Exhibit Machine
 

I ran across a 2 cent Exhibit Machine at a antique store had 6 taped Exhibit cards, babe ruth, cobb, ted Williams not sure the other cards. The machine was in working order and pretty nice shape, unfortunately I didn't get a picture. He had $235 on it and I was wondering what these usually sale for, didn't find a lot of information on the bay??

Thanks Tucker

Price really depends on the machine, they range from $200-1000 based on age, condition and type. I would be a little concerned on this one as there was not a set that had Ruth/Cobb and Ted Williams, the only thing I can think of is the reprint 1970-80's Hall Of Fame Cards. I have seen a number of converted modern-1950-90's where they put old cards to make them look older. Post some pictures it would help give a better idea.

Here are a few of mine-

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...lay012010A.jpghttp://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...lay012010B.jpg

One I am restoring
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...orerepair9.jpg

thanks
 

Thanks for the pictures it was a huge help, nice collection!!!

Hey Scott, is that Sullivan-Ring display piece a single piece or is it two cards? Or something else entirely?

$235 for a decent modern machine or an old one in any reasonable shape is not an unreasonable price, esp. if you don't have to pay for shipping. I paid around that for this one [incl. shipping] missing the back and internal mechanism:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...e%20Before.jpg

And I turned it into this:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...3/P1010050.JPG

I have a large model from the 1940s that I want to restore but haven't had the time to devote to it and I will likely just sell it instead.

Hey Adam, I have not opened it up yet to see, when I get the time I will. My guess is two separate cards.

Upon a close up, I can tell fairly easily that the Sullivan Ring front display is two separate cards. Upon opening you might find that they are thin paper, but often they were original cards behind the glass.

I am a baseball card collector, but also a coin-op collector and have owned several of these over the years from all eras. Exhibit Supply was the most prolific makers of card vending machines, but one can find other makers. The Exhibit Supply machines were hands down the best collectables.

The comment about being concerned about the cards in the front not being from the same set, is really nothing to be concerned about. An arcade owner might use these machines from 10-20-or even 40-50 years. I have seen these in locations vending cards 40 years after they were made. Also, a previous owner/collector might have just switched out some cards to his liking. Maybe he likes Ruth and Williams and simply put a few of each in the window.

The machine is likely to have had many owners. What the cards are in the glass is really irrelevant to authenticity. It may a have an added value if the cards are real and if the cards in the window are valuable. But these machines vended literally 100's of genres, themes etc. from cowboys to singers to movie stars and athletes of all kinds. The vending company would simply switch out the cards in the front for whatever they were vending.

The machines were made generically from the Exhibit Supply (ESCO) facility and shipped with whatever cards the vendor wanted to sell.

Here is one I own in Oak. It is a perfect era of manufacture (1920ish) for the older Exhibit Supply cards. I plan to put some nice early baseball Exhibits in it. Again, if you find one, and even better buy it, don't worry about losing originality by changing the product on the window. It was probably done a hundred times already. I have had this argument a lot with baseball collectors who wanted a "baseball card vendor", and passed on a "boxing vendor" and wished they had one with baseball cards in it. Or someone who was mortified I swapped the cards out, because I messed with the originality.


The metal ones were a bit newer. The boxing one shared by exhibitman and the Ring/Sullivan one by smtjoy are approx. 1930s. The blue one is similar but a bit later approx. 1940's. The taller blue/green one is 50's/60's. My wood one 1920's ish. There were also tall floor standing machines, larger ones with lights and huge display glass, some even working on vacumatic mechanism that would suck up the card via a plunger and drop it in the chute to pick up.

Coin-op/gum and candy machine collectors know these machines well and are well aware of the "different cards" thing. So, don't pass up one if you can find one. $235 for 2 cent is a steal. If it is complete it can sell on a good day for upwards of $500 (don't worry about the paint as you can see, metal case is easy to restore). The taller metal case 1950's-60's is a bit less in value, the taller floor standing vacumatic machines are also $500-$600. The Oak machine I have has a bit of premium over the metal ones due to being older and Oak, and that not as many were made.

They are great and a fun way to display cards. I bought one of the smaller counter top units once without a key, and found it full of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers cards. Wow that was awesome. Wish I could find one full of 1920's baseball Exhibits. That would be even better.

Your front display on that one is 1928 Brad. Nice writeup. Only thing I'd add is that a strong original display from a classic sports set can be worth more than the machine. I've turned down more than I paid for the machine for the original of the Dempsey display. The patent on mine is in the 1920s and it came with a display from 1926. The large one I bought had a six card display from the 1930s or early 1940s on the thin paper with a Joe Louis who I collect. I'd have bought it just for that. I also have a nine card boxers from the 30s including Jim Braddock from another tough series.

Here's one from the 1920's-1930's for sale in a store here in NYC. Price tag says $1500:

Exhibit Card Vendors
 

I am also a ESCO fan
Collection Photo - also photos of another machine before and after I restored it.
Jerry Sage
jssage24@yahoo.com

Great Stuff Everybody
 

I don't have a vending machine but I do have a 1921 Exhibit display for one. It's in pieces right now (I should have listened to Dad in the 60s and had it framed before the washer overflowed down into my basement decades later). These are oldish scans. In intact reality, it is four rows x four columns and includes approximately 6-8 HOFers. The "BASE BALL PLAYERS" would be at the top, and at the bottom, if I had a scan of it, states the 1-cent price. The one missing card in the scan is a Sisler, and yes I have it.

Looking for one of these machines ...
 

Very cool, everybody! I've been looking for one of the ESCO machines for a while that I can put this in:

http://photos.imageevent.com/ltsgall...8fbdisplay.jpg

If anyone has one they are looking to sell, let me know.

jeff

Esco machine
 

Jeff - I would sell one of my machines (posted on this thread) but they are not the larger type of machine that your poster would fit in.
Jerry Sage
jssage24@yahoo.com

Jeff, I do not currently own this machine but it is what you are looking for to hold the large display you have. I hope this helps. The one pictured is on ebay right now for $2200. A bit high in my opinion.

1921 Dempsey display:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ertisement.jpg

1930s Display:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...%20Display.jpg

Exhibit Machine Information
 

This message is for Marvmelvin.

Brad - Wanted to make sure that you recevied the emails I sent to you answering your questions about my machines.

Please respond and if you did not receive them - I will re-send....................
Jerery Sage
jssage24@yahoo.com

Cool machines

I love these! My dad left me some exhibit cards and I would love to get one of the type machines that he would have purchased them from. Looks like the cards are from both 47-66 set and The 39 Salutations. Any help identifying the machine would be awesome. All I know is that they were a penny a piece from a machine in a local drug store in the 1940s.

Exhibit Cards
 

The cards in my machines are 5 5/16 high and 3 3/16 wide. Take a look at my post.
Hope that helps.
Jerry sage
jssage24@yahoo.com

Exhibit machine
 

I bought this on-line several years ago, refurbished it a bit, and rigged it out with some "classy" reprints. The original display is at right. Now that I've seen what others have done, I may mess with it some more.
Attachment 153910 Attachment 153911


Given that it sits with a load of Pirate memoribilia, maybe I should sit these up there

Attachment 153912

That wood machine is a beauty Bob -- I'd go ahead and put those old cards in it!

Greg

Nice looking machine Bob!

That's spot on jerry. How much can I expect to pay for one?

Exhibits
 

Thanks Greg. It reminded me of the wooden machines at Kennywood Park, near Pittsburgh, where I bought Exhibits until I ran out of pennies. Baseball players and cowboys. Baseball was a nice mix of Salutations and early cards in the '47-'66 set.

It's a shame that Exhibits get so little attention. I think they tell the history of the early Twentieth century game better than any other set, or set of sets.

And I think it's cool that they stayed b/w, or whatever sepia is. My favorite:

Attachment 153929

My grandfather used to tell me about Pirate games in which, years after he had departed the team, people would still yell "Put in Yellowhorse!" when a pitcher was going bad.

Here are a couple of my favorite larger machines --

Greg

And here a few early models that you don't see as often --

Greg

When I was a kid back in the late 70's there was an arcade in Seaside Park, NJ that had exhibit card machines. They were no longer popular and were pushed in a hallway, past the bathrooms by an emergency exit. I think there were 3 or 4 of them, 2 were baseball, one was other sports and the 4th was actors, cowboys and pinups. I can't tell you how many of those old cards I bought, I thought they were the neatest thing as a kid. Ralph Branca, Jackie Robinson... they were in mint condition coming right out of those old machines! Some how they all got misplaced, thrown away or my little brother sold them behind my back. I went back to that old arcade when I was in college and the machines were gone.

Now the thing is, I remember them being pretty big, almost like a soda machine. The front had a large panel where a poster size display of cards were shown. So far I haven't seen a big one to match what I remember, does anyone have a picture of a large exhibit machine? Can't remember if they were of wood or metal.

The still have one at Canobie Lake Park in Salem NH. On a stand but it was about 6-7 feet high. The cost was a quarter. I did not have one, but the guy at the park opened up the machine and gave me a card.

This looks similar to the machine I remember seeing at York Beach Maine around 1974. On both machines you could look through the glass and see the cards.

Neither machine had BB cards though.

Gary,

Here's the granddaddy of them all -- typically found at an arcade like you mentioned. Don't know if this is the style you're talking about, but here goes --

Those are nice!

The one I remember from ~1974 allowed you to see the stack of cards through the glass. You would get the card on top of the stack

Wow!
 

Bob, that has to win some sort of Grand Prize. Three questionss:
-- Where did you find it?

-- How much was it;

-- How did you get your wife to agree to let you keep it in the house?

Answer in any order, as long as #3 is first.

Congratulations, man. That's a keeper

Here's a few of mine, don't think the second one was made by ESCO though.
The third one is a mutoscope machine, if anyone has a scan of the header card I'd be willing to pay for it.

http://photos.imageevent.com/griffin...e/Exhibit1.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/griffin...%20Machine.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/griffin...net%20left.jpg

Those are beautiful
!

I saw this machine at a flea market today and was able to pick it up for $130. It displays really nicely and I'm really happy with it. I'm assuming it is late 50's/early 60's. It is in good working order and has had restoration work done on it. The cards are originals but the rest of the display is a reproduction. It has an "ESCO" diamond label below the coin slots.

Is there anyone that might be able to tell me a bit more about it (age, value etc)? Thanks!

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=17094

Exhibit machine
 

I am looking to buy an Exhibit machine from the 50's down. Any help would be appreciated, I am in Upstate NY
ty

Please don't hijack another person's thread with a buy/sell/trade request. Those belong in the BST section and for this particular item, probably on the memorabilia page of that section. I went ahead and moved your other post there just now. Thanks....

My new Exhibit machine
 

I just picked up this vending machine and was wondering if anyone knows where I can get an instruction sheet that goes on the front of the machine or a reprint of one. Also if anyone knows how to get the glass out of the machine to get at the cards and put in an instructions sheet.

Thanks in advance.

Attachment 198755

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to bump this thread to see what people think about this. I just received this piece in the mail. It arrived damaged and a few of the pieces had detached from the black card stock. That is frustrating enough, but I am also wondering if it is authentic.

I understand these ads used thin paper for the postcard images instead of thicker stock normally used for postcards. My biggest concern is that I checked the back of the Gibbons under a black light and it illuminated. These particular cards were sold in the 1920s, but these prints must have been produced long after the mid 1920s. Is there any way this could still be authentic? I don't know why they would be using 1920s postcard images in ads 20+ years later, but wanted to hear the thoughts on the group.

Thanks for the help!

Chris

Here is the one I have - not old 1958 I gather. I put the Exhibit cards in - repros but I enjoy it. I couldn't get the mechanism to work and took it to a vending company and they could jury rig it to work. I monkeyed around my self and found if I put a blank cardboard stack about 5 inches it will work.

Chris I saw that on eBay and believed it was 100% fake. All wrong for the era.

Growing up in New Jersey, we would go to the beach cities in the summer and play in the surf, walk the boardwalk and play in the arcades. I remember the exhibit machines being lined up in a row with a variety of cards available - baseball, football, movie stars, wrestlers, comics and more. If I only knew then what I know now. :)

I picked this up several years back for nostalgia purposes and acquired 30 of the 32 cards advertised. Posting this as a homage to the variety of subjects available from those wonderful machines. (if too off-topic, please feel free to delete.)

Thanks Adam! I was hoping you would be able to chime in on this. One strange thing. The bio on Miske is strange. Is there more than one version of his bio? I only know of one exhibit card for him, but what I received had an updated bio on him. Really grainy though. This is really strange.

At the same time, the paper on this is piece isn't period. They illuminate under a black light. I put my Ketchel beside it to show how it differs.

Not strange at all. Miske appears in the 1923 set; you can sort of make out the 1923 copyright at the bottom. Whoever made this copied a 1923 bio of Miske and pasted it to a scan of his card.

The fluorescing stock is the last nail; the item is undoubtedly a modern concoction.

Thanks for the info! Very helpful!!

Wow...I don't even collect Exhibit Machines but now I want to. LOL

Exhibit Machine
 

Bringing this thread back from the dead...

Anyone ever see an Exhibit machine like this? A single card display!!

This just sold in a mostly non sport auction

Here is the description:

A Unique 10 Cent Exhibit Card Vending Machine with Mickey Mantle Card in Window and 18 Additional Baseball Cards

Table top wooden display features an Art Deco design with original key and ESCO label (Exhibit Supply Co., Chicago U.S.A., EST. 1901) on coin tray and dispenses card when dime is inserted.

Along with Mantle, players featured are: Phil Rizzuto, Andy Pafko (2), Berthold Haas, Dave Philley, Harry Lowery, Dale Mitchell, Vic Wertz, Wally Westlake, Bob Elliott, Earl Torgeson, Wally Whitaker, Dick Fowler, Mickey Vernon, Walter Evers, Hugh Casey, Sal Maglie, Al Evans.

Base: 8 1/4 x 9 1 /2 inches.
Height: 13 1/2 inches.

Obviously an older machine re figured to accept dimes with much later cards being dispensed. The date on the slot mechanism is 1933.

COOL looking!

Nice! very rare and interesting, only seen one get pulled out of one of the beaches near Boston 25 years ago - the wood alone is worth something

Great Item!

Jimmy

Wow, a great item. I have never seen one before. A great addition to one's collection.