C.O.C.A. Times

soap, the candy gained such popularity during prohi-
bition that it eventually found its way into novels
(All the King's Men), plays (A Streetcar Named Desire) and
music (The Music Man).
R.D. Simpson wasn't content to make a
ellet vendor for others, such as Crystal
ending, so he added a pellet vendor to
he Columbus line. About 1 909, the
olumbus Vending Company introduced
heir Model E vendor. Thought to be
alesman's samples when they were first
ediscovered, the Model E and the E-
ray were both pellet vendors. The
Model E was a cast iron machine, with a somewhat
boxy base, that stood no more than 1 0" high. Its
cousin, the Model E-Tray, had sleeker lines and small
tray below the delivery shoot. The model E-Tray
also has its name in raised letters on the base.
These vendors did not give a very big portion for
the penny, but it was enough, espe-
cially given the taste of most of the
products sold.
Another early pellet vender is the
Federal made by the Federal Vending
Company and patented January 8,
1907, by Frederick M. Furber. Though the patent
drawings show a solid "globe" with a window to view
the product, this cast iron machine had a straight
sided glass cylinder that held barely more than a
handful of tiny candies. Since these venders typi-
cally gave only a few pellets for the money, this was
plenty of capacity.
A vendor that offered "fragrant, wholesome and
lasting breath perfume" was National Nov-
elty Company's pellet vendor. This vendor
has a fancy light-bulb shaped globe at-
tached by a center rod passed through a
hole in the top of the glass. As with other
National machines, this vendor has style
and decorative touches that make it a desir-
able machine. The base of this machine is eight
sided and perched atop three claw feet. The coin
entry slide is of sheet metal and is often found with
damage. The delivery shoot is more like a tube and
the opening is covered by a small flap that keeps
the product from spilling out. Decorative beadings
around the front plate contribute to the nifty look of
this machine.
The best of both
Some vending manufacturer
tried to cash in on both the
chewing gum and breath mint
markets. An early, provoca-
tive machine that offered both
chewing gum and breath mints
is the enigmatic prototype
machine listed in Bill Enes'
book, Silent Salesman Too as Mys-
tery #46 (page 2 11 ) . This machine has very heavy
glass cylinders and an unusual bi-directional coin
mechanism that dispenses from the two products
offered based on the direction the user rotates the
handle. With interior pencil marks and unused pilot
holes, this was clearly a prototype machine, but to
date, no hint of
manufacturer or age
has emerged.
A more commonly
seen vendor that
straddled the line be-
tween bulk and tab
gum, is the Combina-
tion Vendor from the
Combination Vender
Co., of the small New
York town of Penn Yan. Patented by Frank B. Town-
send in 1 904, this machine offered the patron a
choice of two flavors of tab gum or two types of
bulk candy or breath mints. While not specifically
designed for breath mints, the option clearly indi-
cates the need to diversify products and acknowl-
edges a certain level of demand.
--....----.1•
The tradition continues
A later entry into the field was the Petite Vender
made by Specialty Coin Machine Builders of
Chicago, Illinois. Introduced around 1 934,
this no nonsense machine was part of a line
of small venders made by this company.
The line included gum and peanut versions.
These only differed in their mechanism and
delivery methods, with some delivering to
the front and some to the left side of the
machine. All shared the push-rod style of
mechanism and a very simple coin release
system. The two pound globe on these cast alumi-
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