Mechanical Memories Magazine

Issue: 2006-April - Issue 1

Editorial
Hello, and welcome to the very first issue of Mechanical Memories Magazine. Some
of you will know that I' ve been considering starting a magazine for some time now,
well here it is! Many thanks for the best wishes and encouragement so many of you
have shown either by letter or e-mai l. Thanks also to those of you who have advertised .
I thought the ads. might be a bit sparce in the first few issues, but actually, there 's some
good stuff for sale. So keep the ads . com ing in .
What's the magazine all about, what are it' s aims and who is for? Firstly,
collectors of vintage slot machines have been without a reguarly published magazine
for a couple of years now. There are a number of excellent web-sites dedicated to the
bject, but from the response and comments I' ve had from collectors, there is still a
emand for a good old-fashioned pen and ink magazine, even if it is produced on a
computer! And of course, not everyone has access to the internet, so this should be of
value to all. I hope too, that the magazine will help to encourage newcomers. I
remember when I first started collecting, I was very much ' on my own ' with little
knowledge; not knowing where to buy machines or what they were worth .
In addition, as many of you will know, I' ve been operating vintage slots fo r quite
some time now, and have been running Mechanical Memories Museum, at Brighton,
for the last four years. Many visitors have asked whether we produce a magazine or
newsletter, so hopefully this will help to promote the museum. So whether you own (or
aspire to own) a barn-full of machines or are content with j ust a few, then this magazine
is the one for you !
When planning this first issue, lve tried to be mindful of what I would expect from
a magazine if I were a subscriber, and someone else was producing it. I' ve given much
consideration to content; what to include and what to omit. I hope I've achieved a good
balance of content, but if there ' s anything you think could be included, or if there's
anyth ing you don ' t like, let me know. I' ve also given some thought to the layout of the
magazine. For example, I' ve kept the bulk of the ads. to the back pages. I' ve also
adopted a simple style; I've refrained from fancy fonts and borders. Rather, due to the
atively small AS format, I feel a simple style works better. What do you think? If you
ave any comments or suggestions on any aspect of the magazine, tell me !
And finall y, I hope as many of you as possible will make a contribution from tim e
to time. An article on something that is of particular interest to you perhaps? And don ' t
forget the How I started my collection feature. Anyway. I' m running out of space now.
Until next time, all the best
Page 3
What's in store?
Over the coming months, I hope to include a varied selection of
articles. Here's a look at some of the regular features that will be
included either monthly or at least every few months.
The history of Mechanical Memories Museum.
This is a long story, which goes back some thirty five years. There's a lot of detail
that will probably take three issues to tell, or maybe four - I won't know till I write
part three!
How I started my collection.
This is the one for you, the subscribers; a chance to put pen to paper and tell us about
your first machine, or how you started collecting: When ; why; where; how - I' ll leave
it up to you, you get the general idea. But I do hope enough of you will write in, so I
can make this a monthly feature.
Out and about.
• This is where I get out and about, visiting other collections, museums, penny arcades
- anywhere that has penny slot machines for the public to play. If you like working
models, I've got a great one lined up for the next issue.
Spotlight.
Every month I shall feature one of the machines in MECHANICAL MEMORIES
MUSEUM: how it works; history ; manufacturer etc. I' ve got about fifty down there,
so this series will probably run for some time!
Letters page.
There 's no letters page in this issue, for fairly obvious reasons! But this is one of th
reasons I' ve started the magazine - to get collectors communicating. Maybe you'v
got a problem with a machine or would like some information on it's history. If I
can ' t help, l'm sure someone out there can.
Reader's Wives page.
Wow! Exciting eh? Well no, it's not what you think. This was my wife's idea, and I
thought it might be amusing to hear our wives perspective on our collecting. Does she
whinge and whine every time you come home with a lovely new machine? Or is she
as obsessed with these relics from the past as we are? Sharron 's written the first one,
let's hear from your wives, girlfriends, lovers, mistresses ...... .
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