C.O.C.A. Times

FATE
Is
THE HUNTER
by John Peterson
Do you believe in fate? I don't mean the type of
pre-destiny where everything is scripted from Day
One and you're essentially just along for the ride.
I'm thinking more along the lines of String Theory
where there are multiple realities extant at the same
time and you always have choices to make, the con-
sequences of which will be totally different. All the
possibilities exist at the same time but you can never
know the end result at the time the choice is made.
Think of it as being in an airport where there are
multiple gates with airplanes simultaneously leav-
ing for different unknown cities. You can only
board one aircraft and the trip will lead to a com-
pletely unique destination, the consequences of
which you cannot foresee. This is how my life
unfolds. Let me explain.
I immediately emailed the seller and we started talk-
ing about a possible deal for my purchase of the
game. I would like to think that I am a very persua-
sive fellow. After all, I did manage to talk Dearly
Beloved, the jewel of the South into marrying me.
Of course, if I were totally honest I would be forced
to admit I caught her in a moment of weakness and
as I recall, alcohol was involved. Truth be told, I'm
just an average Joe with what has been described to
me as an "over-developed sense of humor." During
the negotiations to purchase "Multiball," the seller
mentioned that he and his partner had acquired
some other British games in addition to the one we
were haggling over. As part of my side of the
"deal," I offered to fly out to their place and appraise
their inventory for them, free of charge. Being an
airline pilot, I have the ability to travel for reduced
prices and since they lived in the Los Angeles area,
I could easily schedule a working trip with an
overnight close by. This would allow me to pick up
"Multiball" and appraise their games at the same
time. They graciously accepted my offer.
Remember, if you will, our last adventure.
("Domino and the Devils", COCA Times, July
2003.) That article was the description of my pur-
chase and restoration of "Domino, Model 4," a ball-
catching game by the London Company Handin-Ni,
Ltd. In the story I mentioned that soon after the pur-
chase of "Domino," I had the opportunity to pur-
chase another machine by the same firm. The name
of this second game was
"Multiball" (See photo A.) It was
manufactured around the time of
"Domino, Model 4," about 1913.
When this second game came up
for sale on Ebay, I about dropped
what's left of my teeth. These
games are quite rare in their native
England and yet, within the space
of one month, two of them come up
for sale in the United States. What
i..:.....::...=--===----'"-Al are the odds of this happening?
I
PHOTO A
can go months without seeing a sin-
gle unique British game offered for sale and within
this short period of time there are two rare games by
the same obscure English company. Fate? I'm not
sure, but as unusual as that was, it didn't hold a can-
dle to what followed next.
This is probably a good time to talk a little about
British games. I will admit, I am completely
bonkers over them. It's not that I don't like the
American games of the same vintage, it's just that I
like the English games better. Part of the appeal for
me is the appearance of the games; I truly love a
combination of wood and hardware as opposed to
the all-metallic composition of their American
counter-parts. When I see a vintage British game
with that age darkened oak wood and brass hard-
ware with a beautiful patina, it makes my heart sing!
Then there is the play. We Americans are addicted
to games of chance. I prefer games of skill, even
those where the skill factor is nebulous at best.
When I lose that big British penny, I like to think
that it was my failure, not Lady Luck's fortune at
my expense.
The most basic of the British games is the "all win."
The name is a little misleading since on most of
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