Early 20th Century English Fairground Fortune Telling Penny Machine

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Early 20th Century English Fairground Fortune Telling Penny Machine

About the Item

Early 20th century fairground fortune telling penny machine We are proud to offer a unique and very rare early 20th century English fairground penny fortune telling machine. A handcrafted example made from copper, wood, mirror and glass. Hand painted graphics and completely original in form and beautiful example as you can see. This example would have originally been placed in either a fairground or pier environment to provide entertainment to customers. This rare example is a true survivor from the early 20th century, in fully working order. Once an old penny in placed in the chosen month copper slot, the penny passes through a simple weight distributed swing arm hinge trap that releases the pull system. The customer would then have been able to obtain their fortune in the form of a card telling them a horoscope or message. Pennies would collect in the bottom tray and would be collected securely via a lockable hinge swinging front door. This machine can be opened from the front and the reverse of the machine. A highly decorative and one of the rarest fairground items in our store at present, you won’t find an example in fully working order as this one. Size in inches approximate: H 20” x W 20” x D 9” Units: 1 Age: Early 20th century Origin: United Kingdom Condition: This item shows lots of age, wear and tear in the form of patina across the wooden sections, flacked hand painted surface and copper metal sections. The internal mechanism is aged but works fine, the swing arm secure lock is fine also. There is corrosion and rust in the penny collecting tray, mirror windows, lock mechanism, paperback signage, there is a bottom wooden section missing but this doesn’t affect the decorative look of structural stability of this item. The reverse section originally had a lock and key, this is no longer present and is just a flat wooden section that comes of when tilted. This item has had much use and is over 100 years old so expect aging across the whole item. Photos provided show the age and condition as best as possible, however please propose questions were unsure before making a purchase.

Dimensions:
Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 9 in (22.86 cm)
Style:
Folk Art (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Wood,Hand-Carved
Place of Origin:
United Kingdom
Period:
1910-1919
Date of Manufacture:
1910
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor structural damages. Minor fading.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4304218044911