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Diggers and Merchandisers, also known as claws (in the US) or cranes (in the UK), developed from novelty vending machines. In 1896 an enterprising American modified a child's toy digger to pick up sweets at random when a player wound the handle, like a mechanised lucky dip. It was widely imitated and finally commercialised in 1924 by the Erie Manufacturing Corp. of Connecticut. Norwat Amusements' 1926 electrically operated Steam Shovel put control of the claw position into the players' hands. By the 1930s novelty merchandisers were the rage in America, Europe and Britain. British contributions included Leonard Walton's 1936 Rotary Merchandiser which enticed players to push prizes off a revolving turntable. The Gaming Board considered the skill element negligible and categorised them as gambling.

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All Square Crane

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Added to Diggers by bryans fan on 21/05/17

All Square Crane



The jib and claw of this all-mechanical, wooden-cased crane are manipulated using the hand wound crank and turning handle, offering the player a greater sense of control than the motorized models.


Bryans   1936
Added to Diggers on 21/05/17

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Clutching Hand

3 Replies

Added to Diggers by pennymachines on 22/05/17

Clutching Hand



Known affectionately by operators as 'Old Groper', Hawtins' Clutching Hand was an imaginative and futuristic take on the rotary merchandiser concept. The large octagonal cabinet furnishes four stations from which players control the polished aluminium arms and clutching digits to grab prizes from the revolving mirrored disc. Of course, the shiny fingers lack the purchase of their fleshy counterparts.


Hawtins   1938
Added to Diggers on 22/05/17

3 comments


 

Torpedo

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Added to Diggers by pennymachines on 28/05/17

Torpedo



Huge game which can be played from all six sides. Insert a coin and press the lever to drop a torpedo onto a target corresponding to the prize you want. The targets are set around the perimeter of the prizes and revolve continuously. The momentum of the torpedo hitting a target unlatches the trap beneath the prize and it is then drawn back up to the firing position by a motor.



Ahrens   1930s
Added to Diggers on 28/05/17

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    • Jackpot
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    • Krac Shot
    • Laughing Sailor
    • Licensed Victuallers’ Automatic Shooting Range
    • Licensed Victuallers’ Shooting Range
    • Life & Health
    • Lifeline
    • Lighthouse Grip
    • Lime House Nights
    • Little Bren
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    • Little Stock Exchange
    • Looping the Loop
    • Luck-E-Push
    • Lucky Twelve
    • Many Happy Returns
    • Master Football Game
    • Master Golf Game
    • Medicine vendor
    • Monument Cigarette Box
    • Mother Shipton
    • Moving Stars
    • Music Maker
    • Nameplate printer
    • Nestle’s Milk Chocolate
    • New Get Tee Zee
    • Nine Holes
    • Number Parade
    • Octopus
    • One Penny fortune teller
    • Pascal Ambrosia Devonshire Milk Chocolate
    • Pascal Pearl Drops
    • Payramid
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    • Penny Points
    • Personality Love Meter
    • Pilwin ’56
    • Pin Royal
    • Pin Up Girl
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    • Prospector
    • Quick Returns
    • Regent
    • Retreeva
    • Rippler
    • Road Safety
    • Robot King
    • Rock Roll
    • Rockets
    • Roll Out The Barrel
    • Rolling Home
    • Rolling Road
    • Rolling Road
    • Roulette
    • Rowntree’s Fruit Gums
    • Rowntrees Fruit gum
    • Royal Jubilee
    • Safari
    • Safechek Gold Sovereign Changer
    • Salectric
    • Satellite
    • Screen Stars
    • Screen Stars
    • See The Guv’Nor
    • Shares
    • Shoot!
    • Silver Arrow
    • Sirdar Polyphon
    • Skill Score
    • Slick
    • Snakes & Ladders
    • Speedway
    • Spitfire
    • Steeple Chase
    • Steer-a-Ball
    • Step Up To Mike
    • Super Challenger
    • Super Steer-a-Ball
    • Sweetmeats
    • Swinging Swinger
    • Tele-Test
    • Ten Cup
    • Territorial Shooting Range
    • Testo Reaction Meter
    • The Cricket Match
    • The Major
    • The Very Latest
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    • Three Penny Supreme
    • Three-Ball-Seven-Win
    • Time Limit
    • Tip-It-In
    • Torpedo
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    • TREFF
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    • Try Your Grip
    • Try Your Grip
    • Try Your Weight
    • Try Your Weight
    • Tuck Shop
    • Uncle Sam’s Philosophy
    • Uneda
    • Up The Pole
    • VAL vendors
    • Victory Ball
    • Victory Cups
    • Village Blacksmith
    • Vocal Radialyst
    • Walk The Plank
    • Waltonophone
    • When Were You Born?
    • Whirlwin Spinball
    • Wills’s Woodbine Cigarettes
    • Wills’s Woodbine Cigarettes
    • Win A Packet of Aero
    • Win A Peppermint
    • Win a Spangles
    • Win And Place
    • Win With Flowers
    • Winaway Pool
    • Wizard
    • Wonder Pools
    • Woodbines
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    • Wrigleys Chewing Gum
    • Wunder
    • Yacht Race
    • Your Character From The Colour Of Your Hair
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  • Generic selectors
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