Detailed description of PA auction

[Dave]

Here is a detailed description I pulled off the Internet about the upcoming auction in PA. Looks like there is also a lot of arcade stuff. I know virtually nothing about arcade.

Dave

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Over the weekend of Sept. 23-25 in Allentown, Pa., Randy Inman Auctions will hold its Fall 2005 Entertainment Jackpot sale featuring nearly 1,200 lots of “funtiques.� What’s a funtique? Antique coin-operated machines, jukeboxes, movie posters, vending and penny arcade machines, soda fountain accessories, Bakelite radios, gambling and mechanical music machines, and anything else that sets the scene for a good time.

Crowning the selection to be sold, and comprising the majority of the inventory, is the spectacular John and Wendy Johnston collection. Any collector of jukeboxes or coin-op machines who has visited New York knows the Johnstons and their shop in Brooklyn called Jukebox Classics and Vintage Slot Machines. For the past 25 years the couple has operated what is possibly the only retail establishment of its type in New York. During that period, the Johnstons intently watched for and purchased exceptional examples of antique and vintage coin-op machines whenever an opportunity presented itself.

“This is an unbelievable collection,� said auctioneer Randy Inman. “It contains so many incredibly rare items. All the Hollywood studios know the Johnstons, who rent out their machines as movie props. Already, we’ve had over 1,000 orders for catalogs, and a number of celebrity collectors have made enquiries.�

The Johnston collection will be evenly divided between the Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24-25 sessions. Approximately 100 three-reel slot machines will be offered, including such rarities as a cast-iron table-top Silver Cup and a Mills Treasury. Also included are several gum-dispensing three-reel slots, such as Mills O.K. Gum and Mills Automatic Gum; and a cast-iron Baseball slot with a baseball diamond on the marquee. Another baseball-themed lot consists of three different Mills three-reel slots, which accept a penny, nickel and quarter, respectively.

A huge array of gambling devices is found in the Johnston collection, among them an extremely rare Mills Scarab. “It’s one of probably only five in existence,� said Inman, “and everyone has commented that you never get a chance to buy one of them because they’re buried in old-time collections.� Another important example is the Caille Aristocrat. “Another one like it sold for well over $50,000 around 18 months ago.�

Other standouts in the gambling category include a Mills Double-Dewey in original condition and good working order, and a Mills 25-cent upright slot in 100 percent original condition. “Again, we saw another one sell for $50,000 two years ago, and it was in need of full restoration.� Rounding out the group are a Caille musical Black Cat upright slot machine with music box in the lower half, a Cailler Centaur upright slot with jackpot, fully figural cowboy and Indian slots, a Caille Big-Six upright slot with fancy castings, and a Pacer’s Racers horseracing machine.

A selection of trade stimulators is highlighted by a Hercules Midget Baseball, wood-cased Baseball flip-type stimulator with diamond face, pin field and side gumball vendor; Sweepstakes One-Cent with a gumball vendor and horses that spin around the top, and many with a playing-card theme, e.g., Three Jacks, Five Jacks, etc.

Rarities abound in the penny arcade category. Estimated at $30,000-50,000 – “but it could go higher� – is a Roover’s Donkey Fortune Teller. When a coin is inserted, the animated donkey looks at the player then reaches over, grabs a fortune and drops it down a chute. Another star lot is Roover’s Mademoiselle Zita. The fortune teller looks at the player, grabs a fortune and drops it down the slot then puts her hand to her lips to issue a goodbye kiss. Both of the Roover’s machines are in excellent original condition.

Other arcade machines and implements include a Mills Novelty Co. electric shock tester, pennyweight scales, a Novelty Merchant crane digger, a cast-iron Mutoscope to view flipping images, a Mills Quartoscope and an actual penny arcade ticket counter and box office. Made by Francis L. Auld of Boston, it is comprised of an oak base with a cage designed so money can be handed through a hole. “No one has ever seen one like that before.�

Auction weekend will be filled with the sound of music emanating from a panoramic inventory of antique mechanical music machines. Some of the leading lots are a Seeburg G orchestrion with beautiful leaded-glass top, a Mills Violano Virtuoso, a coin-operated Seeburg player piano with a dog race across the top, and a Regina upright disc changer with an illuminating horse race in the middle of the machine. Also offered are a B.A. Bremon cylinder music box on original stand with four cylinders, an all-original, one cent coin-operated Sousa’s Band graphophone; and a complete set of six functional Victor Talking Machine Victrolas with original horns in original cases. The sale also features several tabletop disc players, including a coin-operated disc music box with gum vendor.

A fabulous lineup of jukeboxes and accessories spans a price range that starts at $100-200 for machines bought for parts only to a spectacular $20,000 Wurlitzer 850 Peacock in completely original condition. “It is possibly the only known Peacock that hasn’t had any parts or panels replaced,� said Inman. Other Wurlitzer jukebox models include the nos. 1100, 700, 750, 500 and 1015 “bubbler.� Examples of Seeburg’s G, C, R and DS160 models have been cataloged, as have a Mills Empress and 600; a Packard Manhattan, Rock-Ola 1422 and AMI model C, among many others. Tabletop jukebox selectors and many colorful Wurlitzer figural wall-mount speakers for a variety of models also will be up for bid.

Approximately 100 vending machines will be offered, including a rare, early Pansy Gum metal wall vendor; a one-cent Rotif’s Gum vendor, and a cast-iron blinking-eye Wink & Smile Gum vendor. Also in the group are vending machines for Pulver’s Chocolate, Cocoa and Gum (wall-mount), Baker Boy Gum, Pulver’s Cola-Pepsin Gum & Sweet Chocolate, and a wood-cased, metal-front vendor marked Owl. Another desirable example is the very rare Wagner & Miller Co. (Sandusky, Ohio) Honey Breath Balls one-cent vendor. It has four glass sides that allow the buyer to watch the mints roll down, and an excellent front decal of two women in Victorian attire holding a banner that says Chew Honey Breath Balls, 4 for 1 Cent. Another favorite is the Mansfield’s Automatic Clerk gum vending machine with glass panels that expose the clockwork mechanism, skeleton style.

Around 40 soda fountain syrup dispensers have been consigned by a single owner. “It’s probably the best collection ever to come to the market,� said Inman. “The green-stripe version of Hires’ figural ceramic urn with the trademark pointing boy as a repeating image could very well bring $40,000-50,000. A few others could bring in the $30,000 range.� Within the group are examples for Modox, depicting a full headdress Indian chief, one of only two known; Grape Smack, a rare variation emblazoned with the phrase Drink Clayton’s Grape Smack with logo; Cannon’s Grape Punch It’s Unbelievable, Cherry Bounce, Kel-Ola and Indian Rock Ginger Ale with the image of an Indian leaning over a brook, drinking water. Many other very desirable dispensers also will be sold, representing Dr. Swett’s, Seneca Club, Ward’s, Birchola, etc.

A “timely� addition to the sale is the East Coast single-owner collection of figural clocks, mostly of cast iron. Top entries include a circa 1900 animated cast-iron bell-ringing monk; circa 1870 cast-iron log cabin with animated people and dog; a circa 1800 annular dial clock, circa 1890 black man with guitar and many other novelty timepieces with moving parts. A small grouping of advertising clocks includes a Baird Diamond Black Leather Oil figure eight and an Ever-Ready Shaving clock in near-mint condition.

An abundance of barber shop-related pieces has been acquired for the sale, among them a very early cast-iron and aluminum floor model barber pole with painted diamond design and milk-glass globe; and a porcelain child’s ride-on style barber chair with outstanding carved horse head. A selection of 25-30 occupational shaving mugs includes such themes as a hose reel fire truck, horse and buggy, rolltop desk, baseball, horse-drawn ice truck and hook-and-ladder truck.

Around 15 Art Deco-era Bakelite radios in a myriad of colors will be auctioned, by makers such as Fada, Addison, De Wald, Garod and more. Many other wonderful treasures will be offered in the Saturday and Sunday sessions, including 35-40 advertising trays, several circa 1910 nickel-plated cash registers, advertising signs, floor model pinball machines (including two Playboy) and several carousel figures including a Loof prancing horse with original park paint. A very special lot is the extravagant Monarch pool table with lion-shape cast-iron legs. Musical birdcages, Victorian colored-glass fishbowls on cast- and wrought-iron stands, 20 like-new neon signs, cast-iron cigar cutters and cigar lighters, straw holders (one that says Drink Grape Smash), a set of 6 original Mayo’s Cut Plug roly polys and around one dozen early telephones round out the selection.

Inman said the Friday evening, Sept. 23 session, which incorporates a large “discovery� section, starts off with an interesting, “fresh to the market� collection out of Baltimore of around 100 lots of movie posters dating back as early as the silent-film era. Included are one-, three- and six-sheet posters, lobby cards, heralds, exhibitor materials, press books and fan magazines from the 1920s through 1950s. A few Charlie Chaplins are in the collection, including The Thief-Catcher. Adventure films include The Trail of the Octopus and The Yellow Octopus, both from the 1920s and starring Ben Wilson. Of the Western genre, the top lot is the poster for Neal Hart’s The Secret of the Pueblo. Most of the posters are in very good condition and will be sold in group lots.

The Friday, Sept. 23 session begins at 5 p.m. (Eastern time) with a preview from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Saturday, Sept. 24 and Sunday, Sept. 25 sessions commence at 10 a.m., with a preview from 8-10 a.m. Bid absentee or live online through www.LiveAuctioneers.com in association with www.eBayLiveAuctions.com (additional buyer’s premium applies on Internet purchases). All lots in the sale will be available to view two weeks before the auction at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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View the fully illustrated catalog and bid absentee or live online through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

[Dave]

Here is a detailed description I pulled off the Internet about the upcoming auction in PA. Looks like there is also a lot of arcade stuff. I know virtually nothing about arcade.

Dave

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Over the weekend of Sept. 23-25 in Allentown, Pa., Randy Inman Auctions will hold its ....


A huge array of gambling devices is found in the Johnston collection, among them an extremely rare Mills Scarab. “It’s one of probably only five in existence,� said Inman, “and everyone has commented that you never get a chance to buy one of them because they’re buried in old-time collections.� Another important example is the Caille Aristocrat. “Another one like it sold for well over $50,000 around 18 months ago.�

......

Does anyone know any details about the Aristocrat that sold for well over $50,000 about 18 months ago?

[watlingboy]

I believe that is a mistake. Like the Mills Treasury.

Watlingboy

[Dave]

I believe that is a mistake. Like the Mills Treasury.

Watlingboy

Interesting mistake. I wonder how many other "mistakes" are in the description.

I would really like to attend this auction in person. Unfortunately, there is no way my schedule will allow it and there is no way I am going to pay an outrageous Internet bidding fee or bid on something that I cannot check out in person. I would hate to buy something only to later find out that it was missing major items (like the Futurity buyer found at the last LV auction).

Is this stuff from the the same Johnston that always showed up at the Chicagoland show? If so, anyone know why he is selling everything?

Dave

[watlingboy]

Dave,

Same guy. Majority but not all is his. Don't know why he is selling.

Watlingboy