C.O.C.A. Times

locations managed to keep their lung testers operating
into the 1930's naively maintaining sanitary conditions
by either providing cloth towels attached to the machine
for the customer to "clean" off the mouthpiece with or
wax paper sheets to cover the mouthpiece. In the end,
mostly all the remaining, strictly lung testers were
destroyed as dangerous threats to the public good. The
combo machines, however, have survived in greater
numbers because they could still make money for the
operator even without the blow mechanism. Thus, the
true Lung Testers are the most rare penny arcade
Still popular and sold through the 19-teens, alas, the era machines for collectors to find today. In the case of
of Lung Testers came to a close as the scientific knowl- these three Mills models there are only two surviving
edge of germ transmission gradually made these examples known of each.
machines a known public health hazard (along with the
public drinking glasses found in arcades). While not The Penny Arcade Lung Tester Machine is a window on
legally banned, they were eventually ostracized for pub- a highly artistic era of coin-op pleasures and amuse-
lic use and awareness of TB and colds ultimately ments. Step right up folks, put a penny in the slot, and
doomed the machines' earning potential. Not giving up BLOW IT OUT!
too easily on their money making investments, a few
Little Wonder (since reproduced) that had colored
water rising in a glass tube. Other manufacturers also
produced coin-op lung testers but few matched the
impressive scale and workmanship of the classic Mills
and Caille offerings. Let it also be noted that both these
companies stole, bought, or reinterpreted some of their
lung tester design ideas from each other and the other
makers too. For more descriptions and pictures of
these Mills and Caille machines see the repro catalogs
available in the coin-op collector's market.
Vending Machine Globes and Parts For Sale
New Globes
Acorn 6, 8, 9, 11 # .................. $25
Advance Small Football ......... $35
Advance Large Football ........ $35
Climax 10 .............................. $65
Columbus #8 with Star .......... $40
Columbus #9 with Star .......... $45
Double Nugget ...................... $40
Grandbois Cylinder ................ $25
Hamilton ................................ $75
Lucky Boy/Bloyd .................... $30
NW 33 Frosted ...................... $40
NW 33 Junior Tall .................. $65
Regal Cylinder ....................... $30
Regal Pear ............................ $35
Silver King ............................. $35
Simpson Large ...................... $45
Victor Cylinder ....................... $30
Victor Square ......................... $30
Original Globes
Abbey Round ......................... $40
Abbey Lantern ....................... $40
Asco Hot Nut ......................... $95
Advance Round ..................... $50
Advance Large Football ........ $70
Atlas Bantam 8 sided ............ $60
Atlas Bantam smooth ............ $20
Blue Bird Large .................... $150
Columbus #3 Hex ................ $125
Columbus #8 with Star ........ $125
Columbus #9 No Star .......... $150
Millard Cylinder ...................... $50
NW Model 31 ......................... $85
NW Model 33 5# smooth ....... $80
NW Model 33 5# Frosted .... $115
NW Model 33 3.5 # Smooth .. $75
NW Model 39/40 Tall ............. $85
NW Model 39/40 Short .......... $85
Original and Misc
Acorn Embossed ................... $45
Columbus "Ace" ..................... $50
Victor ? Cab Plastic NOS ...... $15
Vendex Fishbowl w/decal ...... $75
Parts
Lots of parts available for
Advance, Ford, Ajax, Victor,
Northwestern and many others.
Contact for availability and cost.
Decals
Many decals available.
Contact us for your needs.
More
If you don't see it here-ask!
10% off on 6 or more, 20% on 12, Mix and Match OK.
Discounts on new globes only. All orders are plus shipping.
Please Contact:
Dan Davids at djdavids@earthlink.net or Phil Cunningham at 818/845-4964