SOLD – 1920s Wills’s Tobacco Cigarette Vending Machine [Non-functional]

This machine was designed to vend on one old half-penny, but the surprisingly complex mechanism used so much ‘pot metal’ (cheaply cast metal from ‘whatever was lying around’) that is very friable and has deteriorated beyond repair, that it will definitely never vend again. The drawer is also affected by the metal behind it and is jammed shut. However, we have taken it apart to make sure that there are no loose parts and modified the remaining parts so that any coins inserted will fall through to the reject plate. A few half pennies are supplied.

You can remove the top panel for mounting and a key issupplied, the bottom coin door is fixed permanently in place with brass screws, the heads are painted so we do not recommend removing them, you can still mount the machine on the wall with the two accessible screw holes from the top section. Note that clearly at some time the machine was forceable removed from the wall and the back is slightly warped, this doesn’tshow when the machine is mounted on the wall.

It appears to have been partially repainted at some time, but done well with appropriate paint and colours, not from a spray tin. This is a very old machine but will look amazing in the right location. There are very few machines of this age, in this external condition left now, so grab one whilst you can!