It~ a Mystery?
by Randy Razzoog and Dave Dennett
So you have hunted, advertised, and made plenty of contacts. The pickings are slim. If someone
does call you, it is about a plastic machine still being made to this date. Well, here we have a dandy
folks! It was found with Winchester Rifles, some oddball papers from the company, and various
other collectibles from Winchester. So the question is, could this be a machine made by the Win-
chester Company as well? A very strong possibility. This miniature vendor is roughly IO" tall, works
on a penny, and is mostly cast iron.This is thought to be a peanut vendor due to the original decal
and portion size of the vending wheel.To operate this machine, the coin is inserted in the slot and
then with thumb and forefinger you would pinch the two upright pins, activating the mechanism to
dispense its product. The globe and complete machine in general, are held together by a rod that
is extended from the top cap to the very bottom of the base. The locks utilized for this vendor
are the same style that the Bluebird, Grandbois, and other vendors of the late teens used. Partially
due to the locking style, along with its' cast iron body and top cap, it is pretty safe to date it in that
same time span. This appears to have been utilized on a location as the salt from the peanuts have
corroded the inside, but not to the point where any lingering damage has been done.The product
is dispensed out of the very bottom so you would have to hold your hand underneath to catch the
nuts. Not the best or most sanitary way, but there is no evidence of any tray ever being present.
Possibly due to that very issue, along with the fact that it appears top heavy is why this is so rare.
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