Duo-Mat machine on 6 pence

[brigham]

The German penny, or pfennig, is smaller than a sixpence, being 16.5mm as opposed to about 19.3mm for the 'tanner'.

[smcd4649]

I will have to go to my local coin shop and get some German coins and make sure they pass through the coin slot

[treefrog]

Most of the German machines I have seen from this period, especially Duomats were on 10 pfennigs, not 1 pfennigs. The 10 pfennig is larger than a sixpence about 21.7mm and thicker. I remember Harold English when doing up his imported German machines would make them 20p machines as this was closed to the 10 pfennigs when using here.

Below is a set of 10 pfennigs slides with 12 sixpences lost in them. Maybe check the size of your coin tube. Also you may need other bits of linkage etc to finish your machine, I guess you may need to decide preferred coinage to head.

[brigham]

If the labels &c. on the machine refer to 6d, then it has obviously worked on that coin.
I'd say that it would be easiest to concentrate on finding or adapting parts on that basis.
It also preserves the UK provenance. Like the Model T Ford, I would much prefer an example which had actually worked in Britain, rather than one brought-in as a collector's item.

[smcd4649]

Yes, I would like to keep it six pence if I can.

[smcd4649]

Here's the machine with the 6 pence coin slot.

[geofflove]

Lovely clean machine. Did it come like that or have you been sorting? Mine has similar slot running on 3d.

[smcd4649]

I had to take it apart . Stain and clear coat the wood , strip and paint all the metal

[treefrog]

As a matter of interest, does it say 6D anywhere on the machine or awards. The Awards cards look fairly new, but difficult to read and look like it states it only pays 1 coin for the red and black and single increments for other awards up to 5. This would suggest that a single coin per slide, very unusual, was making me wonder if it would maybe have worked on 3D which are much thicker if they fit through the coin entry. The machine as previously mentioned was a 10pf machine as all the win stickers are still in German and as standard pays 2 coins per slide. The coin entries were typically butchered when being converted to UK coinage unless using a smaller coin, which yours has not and looks original.

We cannot see inside the cabinet and the coin acceptor, but does this accept and correctly pass through the 6D coin if complete?

[geofflove]

That’s a good point. You earlier said that coin slot, tube and slides were 6d. I can’t see on the instructions where it says 6d, not clear enough. However, from what I can make out the slot and tube looks exactly the same size as mine which is on 3d - which I believe was more common. Mine still has the pf amounts on the dial too. Have you tried a 3d in the coin mech? Mine is a snug fit in the entry slot (esp after spraying!) which I guess was designed for pfennigs. Usually fine but sometimes when I come across a ‘newer’ 3d it needs a little persuasion to go through.