THE FUN IS IN THE HUNT
by Bill Howard
The Atlantic City Sniff
The Santa Claus of the East
Coin-op collectors sometimes have to ask them- About two months after the "Atlantic City Sniff," I
selves, "Do I take a chance?" A few asked that ques- had occasion to visit Jay Lowe of Lancaster,
tion and had their chance at the Fall 2000 Atlantic Pennsylvania, the "Santa Claus of the East." I spied
City Antique Show when, in a booth on Friday set- this mystery machine as it sat in his basement.
up day, there appeared a strange machine no one "What's going on here, H. Jay?" I asked. He
had ever seen before. At first, it appeared to be a explained that when the price got down to a few
Clawson Three Jack. However, a closer look thousand at the end of the show, a friend of his took
revealed that it was slightly a chance and now wanted to sell it for what he paid
larger and had metal tips and had dropped it off for Jay to "move." As I had
around the quarter-sawed to wait for Jay to repair a machine I had brought
case to discourage banging him, he suggested I look at it while I waited. As I
the machine. The case also did, tension increased. I was faced with the ques-
had a hole that appeared to tions noted above, plus a new one. Why had so
have been plugged with many people passed even at a lower price? At the
metal.
same time, many things looked good. The "plus" in
the case turned out to be a metal license embedded
An inspection of the inside into the case that read, "License 123, 15 March
revealed that much of the 1895, San Francisco." The case itself had been
three pay-out chutes were cleaned off and looked stunning. A cardboard sign
missing, so that the machine was cleaned and fastened to the front. It read,
would not pay out or hold a "Musical Machine. Drop a Nickel in the Slot and
coin. What got everyone Hear Grover's Band." An inspection of the inside,
Clawson
buzzing was the fact that the without the pressure of show on-lookers, told me
Three Jack
machine played music every this was not "too good to be true," and the inner
time you inserted a nickel and pushed the lever voice in all sick coin-op collectors whispered, "take
a chance."
down.
Agony prevailed over the better part of two days
because many coin-op collectors and dealers could-
n't decide whether to pay the high price the dealer
asked. If the machine proved to be the fast musical
three jack ever to tum up, it was worth probably
twice what potential purchaser might be left holding
the bag rather than a good machine. Many potential
suitors asked the following of themselves.
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
Was the music box original
Was it meant for the machine at hand
Was the machine ever mass produced this way
Were the parts interchangeable with a Clawson
Three Jack so that the machine could be made
to work as originally designed
Unless all the above questions could be answered
"yes," the machine was trouble. All suitors, includ-
ing yours truly, declined as the price went down.
I thought of who I knew that had a Clawson Three
Jack and the knowledge needed. I called the
Godfather, Mike Gorski, of Westlake. When I got
the Don on the phone, he reminded me that he did-
n't like partners, but suggested that I offer $200 to
bring the machine to Westlake. If we bought the
machine, the $200 would be applied to the price
asked. If we didn't, we had to return the machine
within two weeks at our expense and loose the
$200. H. Jay said, "Okay." I headed west with the
machine and guarded optimism.
The Autopsy Report
Within days of getting home, I scurried to Westlake
with the machine. I waited as nervous as a groom on
his wedding day, while Brother Gorski poked and
prodded and looked at his Clawson and then the
mystery machine, and then his Clawson again and
then at some books. Finally, I knew the news was