During the early years, before the First World War, the Clown was manufactured in both
Germany and France, under Pesser's Pickwick licence. But it was after the war that
these machines were produced in their greatest numbers, and it's likely that the entire
output came from the Saxony workshops of Germany. Pessers, Moody Wraith and Gurr
marketed these machines as their own; indeed, my own machine is stamped PMW &G
although it's doubtful they were made in this country.
Although always known generically as 'Clown Catchers', during the course of the
1920s, the clown figure which faced-up the catching cup was replaced with various
other figures, including motor cars; thus demonstrating an attempt by manufacturers to
'keep up with the times'! However, it seems the most common motif was a simple
nickel-plated shield, and these machines became known as 'shield catchers'. Apart from
the artwork employed on the catching cup, these machines changed little in the thirty-
odd years of production. However, there are always exceptions, and one that comes to
mind was the allwin hybrid 'Airship Catcher', so named after the R!Ol lithograph which
faced the catching cup. Unlike the Clown, the ball was propelled to the top of the
playfield by firing it around an all win type spiral track.
The Clown is truly a classic game, and a machine that I've always considered every
serious collector should own. However, throughout the 1920s and into the 30s, this
geme of game would spawn numerous variations on the catching theme; some more
significant than others. One of the more revered by collectors is Leslie Bradley's 1931
Crusader (at this point I should apologise for not being able to provide a picture. My
digital camera's died and I am no longer able to obtain film for my trusty Kodak Box
Brownie). The Crusader, in it's day, would have been a fairly complex machine, as
catchers go, although it's mechanism is surprisingly simple. It was a multi-ball, multi-
column machine where the player was required to guide the balls into one of seven
columns. On insertion of a coin, six balls would be released ready for play, and as each
ball descended through the pin-field, the player used a fork to guide, rather than catch
the balls. If the player was lucky enough to fill one of the three central columns (which
required all six balls) six pennies were paid out. The two columns either side of the three
centre columns paid four pennies, and the two outermost paid two. The outcome with
any game on a catcher can only fairly be described as 'more luck than judgement', but to
fill a column with six balls, (the entire quota for the game) must surely take a miracle!
Having said that, this is a classic English game, and another of my favourites.
Had history taken a different coarse, some might have described the Crusader as
the greatest of catchers. However, in 1934 William Bryan designed, patented and started
manufacture of what is without doubt the greatest catcher ever, and which without
dispute was one of the most brilliant mechanical slot machines of all time: Payramid.
I shall be featuring Pyramid in the next issue.
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