FORUM

The "Evernice" Matchbox Vendor, Griswold Mfg Co, Rock Island, Ill.
A simple design but I like it a lot. Only 1c per box and the boxes look big to me. I particularly like the instructions for replacing a broken glass. (I need the address of the glass shop that only charges 5c).

Question - how would that mech work? I'm guessing you pull the slide and it dispenses a box to the right (when viewed from the back). On the next coin you push the slide and it dispenses to the left, but wouldn't that cause the boxes to catch on each other, unless the slide has a block attached to the inside which allows the next box on the right to drop into place when the slide pushes the box out on the left?

..... the boxes look big to me

I've seen these machines before - they're a lot smaller than you may think. You get an idea of scale when comparing the coins in the bottom - they are only 1c, they're not old pennies. But I agree, it's not clear how the boxes are released.

The machine dispenses a box of matches from the left and right sides alternately, EG. put in a coin, if the slide is sticking out of the left side of the machine, push it to the right, a box will be dispensed to the right hand side of the machine. with the next coin push the slide to the left, a box will be dispensed to the left side of the machine. and so on till the machine is empty.
quite a neat and simple design.

I understand the way it works but I'm unsure how pulling the slide back to dispense the second box doesn't catch the falling box on the left causing it to foul against the waiting box on the right, I can only assume the slide has a raised block inside the machine to hold the left box up until the slide has passed by on its way to dispense the right hand box

Spot on. Basically just just a strip of steel formed into this shape.