a similar period, but definitely not "for amusement only", is this amazing electrostatic and X-Ray generating machine: