3712 W. SCENIC AVE., MEQUON, WISCONSIN 53092
Phone: (262) 242-3131 OR E-mail: Bedvibr8or@aol.com
Message from Our President. ...
Hello again! The weekend of the Chi-
cagoland Show this past April was really
a busy weekend for COCA. Our semi-an-
nual meeting, held Thursday evening at the
Hilton Garden Inn, was attended by almost
I 00 members and featured Craig Bierman,
owner of Speed & Sport Chrome Plating, as
our guest speaker. Craig's presentation on
polishing and plating was very informative
and gave many ofus new insights into what
is involved in getting the quality outcomes
we all expect when restoring our vintage
machines. While many ofus have mastered
several crafts in learning to restore our col-
lections, plating is one that we all have to
send out. For those of us who have heard
stories of disappointing results when send-
ing out parts for plating and wondered how
it happens, Craig's detailed description of
all of the steps necessary to ensure a perfect
outcome, complete with examples of conse-
quences of platers skipping crucial steps to
save cost, gave us a better understanding of
how to choose a plating shop wisely. Thanks
Craig, for the great presentation!
Friday evening of the show weekend
brought our gala event, 'An Evening at
Place de la Musique', a trip to Jasper and
Marian Sanfilippo's estate. Our evening
began with a lovely catered dinner in the
carousel building, home to the magnifi-
cent Eden Palais carousel, several ornate
American and European fairground and
dance hall organs, towering clocks, steam
engines, restored railway cars, and numer-
ous other mechanical antiques. Following
dinner, we toured The Victorian Palace, their
44,000 square foot mansion, and home to
their world renowned collection of mechani-
cal music and coin operated machines, great
architectural pieces, and art glass lamps.
The evening ended in the music room with
a short concert played on the world's largest
Wurlitzer theater organ. Thanks once again
to Jasper and Marian Sanfilippo for opening
their home and allowing us to experience
their magnificent collection. I'm sure all
who attended enjoyed themselves and are
looking forward to returning.
Our next major event is COCA's 2014
Annual Convention, scheduled for October
24-26, 2014 in Florida. This year's host
hotel is the Wyndham Deerfield Beach
Resort, an oceanfront hotel located in the
heart of Deerfield Beach and conveniently
located close to all of the collections we will
be visiting during the convention. Special
convention room rates are available, but be
sure to make reservations early if you plan
to attend since rooms are limited. For more
info on the convention, view our convention
flyer accompanying COCA Times or visit
www.coinopclub.org.
I would like to remind everyone that we
are accepting nominations for the C.O.C.A.
Hall of Fame to be considered for this year's
awards. The award is presented annually
at C.O.C.A. 's fall meeting to one or more
individuals who have made outstanding
contributions to the hobby of collecting
coin operated machines. Nominations for
award recipients will be accepted from any
individual who is a Member in Good Stand-
ing (as defined in the Association's bylaws)
at the time of the nomination. Nominations
should include a written statement from
the individual making the nomination as
to the qualifications of the nominee and
must be received by September 1st to be
considered for 2014. Nominations can be
made using the 'Contact Us' form on our
website, www.coinopclub.org, or by email
to president@coinopclub.org. For nominees
who were submitted but not selected for
2013, they will remain on the list for future
consideration.
Hope to see you at the convention!
Doug Cain
COCA President
330.837.2265
president@coinopclub.org
3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
• The Pony Express
by Mel Gilden ......................... .... pg. 4
• COCA Convention,
IO Years Later
by Bill Petrochuk ..................... pg. 13
• Chicagoland
by Jack Kelly ........................... pg. 14
• Lee White
by Roger Smith ........................ pg. 20
• An Evening at
"Place de la Musique "
by Doug Cain ........................... pg. 24
• Jennings Modern Vendor, Part 2
by Rick Akers .......................... pg. 28
• Upright Perfection, Ben Franklin
by Bill Howard ......................... pg. 31
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August 8th, 2014