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WALL MOUNTED SLOT MACHINES


Heartshome

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Do you remember the 'Slot Machines' that were fixed to walls all around town. As a little one, Mum would put a 'Sixpenny Bit' in a Chocolate machine, that was on the curve of a wall going up the hill from Pond Street, on the left. It was on the corner of a street where the 'Bingo' place was built There were many others, where you could aquire not only Chocolate, but Cigaretts, Stamps and Chewing Gum. The indoor wall ones, would also supply you with Soap, Toothpaste, Condoms, and Tampax. I don't know why, but they seemed to suddeny 'disappear'

Just recently, I have noticed that some Motorway Service Toilets, have had some installed. 

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I should imagine they were an easy target for thieves, smashing the glass for the products and taking the money too. The cost of maintaining them in outside locations not protected, would make them uneconomic.  

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These were certainly a feature of my early days in Sheffield. The bubble gum machines in particular!  I have rescued a few over the years, one for bubble gum, one which gave out Kit Kats (best not used on a hot day), and a couple of old cigarette machines which I found in the Orchard Square when they were pulling it apart for redevelopment. Hard to imagine how a tin box full of fags could survive on a wall these days. I did take some snaps recently as they've been in my garage for years. See what you think!

Park Drive cigarette machine 8867.JPG

Woodbine cigraette machine 8871.JPG

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And don't forget the Milk vending machines, which were quite something. There was one down Broadfield Road outside the bottling plant there, and you could get one of those wax cartons full of milk (they predated the Tetrapaks we have now, but could be recycled).  It was a feature of our childhood as being a big family we often ran out of milk by Sunday, so would be driven down to grab a couple of cartons (note to youth, shops were closed on Sundays).

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Or those strange stand alone bubble gum ball dispensers on a pole which would be placed outside sweet shops, but only when they were open!  There was one outside a little sweet shop opposite Carterknowle Junior School in the 1960s.  One lunchtime a couple of the bigger kids pushed it over for a dare; the plastic shattered and bubblegum balls went all over and rolled down the street.  All the kids who hung about there grabbed pockets full and skidaddled back into school.  Needless to say there were repercussions!  As there were the day my brother went round the playground selling sacharine sweetner tablets to daft kids for 2d each. Goodness knows what they thought they were getting. I got hauled up before the head for not keeping better control of my younger brother, though I'd no idea what he was up to!

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This is what my KitKat machine looks like (this is not my photo). Maybe someone can remember when a KitKat cost 20p.  It doesn't say if it's two or four fingers.  London Underground used to have lots of vending machines on the platforms certainly into the late Seventies selling chocolate bars but they were very unreliable and often took your money and jammed. 

 

Kit Kat vending machine 1970s.jpg

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There was a belief that the Beech Nut chewing gum machines gave a free packet every 5 goes - I never scientifically evaluated this claim due to lack of funds....

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Beech Nut machines, one free every FOUR turns.

Quite rare but they did work, - you could figure out the next free one by the position of the handle.

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There’s an old one (no longer working) still on the wall outside a shop just before hunters bar roundabout .

its silver in colour and says “cigarettes” on it.

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3 hours ago, makapaka said:

There’s an old one (no longer working) still on the wall outside a shop just before hunters bar roundabout .

its silver in colour and says “cigarettes” on it.

Is it visible at the moment? 

When the vape shop took over the building, they covered it in a wooden box saying "don't worry, the historic cigarette machine is safe, we've sent it away to be repaired and it will be back soon". That was years ago and when I last looked it was still a wooden box. Sign long gone. 

Perhaps it's re-appeared since I last looked, when did you last see it?

 

Untitled.png

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13 minutes ago, RichK said:

Is it visible at the moment? 

When the vape shop took over the building, they covered it in a wooden box saying "don't worry, the historic cigarette machine is safe, we've sent it away to be repaired and it will be back soon". That was years ago and when I last looked it was still a wooden box. Sign long gone. 

Perhaps it's re-appeared since I last looked, when did you last see it?

 

Untitled.png

Oh perhaps not then - it was probably a while ago to be honest.

im round that way tomorrow so will have a look.

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A stand of vending machines here at Firvale Creamery, also sweet jars on stands outside, I doubt you could do that at Firvale now days, what a shame things have gone that way.          -----------    (c) Picture Sheffield         ---------     http://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;u07472&pos=5&action=zoom&id=97906   

firvale_creamery_513_barnsley_road.jpg

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18 hours ago, makapaka said:

Oh perhaps not then - it was probably a while ago to be honest.

im round that way tomorrow so will have a look.

I suspect, sadly, it's gone for good. I've never plucked up the courage to go in and ask...go on I dare you!

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I remember the chewing gum machine on the wall of Thornton's corner shop junction of Stretton Road and Penrhyn Road as a lad. I can confirm it gave a freebie every fourth turn, we used to watch how many people used it then dive in when it was due to 'payout'!

Nigel L 

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There was a slot machine on the wall of the ABC Cinema close to the outsidetimings board. It held Nestle chocolate bars costing 10p in the early 1980s.

I've seen machines abroad selling beer bottles in Germany and umbrellas in Bergen, Norway.

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On 26/08/2018 at 08:45, simon.r said:

These were certainly a feature of my early days in Sheffield. The bubble gum machines in particular!  I have rescued a few over the years, one for bubble gum, one which gave out Kit Kats (best not used on a hot day), and a couple of old cigarette machines which I found in the Orchard Square when they were pulling it apart for redevelopment. Hard to imagine how a tin box full of fags could survive on a wall these days. I did take some snaps recently as they've been in my garage for years. See what you think!

Park Drive cigarette machine 8867.JPG

Woodbine cigraette machine 8871.JPG

Hi simon.r, nice pics of the machines. Good on you for the rescue of them. It's amazing to start a topic that gets everyone talking, and thinking of things from their past, and to know they remember what you do and more. It's also nice to find out that not everything has 'disappeared' entirely.

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Barnards shop on City Road had quite a few slot machines supplying milk, soup, tea, coffee, cigarettes of all brands, chocolate etc, this was in around 1960 . That was before vandalism became a profession, I cannot remember Barnards machines ever getting vandalised. I visited the area a few months ago now it's just a horrible sight, crappy shops, litter all over, very sad.

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12 hours ago, Heartshome said:

Hi simon.r, nice pics of the machines. Good on you for the rescue of them. It's amazing to start a topic that gets everyone talking, and thinking of things from their past, and to know they remember what you do and more. It's also nice to find out that not everything has 'disappeared' entirely.

I didn't have a car back then, had to haul them back on a bus!  I suspect there are plenty of people out there who recall all this stuff; maybe the Forum should have an open day somewhere.  I've got a nice Victorian Sheffield art school posing table somewhere so folk could step up and say a few words!  Clothed of course.  Simon

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In my youth, I used to get bubble gum from a vending machine in Pond St. bus station.

it tasted AWFUL, but blew enormous bubbles.

you can imagine my surprise when some years later, I learned that ‘DUREX’ was not a brand of gum!!!

....... sorry, couldn’t resist that :) 

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I remember when slot machines, slowly, began to be re-introduced after the War. Before then , empty  rusty and abandoned machines could be seen on walls scattered around the city,  Amongst an assortment of goods on offer  I especially remember...chewing gum, bubble gum, penny chews, Rolos and, of course cigarettes.....from which we under age smokers obtained our supplies. They became a casualty of the anti-smoking lobby and withdrawn before the others as a measure to make smoking anti-social. 

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I remember quite a few from the late '50s and early '60s. In particular, a cigarette machine outside Jenkinson's (later Brown's) stores at the Gleadless Common end of Gleadless Avenue. It wasn't attached to a wall, but stood on metal legs which were, I think, concreted into the shop's forecourt. Round the corner on Hollinsend Road was a chewing-gum machine on the wall of a small shop - and yes, it gave two-for-the-price-of-one every fourth turn. But I never seemed to get the bonus packet; I suppose some eagle-eyed local kid was watching from behind neighbouring net curtains and popped out with his penny each time the handle was in the correct position.

   On Sheffield Midland station's platform there was a milk machine. When I used to go train-spotting, Mum would give me a packet of sandwiches but not a drink to take with me, so I bought a waxy carton of milk to wash them down. From memory it cost 3d. In the booking hall was a more unusual machine. It consisted of a model of Stephenson's Rocket in a glass case, with a slot beneath. When you put a penny in the slot, the engine's wheels would turn a few times. I think that the money thus collected went to some sort of railway benevolent fund.

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In the early 80's I used to go to King Edward swimming baths with friends and always looked forward to the Sun Pat peanuts from the vending machine on the wall in there after a swim. 

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