Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

SOLDIER REPORTS
(Continued from Page 54)
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
56
FOR
SEPT.
Cigarettes then were cheap at 100 francs
for a package of twenty-about $2. Or
more normal at 300 francs, or $6 the
pack. This was for regular American
brands, of course. On loose tobacco and
cigars the prices were "arranged." But it
was the cigarette demand that netted the
real profits. This market supplied France
and the buyers for other nations for reo
lease through local markets.
Black market Germany was harder to
lay your finger on. It wasn't central, in
Berlin, or in any other Reich city. The
war spoiled that. It was fluid, and I
suspect the German army, as well as cer-
tain Nazi Party officials shared in the loot.
Supply was directly and indirectly from
p.o.w. Red Cross boxes, and here's how:
(This cannot be proven, but you realize
it exists around you). Shipment of many
parcels of food, containing about 100
cigarettes of five packs of American pop·
ular brands, in each box, was made by
rail.
Allies bombed the railroads, of
course, and "destroyed" the parcels. Often
not hit at all, these packages made their
peculiar way to German black market
hands, to . the immediate discomfort of the
rightful consignee, the American and other
p.o.w.'s. In addition, some supplies of this
sort were obtained "legally" from the starv·
ing prisoners, after delivery.
Many times prisoners were decidedly
hungry. Inconspicuously it could be "ar·
ranged," again, through a German guard,
to bring in bread (also black market) for
60 to 80 cigarettes a small loaf. This price
varied, depending upon location of the
prison camp. But bread, a so-called scarce
item (very scarce for American prisoners)'
seemed to be in unlimited quantities for
those who had 'cigarettes. Since the' Ger
man authorities never seemed to see this,
and didn't try to stop it, it may be safely
assumed that they condoned the action.
Much of this bread, so obtained, incidently,
was the ear-marked military bread. How
the outer end of the German black market
worked for the ultimate disposal or sale
of the cigarettes, for example-I do not
know.
Apart from the black market, here are
some tricks and preferences of p.w.'s, reo
garding tobacco usage: "Kriegies," or
prisoners, who smoked, generally cut their
cigarettes in two or four pieces. They
placed the parts in wooden, hand carved
cigarette holders, and got the last puff that
way. Smoking of a cigarette, or part of
one, was reduced to the proposition of
how little wm burn between puffs? One·
half a cigarette gave as many "drags" as
the average whole cigarette in pre-war U.
S. Next in importance, in this conserva·
tion, came "butting." If anyone in sight,
kriegie, guard, civilian, smoked at all, the
butt was carefully watched and demanded,
and so smoked, by passing around,. to a
mere "lip·burner."
. Every prisoner had a can, usually a
powdered coffee container, in which all
butts, not smoked, were torn apart and
placed, inclusive of the smoker's own, those
begged and those prizes that were some·
times "found." This was a "roll·your-own"
or pipe supply for the individual owner,
only. Most of this was used for "newspa-
per" cigarettes. For the tobacco burned
too fast in a pipe, and required too much
tobacco for the full pleasure to be com-
pletely gleaned.
•
One populitr brand cigarette was detested
by the kriegies because it was loosely
packed, and burned too rapidly. Prisoners
would try to trade this brand for another,
which burned more slowly. Finding a
taker for this "deal" was most difficult.
Two other American brands held their own
with the prisoners, because they smoked
as they' should-slowly, very slowly.
Sometimes, when tobacco wasn't avail·
able at all, the p.w.'s smoked the German
ersatz tea, after making "tea" with it, As
far as I could find out, the only similarity
of this "tea" to tobacco was that it also
"burned."
So, after all, Americans can easily see
they are not the only ones suffering for a
smoke. When a man will smoke "tea,"
even good tea, a consumer really wants
tobacco. And all Europe wants it-1Ww.
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Cigarette &
Candy Machines
W D's,
W's, 9
S's, 7
R's, 5
Also
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Col ............. 50.00
Col ............. 32.50
Col ............. 26.00
"Champlonl,"
All Siz ...
Candyman, 72 Bar
Capacity, $39.50
•
All Above Mo·
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With floor Bases
•
Reconditioned by New
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Reflni,hed-
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•
'13 Deposit
Balance C.O.D.
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100·102 Schol ..
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7945
HOLD YOUR LOCATIONS WITH WASHBURN SPECIALS
•
CONSOLES
SLOTS
OLD HEAD FOUR BELLS .......................................... $46S.00
1941 BANGTAILS .................................................... 339.50
1941 LUCKY LUCRE 3.Sc, 2·2Sc ...................... · ...... 349.50
Sc & 2Sc SUPER BELLS C.P ..................................... 495.00
4 WAY SUPER BELL 4~Sc ........................................ 595.00
4 WAY SUPER BELLS 3·Sc, 1·2Sc .......................... 750.00
Sc SARATOGA Conv ............................................... 169.50
LUCKY LUCRE, Walnut Sc ...................................... 199.50
Sc ROLETTO, JR ....................................................... 199.50
Sc CLUB HOUSE...................................................... 99.50
Sc PACES REELS ......................... : ............................ 124.50
BALLY CLUB BELLS Conv ....................................... 275.00
Sc SARATOGA ........................................................ 124.50
New-SOc and $1.00 Slots in Original
Crates. Never Been Opened-Imme-
diate Delivery
ONE BALLS
LONGACRES ............... : .......................................... $495.00
THOROBREDS .......................................................... 495.00
DERBY '41 ................................................................ 325.00
CLUB TROPHy ........................................................ 325.00
TRACK RECORD ...................................................... 175.00
KENTUCKY ......................................... _ ................... 375.00
EUREKA .................................................................... 49.50
DERBY WINNER ...................................................... 149.50
Sc
Sc
Sc
Sc
Sc
Sc
Sc
Sc
Sc
10c
SOc
SOc
BLUE FRONTS .................................................. $199.50
MILLS CLUB CONSOLES ................................ 395.00
MILLS BONUS .................................................. 249.50
WAR EAGLES .................................................. 175.00
ROMAN HEADS .............................................. 175.00
JENNINGS CHIEFS ........................................ . 169.50
ORIGINAL CHROMES .................................... 345.00
BLUE 9. T......................................................... 89.50
GLITTER GOLD 9. T ....................................... 124.50
GLITTER GOLD 9. T ....................................... 134.50
GOOSENECKS ................................................ 189.50
GLITTER GOLDS .............................................. 795.00
ALL SLOTS OVERHAULED AND REFINISHED
Double Safe Cabinets ................................................ $SO.OO
MISCELLANEOUS
S·10·2Sc ROCKOLA WALL BOXES .......................... $49.S0
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1511.1513 West Pi co Blvd.
(EX 3404)
Los Angeles 15. California