Mechanical Memories Magazine

Issue: 2006-June - Issue 3

My knowledge of Parker's machines is a little vague, having never actually owned one,
but here's what I know. First, let's dispel a myth about the Carousel allwins in veneered
cases. I've often heard these referred to as 'repros'; they're not. They were assembled
over quite a long period of time from original Parker's stock, which was acquired after
Parkers ceased manufacture. So although they were not actually built by Parkers, they're
still basically Parker's machines. I've always assumed the veneered cases were a late
innovation, which might explain why there were so many left over when Parkers ceased
production. I don't know, it's just a guess.
It seems the majority of Parker's machines used cases very similar to Oliver Whales.
Unfortunately, I am unable to picture one here, so take a look at those pictured in Carter's
book. It's clear to see how easily they could be mistaken for Whales machines. Look
closely at the picture of Journey into Space and note the external 'furniture': the Whales
type coin entry; payout knob and guard; Saxony type trigger and backplate (not all
Whales machines used the Saxony 'open' type backplates, but some did). Pay particular
attention to the hinges; they're the same extruded type used by Whales and others. The
only distinctive feature, that I can see, is the payout cup and even this would not be
evident on the sweetie allwins.
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Now let's look at Jackpot, P/entywin etc. (for clarity, J shall now refer to these five
allwins as the ' mystery' machines). The most distinctive feature is the aluminium casting
across the width of the door, which acts as a backplate for the trigger and payout knob.
But there ' s one feature of these allwins which is completely different to the machines of
other makers (and I missed it at first)! Whales, Parkers and Kraft machines all have the
topflash built-in as an integral part of the case. Now look at the mystery machines; the
topflash is part of the door, not the case. And have you noticed the hinges yet? They're
Bryan's type, not the extruded type used by other makers.
I asked Dave a number of questions when we met at the Salisbury auction recently. I
was interested to know what sort of backflashes were used in Parker's machines, and he
said they were printed on the reverse of clear plastic, like Whales. So what about the
mystery machines? The backflashes on these machines are paper or card, with clear
plastic in front for protection, like Kraft and Wonders. So, something else that doesn 't
'stack up ' . Dave also said that he too was beginning to have doubts about the Parkers
theory.
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