News from the
Beorl of America
By B. K. ANDERSON
12
COIJf
MACHINE
REVIEW
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - It's February
again, which means that local coin ma-
chine operators, manufacturers, and dis-
tributors are home from the Show and
are fixing up their buildings and equip-
ment for the coming season.
There is little talk of the Show for, as
local operators explain, all went off as
expected; good machines were im-
proved, with 1939 models continuing the
theme of stability. All in all the story
they tell is conservative, optimistic, and
confident as to I 939 prospects.
The Kansas Citian who probably en-
joyed the Show most didn't attend, nor
is he even connected with coin ma-
chines except through his son who is an
operator and distributor. This man is
Carl Hoelzel's lather. Carl won the four-
door Chevrolet sedan, the Coin Machine
Manufacturers' Association's " Grand
Prize" of the Show. Inasmuch as Carl's
present car is only about a year old he
presented the new one to his father.
The 1939 combined social-business
season got off to a good start with West-
ern Distributing Co.'s open-house, Feb-
ruary 6. The occasion was the premiere
showing of the new Mills 20-record
phonographs. Invitations were extended
to operators throughout this area. Food
and refreshments were served.
The educational and explanatory as-
pects of the party were ably handled by
Charles Schlicht and a Mills factory
representative. The glad-handing for the
affair was done by Frank Schrogl, West-
ern's owner and manager, and the new-
est addition to Western's staff, C. B.
Stidham. Stidham formerly represented
Mills Novelty Co. a s a salesman in this
territory and is now sales manager of
Western's music department. He is a
Kansas Citian who was formerly con-
nected with many successful entertain-
ment projects in this vicinity.
Although robins and budding leaves
have not put in their appearance as yet,
spring cleaning, remodeling and expan-
sions are already underway. At United
Amusement Co. the building's new wing
gives all appearances of being com-
pleted before the month is out. And first
among Manager Carl's visitors to view
the new expansion was well-known coin
machine man Sam Mays of Chicago.
At Western Distributing Co. the whole
floor plan has been changed. A new
partition and office has been erected
with separate rooms being given to
various types of equipment. A new
name has also been added to this firm 's
window under the "Lines Carried" head.
It is Bally Mfg. Co.
This separating of equipment into
type-groups and displaying them in
rooms to themselves is a sales policy
that has been adopted by practically
every Heart of America distributor dur-
ing the past year and has met with fav-
orable comment from all sides.
Back from the show and busy at their
desks at Central Distributing Co. are
Co-owners Mason and Crummett. The
weather in Chicago during the show
was ideal, they report, which is a far
cry from form er y ears . As to new equip-
ment, there was none which particularly
interested them, they said; adding that
the old staples with the ir new improve-
ments were the backbone of the show-
ing and s upplied the major portion of
the interest of th e show. One Coin Ma-
All Machines Reconditioned and Cleaned. Parts Have Been Replaced,
Cabinets Repollshed, Mechanisms Overhauled by
Factory Trained Experts.
PHONOGRAPHS
SLOTS
Wurlitzer P12 ................................................ $ 49.50
Wurlitzer 616 .................................................. 109.50
Wurlitzer 616A .............................................. 124.50
Wurlitzer 24 .................................................... 187.50
MIiii' Do Re Mi ............................................ 44.50
Milli' Swing King........................................ 44.50
Seeburg Model A.......................................... 59.50
S.eburg Model B ........ ·-······························· 59_.50
Seeburg Rex .................................................. 159.50
Mills le QT (Late Model) .. ••··········•····-···$
Mills' Sc QT (Late Model) ........................
Milli' Sc Futurity·········-·······························
Jennings' Silver Chief..................................
Jennings' Silver Chief Melon Bell..........
Ca Ille Cadet 50..............................................
Jennings' I0c Chief .......................... ·-·········
Watling 50c Rollatop ............................. _.....
Milli' 50c Blue Front ........................ ·-··-···
31 .50
33.50
37.50
49.50
49.50
22.50
29.50
37.50
67.50
2 5 0
- SPECIAL -
Illuminated Grilles
Installed 011 Any Model Pho1109raph
$10.50 EXTRA
INDIVIDUAL PRICE $12.50
Single Jack Blue Fronts
Single Jack War Eagles
Serials Over 400,000
THESE SLOTS LIKE NEW
COUNTER GAMES
Groetchen 21 .................................................... $8.50 Daval Bell Sllde ................................................ 8.50
High Stakes •····················································· 8 •50 Bally Sum Fun (New-with cigarette
~:~~ 1~~,;···s1a,···P•n·,;-y··
reel•> ·····- - - - - · · · · - · · · · ··············· 8.50
i>·i;.:y:::::::::::::::::::::::::: ~::
Write for our latest price bu/let/11 //sting complete line af recandltloned paytal>/es
- novelty games - counter games - phonographs and slots.
ATLAS NOVELTY CO.
THE HOUSE OF F/1/ENDLY AND PE/ISONAL SE/IV/CE
WESTERN AVENUE
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
CABLE ADDRESS: ATNOYCO
chine Show should fill the bill and be
more acceptable to interests in this
vicinity. The two shows not only split at-
tendance but also interest, they reported.
Along this line Frank Schrag! voiced
similar opinions to the effect that two
shows are a mistake both from the op-
erator's and distributor's standpoint.
Ivan "Swede" Nelson was around the
other day and told us that, of late, he
had been spending more time on his
vendor route and explained the chief
reason why. It seems that Ivan has some
machines on location in Kansas taverns
which the proprietors rent rather than
own. It happened that one of these loca-
tions moved to new quarters and took
Swede's machines and set them in the
new place. In the meantime Swede
called to service the machines and met
the new proprietor of his old location,
and gained the location by being the
first on the spot. So, he ended up with
a new, unexpected location. This is only
one of the lesser advantages of frequent
service calls, he says, and adds that he
knows of many good locations lost be-
cause the operator waited until the loca-
tion called to report the machine "dry. "
It adds an hour or two to his day, he
says, but also adds weight to the old
billfold.
Reports from rural Missouri reach us
that John Corse has more bulk vendors
per capita on location in the Welling-
ton , Mo. area than any other pperator
has in any other comparative area in
the state. Which would give credulence
to what Johnny once told us: "Set 'em
thick and vary the merchandise."
Holding the popular spotlight, a s far
a s types of equipment are concerned in
this vicinity, are music boxes and ven-
dors of all sorts. Ball gum and stick gum
vendors have really come into their own
of late. Large equipment of the bowling
game type is also reported making a
nice profit.
We have been told that cigarette
vending machines are doing a much
greater gross of late but that the net is
down due to the Kansas City tax which
has caused many operators in this
bracket to put more effort into securing
additional rural locations.
"Swede" Nelson is now making the
rounds in his new green 1939 model
Chevrolet coach.
More than a little interest is being
evinced by local operators over the sud-
den thrusting, by court appointment, of
a young lawyer into the operation of a
route of penny vending machines. Ac-
cording to newspaper reports and show-
room gossip it came as a surprise to all
concerned with the exception, perhaps,
of the judge who made the decision.
The vending machines operated by
this attorney were seized recently by the
court when the former owner and op-
erator failed to pay maintenance to his
former wife. According to reports, count-
ing of the pennies from the hundred-odd
machines takes most of this attorney's
time and his friends have been called in
to help him, which is something no
operator in his right mind would do.
But to cap this all off, the latest bit of
news to reach u s is that while this law-
yer-operator was eating dinner the other
night, thieve s broke into his car and
stole pe anuts and confections valued at
$15.00.
e
THE "HI-LOW" COMPLETE TOY PACK
Contains 275 to 300 Novelties and Toys for one complete fill
for le Novelty Machines, packed by:
M. BRODIE, 2182 Pacific Ave., LONG BEACH, CAL.
3311 Ross Avenue, Dallas
6770 Olive Blvd., St. Louis
3141 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis
1378 Memorial Dr .. Atlanta
Distributor: " MASTER" Novelty Vendors-Mail Orders fille d promptly.
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