October 26, 2023: Fall Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/26/2023
Travel back to the Eisenhower years and plunk a shiny nickel into this charming – and seemingly working – Exhibit Vending Machine that rewards the collector with three cards for his efforts. The countertop machine stands 18 inches high, 9 inches wide and 10 inches deep, with two Western Exhibits featured on the front encasement and signage that notes “3 for 5 cents.” The Criss Cross Card Machine is manufactured by Calex Mfg. of Amityville, N.Y., has some slight rust on the top and in the tray that hardly detracts from the presentation. Included with the lot are 175 Near-Mint or better reprints of the legendary Mutoscope Big Band Legends cards, an array that is blank-backed and snowy white reverses; the original Mutoscope Big Band cards have the postcard-style backs and typically have a slightly yellow patina. Well-known figures from the issue include Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Lawrence Welk, Guy Lombardo, Count Basie, Ozzie Nelson and Xavier Cugat, among a number of others, represented here with ½ dozen cards each. The machine internal machinery is apparently functional, though it may take a bit of tinkering to get the coin mechanism to work (key is included).
1959 Exhibit Card Vending Machine With Big Band Legends Reprints Inventory
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