A Guide to Gumball Vending Machines
Gumball vending machines are among the oldest surviving types of vending machines. (An interesting side fact is that the first vending machine was a water dispenser in Egypt circa 100 B.C.) The first gumball machines were penny machines. You can still get those antiques, although they are more for novelty use than a way for you to make a profit. Who wants to carry around five dollars worth of pennies?
Most gumball vending machines today are quarter-operated. The great thing about gumball vending machines is that they do not require any electricity for keeping cool or for accepting coins and dollars. Anyone can afford to buy a gumball machine. They start at $50, and even the most elaborate ones are usually not more than a few hundred. The exception is if you choose to go with a huge vending machine kiosk that includes gumballs but also candy, stickers, toys, and other quick impulse items. Those are widely available as well.
Simple gumball vending machines can either be counter-mounted or freestanding. The freestanding models require a stand that you can buy from the manufacturer of the machine. These stands are often available in a range of styles to fit any setting. They can be customized to hold one, two, three, or more gumball vending machines. They can be adjusted to face all directions (perfect for central locations) or they can be adjusted to fit into a corner, with all of the machines facing forward. The money containers can either be emptied from the front or the back, depending on the model. Dome models allow you to empty the money containers either way.
Remember that when you buy gumball machines, you have to figure in probable profits. If youre only going to rake in a few dollars a month, consider changing locations or style. If you have a stand with two or more machines, rotate the gumball selection from time to time to keep customers interested.
Tea Tree Oil AcneTelescope KitsLandmark TheatresHistory of ToothpasteTuna FishingFoods With Vitamin DWireless Keyboard ReviewsXbox Accessories
A Contrast in Buyers
One of the few mementos that remained from my grandparent's estate was a deck of playing cards. The other was a finger 'nappie' cut glass bowl signed by the artist. Their seven children shared equally the inheritance and not a stick of furniture came our way. No one knows what happened to the collection of antique hand spun Christmas ornaments or which daughter in law got the Haviland china. I always meant to keep the cards in the family to hand down to my daughter (she did get the nappie), but hard times made us desperate for money to pay the bills.
A transformation deck dated 1871, these Tiffany cards were hand made. Scenes in and around the city and country depicted the various modes of clothing popular at the time. No two card were alike. People were dancing, skating, talking, shopping, walking their dogs, and playing instruments. A clever pattern of diamonds, spades, clubs and hearts were worked into the scene to allow regular play amd printed on a strong plastic for a good snap. They came with a custom leather case, stamped in gold with the owner's name (a relative). All fifty two cards were present plus two jokers. These playing cards could not be bought, but were given as a bonus for buying a certain amount of Tiffany wares in their New York store. I thought that somewhere a collector would love to own these unusual cards.
I discovered that the author of a book on the subject lived in a nearby town. I called and he said he would be glad to look at the cards. He glanced casually at the cards, quickly replacing them on the cocktail table. He said that they were not worth more than two hundred fifty dollars. I was surprised at the low amount, telling him of a story I read in a Life Magazine book on antiques that an exact deck was sold ten years previously for four hundred dollars. He said that he knew of that book and he believed it to be a misprint. Suspicious, I told him I would think about it. He called several times, but I wouldn't change my mind.
Back at the library, I found a source book with a list of known card collectors. I wrote to four of them, one in England, one in South Carolina and two in a western state, describing the cards and asking for an offer. The South Carolina person replied with an excited request to buy the cards for one thousand dollars. She related that she belonged to an antique card club and that the president owned such a deck, but in poor condition. She admitted that they might be worth more, but one thousand dollars is all the money she could spend. I wrote back that I would be glad to make her happy, not being a collector myself. Soon the certified check arrived, the cards were insured and sent off, the bills got paid and (almost) everybody was happy.
Xbox AccessoriesWireless AntennaAustralia FactsEntertainment ConsoleTypes of DinosaursDiscount Duvet CoversOrganic Hair Dye
