STORED-ENERGY AUTOMATIC
DROP-COIN MACHINES
by: Ken Rubin
Author of Drop Coin Here
Email: dropcoinhere@aol.com
The arrival of coin-operated machines onto the public scene in the late 1870's created a new
form of commerce in America. These new-fangled devices took root because they were delight-
ful and charming novelties; their interactive nature produced pleasurable payoffs in the form of
merchandise and entertainment, and captured the attention of the masses. Combined with the
prosperity of the industrial revolution's economic boom, the coin-op machines thrived.
By the turn-of-the-20th century, these machines were solidly established as pleasing, practical
laborsaving devices and 24/7 self-service providers, as well as amusing resources for entertain-
ment and gambling. They gave the public its first exposure to chewing gum, peanuts, and even
recorded music and movies. These pioneer "coin-in-the slot" machines also gave birth to early
slot machines and spawned a new industry -- The Penny Arcade. As a result of their low operat-
ing overhead, mechanical machines could supply many small luxuries to an eager market for just
a penny or a nickel. In turn, they rewarded their inventors, manufacturers, and operators with
handsome profits. By World War II, more than 20,000 different machines were manufactured.
"Push, Pull, or Turn, a lever, rod, or crank"
were common instructions posted on early coin-
operated machines. They told the customer how to
activate the apparatus after depositing his or her
coin. Instructions were necessary because, to oper-
ate, the mechanisms required an input of power
from the customer. The many dissimilar machine
designs, from simple and harebrained contraptions
to engineered machinery, all worked in a different
way. That's not to say that every customer actually
read ( or could read) the instructions. Some people,
especially men, fumbled impatiently with the mech-
anism using intuition or visual cues from the parts
to make it function. For others, the machine was
like a puzzle and "figuring it out" was more fun or
seemingly easier than having to make sense of the
directions. Conversely, inventors struggled to
design mechanisms more rugged, reliable, slug and
vandal proof, yet not too complex and demanding
for the public - especially the ladies - to operate.
Sometimes the instructions were not even work-
able: the early run of the Mill's Orbit Jr. peanut
venders state "Drop Coin Here" while later exam-
ples, with no difference in the mechanics, state
"Force Penny Into Slot." For all but a select group
of automatic machines, the first-time customer was
challenged to understand what to do when deposit-
.
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mg a com.
Beginning with the Holy Water Vending
Machine over 2000 years ago and all coin-ops
since, the raison d'etre for a coin-operated machine
is - "take in the money." Whether modem or
antique, a simple set of principles outlines exactly
how a coin-op machine must make its living:
First, to snag the customer, the machine must call
attention to itself. The visual appearance, i.e. sig-
nage and case design, must quickly convey what
end product it is offering-foremost to attracting
money. Second, once a customer is enticed to spend
a coin, the machine must explain what to do to com-
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