Be sure to check out the post about the video, but here is the English subtitled version again:
ダービー2 (Derby 2) by 京楽 (Kyoraku)
The next 2 games are toy Corinthian game bagatelles from Japan. They do not use a plunger, they are played by using a small wooden cue to hit/push the ball up the shooter lane. While most USA bagatelle toys had plungers, many places around the world still loved the versions where you used a small cue.
These next two photos show large Corinthian bagatelle games, probably from the 1930s.
large Corinthian tables, part of the birth of smartball
this is most likely a sign for a Corinthian parlor
In this shot we see two single-shot pachinko machines, probably from the late 1950s.
I can't place the machine exactly, but here is a similar machine to the one on the left. These were common, and mostly very similar, pachinko machines from the 1950s
Masamura Gauge ALL 15 (1957, Hokuku Yuki) the machine in the above screenshot looks like it might have a center tulip, and if so that would push it to about 1962.
Let's take a quick look at the pachinko that Kei Tani takes with him around the world.
This exact machine appears in the book パチンコ歴史事典 (Pachinko history encyclopedia). If you zoom in on any of the wear on the paint or metal, you'll see it exactly lines up with Tani's machine. There is a brief period after the war where one sen metal pachinko was still made.
1947~ メダルパチンコ (medal pachinko) The coin slot on the right is a post-war style. Metal pachinko, called so because the playfield is metal, were still made up until 1952 or 1953, though not nearly as common as celluloid playfields. (celluloid playfields existed before the war, but were not common then)
They briefly cut to this famous patent drawing...
1901 Log Cabin by Caille Brothers [early version]
The next little bit of footage is all from before WW2 and are what I consider some of the rarest machines from Japan. There are almost no surviving copies of these machines.
On the left there are two machines that look quite similar to this machine by 岡 (Oka). You can even see heart shapes on playfield on one of them. It would be a a good presumption to say those two are by Oka, but there no way to know for sure.
1931~ 岡式電気自動球遊機 (Oka-style electric ball play machine) by 岡 (Oka) (for reference only)
This next machine has cups that are quite distinctive, and I've only ever seen these on an Oka machine residing at the Birth Of Pachinko Museum in Japan. This is NOT the same machine, but it might be a clue that this is an earlier Oka model. As we slowly piece together clues of 1920s Japanese machines, this will hopefully be clarified.
Similar winning cups:
1929~ 岡式電氣自動球遊機 (Oka-style electric ball play machine) by 岡 (Oka) (for reference only)
I do not have a better photo of this next pachinko, but the panning camera allows us to assemble what it looks like.
unknown sen pachinko
on the leftmost pachinko, we can see two strips that seem to alternate different coloured squares. While I have never seen this pachinko machine before, a similar design was used for a machine by the company 鈴富商会 (Suzutomi Shokai), so perhaps they made this machine as well.
1936 自働球遊機 (automatic ball game machine) by 鈴富商会 (Suzutomi Shokai) (for reference only)
this is a very special photograph from 1933! Using a different sources, we can get a somewhat better view of these games.
~1933 バスケットボール (basketball)
~1933 空中爆突戦 (Aerial Bombardment)
~1933 菓子販賣機付玉運び機 (ball carrier with confectionery machine) by 日本娯楽機製作所 (Nippon Amusement Machine Manufacturing)
The next segment is at Richard M. Bueschel's house, where his bagatelles are on display for the camera.
1931 Baffle Ball Home Game by Gottlieb (photo from Ed Nickels)
1932 Super Gold Star by Lindstrom (photo courtesy Ed Nickels)
UNKNOWN: I am unable to find the exact model, but the right-most machine appear to be a small Redgrave-style parlor bagatelle.
1932 Poker Ball Square by Lindstrom
UNKNOWN: I am unable to identify this bright green bagatellle.
UNKNOWN: Redgrave-style table with 2 bells, each with 2 circles of nails surrounding them. I have seen many Redgrave boards with 2 bells with a double circle around the lower bell, but this is the only time I've seen both bells have the double circle.
1929 Whoopee Game by In And Out Games Company (there exists a taller version of this, with double-rings of nail circles)
The to England, to learn a bit about 9-hole bagatelle billiards
in this display we see a collection of toy bagatelle games. There is a tiny one at the top center called Bulletelle, a red one beneath it, a 1932 Super Gold Star by Lindstrom (see above) in the upper-right corner, and some kind of set in the bottom right.
1914 Bulletelle by R. Farmer & Sons
UNKNOWN: small red toy bagatelle
these are toy-sized 9-hole English bagatelle tables from James Masters' collection. These ones do not have a hinge to fold. The one in the TV show looks to be even shorter!
another shot of the very small 9-hole table
this is a classic 9-hole English bagatelle table. These were made from the 1800s and even past ww2 though I do not know if any modern makers build them. Sold tables like this are sturdy and made for the bar. Most 9-hole bagatelle tables you see have a fold in the center, allowing them to store more compactly, but that is not as much of a consideration in a commercial establishment.
an Enlgish bagatelle table from the 1872 Brunswick catalogue
The next segment is at Nic Costa's house:
this beautiful peacock is a flasher from an old carnival game where the lights would flash in sequence and you'd win if you bet on a lit lamp.
While this article about "The Flashing Flag", it shows a similar kind of game idea. The Flag article would have been from 1923-1925. It is a fascinating early example of electricity being employed in gaming devices, and exciting because the electricity is utilized to make the game crooked. from the Bunco Games To Beware Of article.
1930s Chinese Crystal Gazer by unnamed Blackpool, UK maker
'Egyptian Bell' Mills-Firman conversion
1935 Rol-A-Top by Watling
1931 'Silent Bell' War Eagle by Mills Novelty
1933 'Silent Golden Bell' (Roman head) by Mills Novelty
1920 Perfect Muscle Developer by Mills Novelty
there are two machines by Automatic Sports Co / Matthewson in this scene. While we don't get to see above the handles on the machine behind Mr. Costa, I am told that it was a Golf machine.
~1900 Golf by Automatic Sports Co
this is a bit of a blurry freeze frame, but the caliber of coinop here is a bit hard to take in. Behind Kei Tani are 5 incredibly sought after antique coinop items.
1895 Test Your Grip by Mechanical Trading Company from Automatic Pleasures
1901 Electric Treatment shock machine by Imperial Electric This machine is over Tani's shoulder, and does not have the blue marquee plate in the screenshot.
1901 Electric Treatment shock machine by Imperial Electric an image of the machine in the TV show, taken from Automatic Pleasures
this shot gives us a slightly better look at these two
1896 The Football Game by Automatic Sports Co
1904 Ajax Puncher by Caille
On the left we can see part of the middle shelf, but we can't see any of the machines on the bottom shelf, just the cases
This shot shows the top shelf and the middle shelf. We have a better shot of the right side top shelf below, so for now we're just focusing on the machines on the middle and bottom shelves, plus the ones front-and-center.
Middle shelf:
1915 Le Jeu De Cartes by Le Dentu, Paris
1916 Allies Flags by Automatic Novelty Co., London
1910 Le Marabout by Le Dentu
1933 Pin Royal by BMCo
I asked Nic Costa about this: "A clockwork working model of the famous big wheel built in 1897 in Vienna. Probably made as an exhibition piece one off."
top shelf, to the right
UNKNOWN: have not yet identified. This one has a very odd inner rail, that ends while pointing directly down. That's very rarely seen. Here is a near identical machine below.
Vinst Pa Rott (that is what I glimpse from the label, I doubt I'm correct.)\ (for reference only: note how the track ends pointing down)
It seems to have a shield graphic like this one, but note how far the upper spiral circles down on the above mode.
The Allwin No. IV (reference only: note the shape of the label)
1910 La Pilote by La Dentu, Paris
1913 Footballer by unknown ("presumed Bussoz" in the auction catalogue)
This view gives us a peak at the machine behind Nic's shoulders
there it is!
1924 Motorman with electric shock wall machine by Pessers, Moody, Wraith & Gurr, London
Immediately about Tani's head is a rare fortune teller / vending machine. The graphic is different, but if we utilize another angle, we'll see the bottom lines up perfectly.
Note the bottom of the machine
1900 Is Marriage A Failure by J. Meurice & Co
Top row:
some might think it folly to try and identify a machine up in the back corner like this, but.,...
cup catcher by Pessers, Moody, Wraith & Gurr Ltd
1908 Mother Shipton by The Argyle Automatic Co., London
1915 Success by Bussoz Freres, Paris
1909 Le Rednes-Vous by Bankwitz Hugo please note: this is listed as "Le Paramour" in the Costa-Haskell auction catalogue, but was properly identified by Machines de Zinc.
1905 The Fairy by Barnes Funland Supplies Reading (maker confirmed by Nic Costa)
Bottom row:
1925 Simplex wall machine with electric shock by Max Jentsch & Meerz, Leipzig, German
bulldog catcher by Jentzsch & Meerz of Leipzig, Germany
1910 Nulli Secundus by Phoenix Works, Birmingham
1910 St. Huberts Shooting Game by Original Musikwerke, P. Lochman, Zenteuroda, Germany
Then on the right, foreground:
these two fortune tellers use the same case, but the left machine has the "Heaven & Hell" graphic below. It seems to appear in a number of cabinet variations, as this is a fortune teller machine.
1952 Heaven & Hell by Bollands
Fortune Teller wall machine
~1901 Ping Pong by BMCo (from Nic Costa: "This dates from c 1901/2 when ping pong was all the rage in the UK. Somewhere I uncovered the patent for it." The 1997 auction catalogue lists this as 1910)
We're at the bottom of the stairs. Let's start with the first two machines, and then work our way up.
1910 wall bagatelle machine
1908 The Improved Pickwick by Pessers & Moody, London
2 more machines
1900 Pickwick by H. Klein & Company, London
1905 The Improved Pickwick, by Pessers, Moody, Writh & Gurr, London
and then the final 3
1901 The Fortuna by Automatic Skill Machines co
1900 Heureka by Polyphon Musikwerke, Leipzig, Germany this is the first Allwin-style machine
1899 Game of Skill by Price & Castell, London
Seaside pier arcade in Hastings, UK:
1920 Mutoscope
1973 Zodiac Fortune Teller [mkII] by Nixsales
1940 Spitfire
1933 Disposition Register by Exhibit Supply The Love Test machine looks very similar to this machine, though the proportions look different. The ones below seem appropriate:
love machines from the 1939 Mike Munves catalogue these machines seems to be the proper proportions of what we see in the arcade
1934 Payramid by Bryans
1955 Elevenses by Bryans
this is apparently a 1938 version of 24 Winning Cups. The one below is from the 1950s
1950s 24 Winning Cups by Wondermatics
This segments is with André Simon in France:
1905 Le Phenix by Pierre-Able Nau
this is as far left as we get to see, so let's start at the left and look at the first 4 machines... plus the one on the ground, barely in the frame.
1905 Commercial by Caille
horse race single wheel roulette by Bussoz, Paris
unknown allwin THREE COIN SLOTS??? Oh I love the French machines. The top carving seems to match that of Le Double by Lombard (France, 1909) so perhaps that is a clue to the manufacturer.
L'Auto Sport by Elce-Paris (reference only: this machine gives a better view of the rare triple horizontal coin slots)
1920s Le Mamillion (france) (reference only: a slot with a similar (though not exact) carved top and 3 different coin slots, but aligned differently.)
this next one counts as a "maybe":
~1901 La Roulette Nouvelle by Pierre-Able Nau The machine pictured here has a lever on the front, but if we look at Simon's machine, the lever is on the side. According to the book Arcadia, earlier versions of roulette machines by Nau had the side lever but the design was quickly changed to a front lever. That would explain why most pictures you see are the front lever style. I think Simon's machine is an early version of La Roulette Nouvelle. The graphic on Simon's machine is colourful psychedelic waves, which you can see if you look up images of their La Precieuse Musical Upright Slot.
This is in the lower-left of the frame and looks like Le Pingouin by Bussoz, with the curved top and the spinning wheel with the inner ring. But above the wheel we have two coin bits of metal, similar to the 1911 Roulette Bussoz below. The distance between the metal is consistent with some of the Bussoz machines of the 1910s, though some machines of that era did have wider gaps. There are other machines with a similar shape and two pieces of metal there, like the 1934 Roulette Lebout, but the metal casting are further separated on that model. Just below the coin areas, on the far left and right side, we see two small metal bolts/nubs. Because of that, I believe this to be a Roulette Mickey. But since there were so many machines inspired by this design, I'm prepared to be wrong. :)
~1937 Le Pingouin by Bussoz (reference only)
1937 Roulette Mickey bv Ducros, France
moving down the line...
...we can see to the end of the shelf
1910 Le Bachelet by Oswin Franke I would very much like to find a better photograph of this machine. But here are some detail shots that appear in the video.
Update 2024-02-03: André Simon has provided this photo:
1910 Le Bachelet by Oswin Franke (h/t Machines de Zinc for the maker)
1911 Roulette Bussoz by Bussoz, Paris
Le Coq Phenix by Pierre Abel-Nau
unknown machine
another angle of that unknown machine, showing a bit of the detail
1910s Le Royalty
The last two machines are hard are much easier to see in this shot.
ENHANCE!
1901 La Roulette Nouvelle by Pierre-Abel Nau I do not fully understand the differences between the Nau machines, but you can see the body of this machine is different than the other "La Roulette Nouvelle" we have showcased on this page. There are also less metal plates along the top. Simon's machine seems to have a larger base that gives it a few more inches of height. It is important to note the small elliptical plaque on the left, near the payout cup, which does not seem to appear on similarly shaped Nau machines.
1925 Le Chien Savant by unnamed France or German maker
The scene with Kaichi Endo showcases an extremely rare and beautiful catalogue from around 1937. I have further comments about this catalog at the top of my eremeka research notes. It is especially important to note how I have been handling dates for the entire eremeka project, and list machines at their earliest date we've been able to find it in.
note: the camera lens seems to have distended the image here. We have seen the first machine, on the left, earlier in this post.
I want to pay respects to Endo here by showing off my favourite photograph of him, proudly showcasing his beautiful luxury omikuji machine in 1930. An omikuji machine is a fortune dispenser, but in Japan they employed automaton technology that had been very popular in places like Germany to create an animated scene where your fortune is dispensed from a beautiful shrine.
photo republished in Game Machine magazine 2001-02-15 captain: In June 1930, Mr. Kaichi Endo (third from the right) watches over an automatic fortune machine installed on the roof of Ueno Matsuzakaya. Mr. Endo was 31 years old at the time. The second person from the left is Matsuzakaya's General Affairs Manager Saito.
Postlude: this was the largest arcade exploration I've ever done, and the majority of machines are from before the 2nd world war. This show brought together 3 highly knowledgeable and passionate collectors with an incredibly deep collections.
Here is a glimpse of all of the books I had strewn around while trying to put this post together:
books from my library
The following section is to assist me in finding the missing entries. You can safely ignore it, or if you like identifying machines you can use this as shorthand to assist in the quest!
UNKNOWN: I am unable to find the exact model, but the right-most machine appear to be a small Redgrave-style parlor bagatelle.
UNKNOWN: I am unable to identify this bright green bagatellle.
UNKNOWN: Redgrave-style table with 2 bells, each with 2 circles of nails surrounding them. I have seen many Redgrave boards with 2 bells with a double circle around the lower bell, but this is the only time I've seen both bells have the double circle.
UNKNOWN: unable to see this one well enough to identify, perhaps someone else knows?
UNKNOWN: red-surface Redgraves-style parlor bagatelle. Seen many similar, but none with that specific layout.
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