C.O.C.A. Times

of what they have. Some do not even know what it is
they have. Ebay removes these barriers and auctions
off the item at fair market value.
It was, then, with little expectation that I scrolled
through the electronic classifieds in one site early last
year. I had not been to this particular site in over six
months and per usual, the vast majority of the ads were
"wanteds" rather than "for sale." As I scanned the page
on autopilot, my eyes caught the critical word, "Eng-
lish." The ad was a puzzler. It was offering for sale an
,_ . .::
"antique cast iron English Crick-
et slot machine." These three
descriptive features: cast iron,
Cricket and slot machine sounded
like a mistake. It did not describe
any game with which I was fa-
miliar and I look at every game I
possibly can. Intrigued, I emailed
the seller to see if he still had the
machine, the price and if I could
please see a picture of the game.
I was fully expecting to see some
common machine, incorrectly de-
scribed when I received Photo A.
What I saw glowing on my screen
was "The Cricket Match." I
knew I had seen the game before.
It was an easy process of finding
the picture since there is only one decent book covering
the broad field of English games, Nie Costa's Automat-
ic Pleasures, The History Of The Coin Machine. Sure
enough, there on page 102 was a picture of my game by
the Automatic Sports Company, London, 1903. I cross-
referenced the game in Paul Braithwaite's Arcades And
Slot Machines to confirm the manufacturer and the date
of production. My heart began to beat faster.
What about the asking price? It was not cheap by
American standards but it was not outside my financial
reach. The critical question: Was this price reasonable?
My English friends are the greatest group. They have
been very generous toward me with both their time and
knowledge. It is to them that I turned for guidance. I
emailed three advanced collectors with the picture and
the simple question : "Is this a decent price to pay for
this game?" All three were quick to respond with an
affirmative answer but my favorite was a three word
reply from one who succinctly commanded, "BUY IT
NOW!" The consensus was that "Cricket" was seri-
ously under-priced.
Additionally, it was a highly sought after game from
I".
the early days of British coin-operated machine produc-
tion. Automatic Sports Company was one of the earli-
est producers of large two-player machines. In addition
to Cricket, they produced competitive games dealing
with the sports of soccer, golf, horse racing, several
types of shooting and the holy grail of British collect-
ing, The Yacht Racer. Many of their games were like
Cricket Match, made of heavy cast iron intended for
outside placement in locales like piers and seaside ar-
cades. Any game made by Ernest G. Matthewson, the
founder of Automatic Sports Company is emminently
collectable today. This particular game almost never
comes up for sale in England. This one was sure to be
snapped up by the first serious British collector who
came across it on the web.
I called the seller. He was a very nice fellow in
Texas, recently retired. He had owned the "Cricket"
for the past 40 years, displaying and playing it in his
living room. He and his wife had originally purchased
it from a little antique store back in the 1960's. Since
retiring, they were looking to simplify their lives and
selling "Cricket" was one of the first steps. As a mat-
ter of policy, I asked if there was any flexibility in the
price. He said that there had been quite a bit of interest
in the game including an English fellow who was cur-
rently exploring shipping alternatives. Therefore, the
price was firm. At this point, I am about to fall out of
my chair. Within my fingertips is one of the premier
games from the earliest days of British coin-op and I'm
up against some Brit who is looking for shipping? How
do I close the deal and snag the game without starting
a bidding war that I know I cannot win? If I appear too
anxious, suspicions may be aroused and I will lose. If I
wait one minute too long, the game is lost. Start biting
your nails, please.
I called the seller back and agreed to his price. I
then asked what form of payment he preferred. I of-
fer a word of caution here. In these transactions that
take place over distance, there is trust that must be es-
tablished. In the usual case, the deal is struck and the
purchaser sends payment to the seller before receiving
the goods. This presents obvious opportunity for fraud.
I am always mindful of this and try to get a strong feel
for the person with whom I am dealing. In this in-
stance, talking with the seller was like talking to your
father. He would stop at times to ask his wife for help
in answering questions and there was a distinct quality
of authenticity in what he said and how he said it. Even
so, there is a leap of faith with sending a cashier's check
to a total stranger. And leap I did.
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