THESTRANGESAGAOFTHE
DONKEY GOLD MINE
By Bill Howard
Exhibit Supply introduced the Don-
in a soft voice that there might be a day
key Gold Mine as a 1-cent or 5 cent
when I would be called upon to return
floor model arcade machine in 1931.
the favor.
It is constructed of quarter-sawen oak
In any event, months went by and
with a paper Mache marquis and pa-
the "machine apple of my eye" re-
per Mache interior design of a gold
mained with the Don of Westlake. You
mine. The operation consists of a
see, something very strange had hap-
donkey driven cart that comes out of
pened. Old Mike begrudgingly admit-
the mine as a mineshaft pulley works
ted that he was stumped. And Mike
away in the background. As the cart
is not stumped very often. He just
arrives behind the front window, it
couldn't get it to work. He discovered
circles around and deposits a gold
that it wasn't the chain. Maybe it was
brick with a fortune for the player's
the cart. He contacted friend and col-
amusement. Its original condition is
lector Mel Getlin and made arrange-
truly an attractive sight to behold.
ments to borrow the cart from Mel's
My machine pictured and featured on
Donkey Gold Mine and experiment.
page 137 of my book, Every Picture
This did not pan out as Mike would
Tells a Story, came to me through one
have liked. Finally, in frustration, he
of the strangest sequence of events of
offered me the machine at a fair price
my collecting memory. The saga is as
with the understanding that I was to get
follows:
it out of his basement, its new location,
I had been in the habit of eating
and get out fast. How I get it working
with my friend and mentor, Mike
was my problem.
Gorski, about once a month on Sun-
Now, sometimes logic can do you
day for some years. As was our cus-
in. Logic told me that, if Mike couldn't
Donkey Gold Mine
tom, we would go out to his barn af-
get it to work and solve the mystery,
ter dinner so Mike could fill me in on
what in the world would make me
what was going on in his laboratory. On one such trip I think that I could. I have been a firm believer that, if
discovered what was to become my Donkey Gold Mine he can't solve the problem, indeed there is a problem.
sitting in the barn in fabulous, original condition except And I had not as yet hooked up with friend and restorer,
for one thing - it didn't work. Mike explained that it Ross Misner, the Rubber city Wizard.
was extremely rare and undoubtedly the best example
So, I thought I did the right thing by telling Mike that
of three known to exist. He suspected the problem to I would buy it when he fixed it. Fortunately, I reminded
involve the motor driven chain that pulled the donkey him of my right of first refusal. Mike remembered, but
and cart from underneath the floor on the machine. His did not seem happy.
intention was his usual one - fix it up and make some
A few months later Cindy and I went to a collector
money. I then did one of the brightest things of my co 1- party at the home of another Cleveland collector, Bob
lecting career. I asked him for first option via the right of Lintz. Of course, I ran into Mike and asked him how the
first refusal when he got around to selling it, a practice old Donkey Gold Mine was coming. He replied that he
Mike himself had urged me to employ since early on in was still stumped.
Our minds must work alike in some respect. For the
our relationship. I offered him money for the privilege,
but he said that wasn't necessary. This was before he rest of the evening I thought about how, to me, nothing
became known as "Godfather", and would have told me came close to the potential and desirability of the old
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