Fairground & Circus Auction

After a long lull, we have good news on the slot machine auction front with the announcement of Joby Carter's International Fairground & Circus Auction scheduled for October 25th. Organized by Carters Entertainment Ltd. it will build on the achievements of last year's auction and promises to be an annual event in the vintage amusements calendar.

Circus and fairground related lots and vintage coin-operated amusements of all kinds are invited from all and should be submitted by 31st July 2009.

It’s that time of year again! Auction time! October 25th that is! It sounds like a long time away but before you know it the leaves will be falling from the trees and you will be off to White Waltham for the Annual Fairground Auction. This year my event goes under the banner of The Fairground and Circus Auction. So not only will there be the normal array of slot machines, pedal cars and fairground art, there will also be some very fine circus memorabilia to feast your eyes upon.

Any lot will be considered for the auction although I would prefer pieces that can be easily taken away on the day of the auction, simply because this seems to be where the market is strongest. In other words – I am not interested in small roundabouts with unrealistic reserves on! I would urge anyone entering lots to have no or low reserves as this is a sale not a valuation service. Any item which does not make its reserve will be stated as unsold.

This year we have a special section to the auction – a segment 100% for charity. One of my many ideas that has gone down very well! Our charity of the year is the Teenage Cancer Trust. There’s never a good time to get cancer, but for a teenager the timing seems particularly cruel. Young people can get some of the most rare and aggressive forms of cancer while the emotional upheaval of adolescence can make a cancer diagnosis even harder to cope with. Every day in the UK, six young people will have to face that diagnosis. Teenage Cancer Trust understands that teenage cancer requires specialist care and that young people have a much better chance in their fight against cancer if they are treated by teenage cancer experts in an environment tailored to their needs. Teenage Cancer Trust builds units in NHS hospitals which improve the quality of life and chances of survival for young people with cancer. As Teenage Cancer Trust receives no government funding, Teenage Cancer Trust rely on voluntary donations.

It occurred to me to ask as many fairground artists as I know to do a piece of artwork to auction off commission free. This has the obvious benefit of raising much needed funds for a very worthy cause, and it also highlights the fact that if you want traditional hand-painted artwork you can still have it done for you – you just need to know where to look! All too often you see a set of gallopers with vinyl scrolls on the steps or a vintage slot machine with stick-on letters – why? Because it is cheap and traditional artwork isn’t and nor should it be – it’s a dying art-form that deserves celebrating and this is my way of doing so. We have already got two fabulous pieces here – one by my Mum, Anna Carter and one by Vicky Postlewaite. Myself and my apprentice, Aaron Stephens are both half-way through our pieces – mine being a guitar kindly donated by Fender – possibly the hardest thing I have ever decorated and will be a one off one of a kind piece! Many other famous artists are painting pieces for this event including a very well known artist from Australia!!!

To view the lots check the website: we will be updating it every week with the catalogue launch at the Great Dorset Steam Fair (hence the early closing date for entries – there is method in my madness!) We have already got a great deal of interest this year thanks to the success of last year’s auction and the lot allocation is quickly filling up.

We look forward to seeing you on the last Sunday of October.

Joby Carter

COVENTRY COIN-OP SHOW 2008

The catalogue for the CENTRAL ENGLAND VINTAGE COIN-OP COLLECTORS' SHOW & AUCTION (in association with Mechanical Memories Magazine) to be held on 30th November 2008 at the Coundon Club, Coventry, CV6 1GP is now available in the MARKET. Admittance is by catalogue only at the discounted £4 rate in the Market or £5 at the door. A great chance get your hands dirty by investigating a bewildering array of antique mechanical amusement apparatus, slot machines, one arm bandits, etc,. and to network with lots of like-minded collectors.

Joby Carter's Vintage Slot Machine Auction

Joby Carter of Carter's Vintage Steam Fair is organizing an auction of "Vintage Slot Machines, Pedal Cars, Gag Boards, Wagons, Rides, Transport and anything else related to the fairground industry" to take place on the 26th of October, 2008.

Entries are invited from all and must include a photograph. Click advert above to visit the website. Contact details for entries and catalogues contained therein.

Arnett's Circus Sale

I received an auction catalogue from Southern Counties Auctioneers this morning for a Sale of Fairground & Circus Vehicles, Related Ephemera and Posters: Saturday 13th September. They do not seem to have combined this sale with the postponed slot machine sale - there are only two machines in the auction, but there are a total of 326 fine circus related lots including signs, posters, costumes, ephemera, carvings, a 97 key organ built in 1923, living wagons, vintage fairground vehicles and much more. The full colour catalogue is available for £5 post free from John Bundy on 01722 321215. (Southern Counties website seems to have disappeared at present).

Peter is the fourth generation of "Peter Arnett's who have been associated with the entertainments industry, from boxing to greyhound racing, bingo clubs, fairgrounds and finally the circus.

His father was friends with Billy Manning, whose fairground was situated a Clarence Pier; and with the late Billy Smart (senior). Young Billy Smart would take the young Peter Arnett "on holiday" with the circus during the latter's school summer holidays. Peter's early association with the circus and his ever widening circle of friends and colleagues led to a colourful career which culminated n a travelling circus.

Some of the pieces being offered for sale here were part of that organisation which toured the Easy and South coasts of England during the years 1999-2005.

An Auctioneer Responds...

Laurence Fisher, Specialist Department Head, Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus, Bonhams, responded to my last rather pessimistic post with this more upbeat message:

I am working on three collections now which together, would probably span a two day sale and a three-volume catalogue. May well take a year to do, but it should be worth it.

Things for us are looking up, but without the support of all machine collectors around the world, I agree that both MMM and Bonhams will be in the same boat until a change appears. At the end of the day, no one can make someone sell nor buy, but just the magnet of having Jerry's sales for instance should be enough to keep the door open for the masses.

Also, and I take this quote from a well-known member of the slot machine community - "having lower numbers of machines in regular sales does me a favour with the total price!" Mark and I try to get at least a few machines together for each of the two-per-year Knowle sales - 13 May next week has 9 machines.
Lets hope all of us can pick up machines more often from everywhere this year.

The 'credit crunch' will have no affect on those who really do have a genuine interest in the history of machines.

Salisbury Auction Postponed

I received the following letter this morning regarding the Netherhampton Salesrooms slot machine auction that was scheduled for 18th May this year in Salisbury:

Thank you for your entry for the above auction, however by the closing date, despite extending, we have had too few items entered to justify continuing with the sale. This is unfortunate as we have some interesting and collectable pieces here as promised.
We would hope that you will allow us to enter them into our annual 'Stourpaine Sale' which is timed to coincide with the well known Great Dorset Steam Fair due this year on Friday 29th August. This sale attracts buyer from all over Europe and should provide you with a very suitable alternative. If storage is a problem for you we will take the goods in, store and insure them and transport them to the venue.
Thank you for your understanding and please accept our apologies for any inconvenience you have been caused.

Yours faithfully,

John Bundy
Managing Director
(Netherhampton Salesrooms)

This news comes as no great surprise. Clearly a number of factors, not least the current economic climate, are making it very difficult these days to pull in enough quality machines for a decent sale. Bonhams and the MMM auctions are in the same boat.
A sale now really needs to be founded upon the break up of one or more collections (a rare event). Anyway, let's hope the 'Stourpaine Sale' is a success.

New British Slot Machine Book

I recently received an email from slot machine industry veteran Freddy Bailey about his new book All My Life... A Showman
. Freddy has extensive historical knowledge and experience of the pre-decimal British amusement machine days so this will could a very welcome contribution to our hobby. To be financially viable Freddy says he needs to sell 2000 copies. Unfortunately, in our hobby, that's quite a tall order. I've requested stock for the PennyMachines Library. If you want to see this book (price £40) in print I suggest you email Freddy.

Hi Everybody,
We are now coming to the final chapters in my new book “All My Life………….A Showman”, it will be going to the printers within the next four weeks, anyone who has an interest in purchasing copies, could you please e-mail me with your requirements. We have to publish 2,000 copies to make it a proposition, this has been a gigantic effort and what started out as my autobiography has turned into a 400 page coin machine history as well as a personal adventure. Wherever you are just interested in the many sections on coin operated machine’s, or in reading about my life in that business over the last 55 years, I am sure you will enjoy the book. There is I think something for every collector, be it jukeboxes, arcade machines or slot machines. I am sure you will find items that you have never seen in other similar publications. I have also tried to make it an International study of the various machines and the people that were involved with them. For any
further information please e-mail me at anglobritish@aol.com

Thank you. Freddy Bailey (British Coin Machine Historian)