Marketplace

MARKETPLACE
While games operators eagerly looking forward to the new, highly sophisticated solid
state electronic amusements, there a.re a constantly growing number of "collectors" more
interested in antique coin machines. Not just old gambling equip't from the 1880s and
1890s but also old time pianos, phonos, venders and very old arcade machines. Top among
c~llectors of old music: the original Thomas. A. Edison phono, the Automatic Harp, the
big Band players and, most especially, Mills Viola.no Virtuoso with single or double vio-
lins. The games collectors treasure the old automatic payouts, Caille Roulette, Watling
Roulette, Mills Dewey, so many, many others. Vendors seek old gum and candy machines,
like the 1906 Mills Peanut Vender, a great British-made drink dispenser that poured 50
different drinks as well as penny cigaret venders and so many others. (Every week we get
calls for old "Pictorial History" editions that appeared in "Marketplace" years ago and
for which collectors willing to pay mucho of the green. Ross Scheer of Bally, Lee Martin
as well as Dyke Hawes of Ma.con,Ga.., have well preserved collections of "Pictorial Hist-
ory" editions. We haven't any left. And don't know whether those mentioned want to sell
their collections.)
"Fireball" Herb Gorman of Ja.cksonville,Fla., since his appearance at the HOA show, has
been labeled "The Florida Cowboy". (Fa.ct is some of the best cowboys at all rodeos come
from Florida ranches. Can you imagine what Herb would do to a calf, just falling on the
critter, in a. calf ropin' contest? Oi, Vay!) • .. Henry "Young Hank" Tronick has become
the official candid photog for C.A.Robinson & Co.,Los Angeles. (We wondered why some of
the pies he sent us had that "fuzzy" look. Now we know. It's a beard. "Young" Hank's
beard getting in the way of the camera..) ••• Phone call from Alan Rose of N.Miami Beach,
Fla., advising he'd obtained official zoning okay to build his arcade and that the archi-
tect already at work. (.From the plans we and some others were shown, Alan can label his
arcade in all truth, "Sports Palace". It really will be a showplace. And remeber this
it's Ala.n's first venture into the arcade biz. Betcha Joe Munves of Miami Beach would
just love to be there to supervise placement of new equip't.)
Ii&y Galante of Music-Vend, Seattle,Yash., jostled up our memory to recall that almost
10 years ago, in the April 15, 1965 issue of "Marketplace", we wrote an article and also
featured a page of pictures of his place after visiting with him. In that article we pre-
dicted Raymond would go up the ladder in this industry. He certainly has. In our next is-
sue we're going to feature a page of pictures of his new building and the progress Ray
has made over this pa.st decade • • •• Just around the corner, "1-Can 50¢" for soft drink
dispensers. (Wonder how people will react to a 12 oz can of pop at 50¢?)
Wonder why
Quaker Oats, featuring an ad on its new cereal headlined, "Times are changing", decided
to downgrade ball gum venders as shown behind the kid in this ad who is chomping on their
new cereal? (Could possibly be this ad angle will boomerang and kids will, instead, say,
"Phooey on your cereal. We'll take bubble ball gum." Maybe ancient Quaker Oats believes a
kid pitching for the Little League or playing Quarterback for his football team or sprint-
ing for his track team or playing tennis or golf, should be hugging a box of their cereal
to his chest at the same time?) ••• Very sad to hear some old timers, even tho they're
pretty well set financially and who, in addition to a few other little things they have
going for them, built up vending routes on the theory this is most respectable, safest
and surest business for them and that they can keep going in vending with little effort
so as to keep busy in their later years, are now being pushed up against the wall due to
zooming prices of merchandise. They are seriously considering selling out for whatever
they can get for their routes to retire from the coinbiz.
Cheeks are ruddy. The air is sharp. Big, soft snowflakes are sailing down. There's a
smell of pine trees in the air. Gloved hands are clapped together in an effort to keep
them warm. People happily hustle and bustle about. Mothers and fathers are busy with
secret preparations. Somewhere afar off there's the magical sound of tiny sleighbells
and the running of mythical reindeer. My goodness - Christmas is here. May we most sin-
cerely wish you a Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas and the Healthiest, Happiest, Most Pros-
perous New Year. God bless you all.