C.O.C.A. Times

TALES OF THE HUNT
I have two "tales" for you this issue.
They are submitted by Don Porn of Wisconsin and Bob Bensinger of Michigan.
Don Pom titles his .....
Saturday meeting.
Because Saturday was a bright sunny day and a
short 50 mile drive, I asked my wife and teenage
daughter if they wanted to come along for the ride.
After reading about Jack Freund's and Paul I did this at some risk to myself, as my wife does not
Hindin's "can you top this," fish story in the first appreciate the beauty of gumball machines. Her
issue of the C.O.C.A. Times I have to tell you about usual comments about my finds consist of "what do
my fabulous find.
you want that junk for." I had a feeling that the
The find came out of one of my weekly fishing machines would be combination of Victors and
expeditions. Now before you start thinking that's Silver Kings, from the cast iron and aluminum
not surprising given that's all we do in Wisconsin is description. I was afraid of hearing "you went all
fish. These fishing expeditions do not begin at the this way to buy this junk?"
crack of dawn and end after a long day sitting in a
As it turned out, an old farmer, whose farm was
boat trying to drown worms.
on a road named after him, owned the machines.
They begin with my ad in one of the many Penny When we arrived at the farm, my wife and daughter
Shoppers, as weekly free circulation papers are stayed in the car and I followed the farmer to his
called in the ad business. Those of you who have barn.
used these types of newspapers know that they offer
When I stepped into the barn and looked at the
very reasonable rates, with ten word ads for a dollar workbench I almo t fell over. On the bench were
or two. Being in the ad business, I had the good luck
five vending machines, a Griswold
to have an annual directory of Penny Shoppers,
Red Star, a Hance with a fat boy
published by the state newspaper association. If you
globe, two Blue Bird bulk vendors,
are interested in this type of fishing, you may want
with the mid size globes and a
National Breath Pellet machine. I
to ask your local Penny Shopper if a directory is
published for your state.
didn ' t know what to do or say I was
so shocked. I don 't remember who
As they say in the ad business, "it pays to adver-
tise". Like fishing, you never know what you are
set the price,
going to snag. It all starts with a phone call from a
but I bought all
person with a gumball or peanut machine. As you
five machines
may know, trying to find out what is being offered
for $300.00.
As it turned
can be quite a trick. I wish I had a dollar for every
out,
he
also
had
a
couple of nice
time I have been told that the machine is "red and
trade stimulators, which I
has a glass jar on top."
This story started with an ad in a New Holstein, bought from him the next
Wisconsin shopper. In answer to my ad, the caller weekend.
While the farmer did not say
said that he had some gumball and peanut
where
he got the machines, he
machines. One of the questions I asked him wa if
the machines were cast iron or aluminum? He aid did tell me that his father used
that he had both. In as much as that's all he could to distribute trade stimulators in the area and that as
offer as to the type of machines, we et up a a kid he would deliver them to local taverns.
My Fabulous Catch
10