origin of the vending box?

[steve B]

And I'll bet most of the prize cards got reused.

When a place had a vending machine/videogame onsite there would be occasional problems with a machine not accepting a quarter, especially one that was badly worn or damaged. Later on with videogames the game could have a problem and need to be restarted.

And the business would usually have a handful of marked quarters as replacements. Usually painted or covered with nail polish. The machine operator would remove these and return them to the shop and not count them as part of the take the machine made. Good operators would also use it as a way of telling if the machine had problems.

Steve B

Originally Posted by Jay Wolt

Lee, that's the thing, there is no definitive proof, and even if there was.
Anyone can replicate the stamp and create their own. I won it in a Sterling lot
for low $ because I've heard about those vending stamps years ago and thought it would be cool to have.
I have not seen any listed anywhere since. If legit (which it probably is) the majority would have been cashed in to the retailer.