Working Models & Automata

[treefrog]

That’s a serious project there Moonriver (assuming you now own it). Were there no automata specialists in the U.K.? I remember on one of the Salvage Hunters The Restorers series. There were a couple I think in Scotland who restored a rare machine which looked good.

Anyway, that guy has done a fabulous job Looking forward to seeing the end result.

[moonriver]

Yes, they're mine. There are automata specialists in the UK, Michael and Maria Start at the House of Automata who are experts in their field. I assume you're referring to the drumming bear or the magician featured on Salvage Hunters which they restored and turned out spectacularly.
I passed the Opera Singers to Austin Phillips as he is a friend of mine and we share an interest in Insull figures particularly.
I'm going to start on the cabinet rebuild now which will be another challenge, and I've stopped counting the cost of it all

[treefrog]

Keep us posted as I am sure it will be worth it and a staggering transformation

[pennymachines]

Yes, an exciting project. When returned to their original glory, those Insull figures are quite something, with their subtle features and movements.

[bryans fan]

Yes, they're mine. There are automata specialists in the UK, Michael and Maria Start at the House of Automata who are experts in their field. I assume you're referring to the drumming bear or the magician featured on Salvage Hunters which they restored and turned out spectacularly.
I passed the Opera Singers to Austin Phillips as he is a friend of mine and we share an interest in Insull figures particularly.
I'm going to start on the cabinet rebuild now which will be another challenge, and I've stopped counting the cost of it all

What a Job, they look amazing now. Real rescue mission. I don`t think I have ever seen the machine they are from. Would you be willing to post before and after pictures of the case etc. I would love to see it. Well done by the way!
" I've stopped counting the cost of it all " I think we all know that feeling, perhaps not on quite such a scale, ah well it's only money.

[moonriver]

What a Job, they look amazing now. Real rescue mission. I don`t think I have ever seen the machine they are from. Would you be willing to post before and after pictures of the case etc. I would love to see it. Well done by the way!
" I've stopped counting the cost of it all " I think we all know that feeling, perhaps not on quite such a scale, ah well it's only money.
[/quote]

Thanks! Here is the cabinet before I had it shipped from Australia. Fortunately the steel case was in sections bolted together so Simon @ Simon's Salvage was able to take it apart and flat pack it all. The wood fame and shelves were riddled and eaten away, and glass is cheap enough so didn't bother saving and shipping those. Everything else was salvageable and can be reconstructed just as it was. The typical Modern Enterprises record deck, amp and power supply, cams and motor are all there.
I like the cabinet colour and curves, reminiscent of 1950's Odeon Cinema lobby decor.

[bryans fan]

Thank you for sharing. It's going to be fabulous when finished. This is a real case of having to restore a machine, you don't have an option if you wish to save it.
I am always interested on your opinions on machines as you have a different point of view as an operator, rather than my view as a collector. Keep us posted on the work as it progresses.

[moonriver]

Will do

[pennymachines]

Canova 'Cry Baby' or 'Lads is it Worth It?'

[moonriver]

I don't think it's a Canova, for many reasons. The quality is too crude, the figures are not wax. The cabinet has been recreated with decorative surround to resemble a Canova style, but the interior decor lacks the quality of Canova. The miniature dolls house accessories are modern, the music box is a recent addition, the figures are re-dressed.
One of a set of three models made by a well known pennymachines character from the past.

[pennymachines]

Interesting...
It's online here: https://thehouseofautomata.com/product/ ... ing-model/

A coin operated electric ‘working model’ by Vincent Canova of Birmingham. Circa 1920. The exasperated Father is holding the baby whilst rocking another with his foot and waiting for a third crying infant to finish on the potty. Meanwhile the heaving chest of his recumbent wife deep in sleep makes one ask the question “Lads, is it worth it?”. This genre of coin slot automata were popular as ‘End of Pier’ amusements and featured well known subjects like the Haunted House, Drunkards Dream, English Execution etc by more common makers such as Dennison. Canova’s work is rare in comparison and this example is identified by comparison with the identical case of one featured in Heskeths book on Working Models. The sparse interior and surreal scale are all important signatures of work of this type and period. Materials and resources were scarce after the first world war and a ‘make do’ mentality prevailed in all areas of commerce. The artisan carpenter/mechanic composed his scenes as best he could but left us inadvertently with a definitive sparse style and a pennyworth of fun as his commentary bit home.

Price £3750

(Elsewhere marked as sold)

"The identical case of one featured in Hesketh's book" - compare and contrast:

[moonriver]

Yes, I saw that.
It looks similar, doesn't it?

[pennymachines]

Yes it doesn't.

[tim575]

Well, I was stuck inside all day due to rain, so I made another YouTube video. This one of my working models, just a few seconds on each, even gave it a music score.

[pennymachines]

Spectacular line-up. Thank you.

[arrgee]

I made another YouTube video

Interesting to see these, can you direct us to the other videos tim?

[tim575]

For anyone interested, my other YouTube videos are under the channel 'Secret Town Arcade', a couple of them have been posted here in other topics, but I am still adding more as time permits.
https://www.youtube.com/@Secret_Town_Arcade

[arrgee]

Thanks Tim, great collection of coin-op music machines.

[JC]

I love the Indian Fakir. Can you give any info on the machine - maker, date, nationality? I'd very much like to think it's British

[tim575]

Yes it is British, believed to most likely be made by and not just distributed by Samson Novelty. There are 2 of them known to exist with the other one being in the Davenport collection. The interesting thing is it uses the Peppers ghost illusion, which I would have expected to be more common in working models but was seldom used. In the Davenport collection is also another machine from Samson Novelty using the peppers ghost illusion for a different magic trick. Both of those have very similar style front marquee art, mine was missing the front marquee art which I still need to have re-created when I can find someone with the skill needed for that.

There is a long thread on this machine already in the forums, started by the prior owner of it and then continued on as I refurbished it and investigated the history of it including a full video of it in operation, you can field any other questions on it in that thread: viewtopic.php?t=3083

Another peppers ghost illusion machine from the same maker for those interested in that:
http://www.davenportcollection.co.uk/co ... od_id=1224?