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MMD > Archives > January 1999 > 1999.01.07 > 07Prev  Next


Coin-Operated Entertainment in the Gay Nineties
By Hal Davis

There used to be a man in Mason by the name of Rumbles that owned a
coin operated disc machine -- it was tall, about six feet.  It took
pennies to make it play but the patron had to hand crank it for it to
play.  There was a drawer in the bottom portion of the whole thing
where the pennies accumulated.  It played several different tunes from
a large brass disc.

That's been about thirty years ago and I don't remember for certain the
make of the machine.  I seem to think it was a Regina but I'm not sure
if that company was in business then.  Anyway, Mr. Rumbles told me
about that machine had been in an elegant hotel foyer some years before
the turn of the century.

It played and sounded quite good as I remember.  It would seem that
something of that sort would have been in San Francisco at that time
as well.

Hal Davis


(Message sent Thu 7 Jan 1999, 12:04:30 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Coin-Operated, Entertainment, Gay, Nineties

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