Mechanical Memories Magazine

Our discovery happened one day when we were (I suppose that you would call it
loitering) in the arcade, near the jukebox. It must be stated that the arcade was in its
early stages, a large droughty former roller rink with avenues created by suspended
giant sheets of hessian sacking, the machines lining the route or residing in various
nooks and crannies. All very spooky. One of our little crowd, who was picking about
with the machine edging suddenly announced that the bolts would lift out.. ..... and an
idea was born!
Creeping stealthily to the end of the sacking avenue to make sure that Harold was
safely behind the cash desk, we slid back the glass and tap tap tapped with a pencil on
the score buffers. I think you needed to attain 12,000 to win 3d and 16,000 to get 6d.
So having 'won' 6d and the glass having been replaced, somebody went to fetch
Harold to verify how well we'd done, and he paid out the due tanner. Each quarter of
an hour or so, one of us would nip round to claim a win, 3d here, 6d there, trying not
to be too greedy. However, the rate of pennies exiting the cask desk must have been a
little out of the ordinary; so much so, that Harold decided to satisfy his curiosity.
Early (pre flipper) electro-mechanical pin tables
and Rotary Merchandiser in the left foreground.
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