Note the stainless steel delivery tray that comes with an optional “Sanitary Lift Cover”. This plastic cover was an available option to keep candy clean until it was removed from the delivery tray.

The final photo is of an illustration of the Univendor Junior on a stand. This machine with the stand measures 71 inches tall x 24 inches wide x 13 inches deep and weighs 185 lbs.

Manufactured by:
Stoner Mfg. Corp.
Aurora, Illinois

This is a vintage Ford gum vending machine from the 1950s. This model was set up to vend gum for 1 penny. The glass globe has a flat top, because originally there was a metal frame positioned on the top of these gumball vendors that displayed the name of whatever local charity the vendor was collecting for. These machines had the capacity to fit 4 lbs. of gumballs. We restored this chrome gum vendor back when we were still in the restoration business.

Dimensions: 12”H x 8”W
Weight: 13 lbs.

Ford Gum and Machine Co., Inc.
18 Newton Ave.
Akron, New York

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

These two photos are of the lunchroom inside a Vendo vending machine factory lunchroom sometime in the 1950s. As you can see in the first photo, the lunchroom was fully stocked with Vendo vending machines of all kinds. These were soda, fresh food, ice cream, milk, juice and coffee machines.

The second photo shows a more humorous take on the assortment of food and drink vendors available to the employees. This room has been set up to look like a town in the old West. Instead of the words “Coca-Cola” over the vending machine, a rustic –looking sign with “The Cold Bottle” is displayed overhead, making it look more like an old saloon. Old storefronts have been painted on the walls. What a fun place to have lunch—“How ‘bout a nice cold Coke, Pardner?”

Here is a photo of a Vendo Ark Pie ice cream vendor. I really do not know much about this machine or what an Ark Pie is, but I thought it was a neat picture. If anyone is familiar with this machine or what an Ark Pie is, please blog-in and let us know.

Manufactured by:

The Vendo Company
Kansas City, Missouri

This beautiful red candy machine is a 1950s Stoner Theater Candy Vendor that we restored. It is one of several that we restored over the years. They are the most rare of the Stoner candy vendors, with an illuminated front panel. They are capable of vending up to eight different types of candy and accept nickels, dimes and quarters. These vendors, with their upscale Art Deco styling, would have been positioned in the lobbies of nicer movie theaters.

As you can see by the Univendor brochure, we took some creative license when restoring this machine, since they originally had a walnut finish. This model was even available as a 16-item vendor called the Dual De Luxe Theater Model that was able to hold 320 units of candy. If you go to the Retroplanet.com Museum, you’ll see two other Stoner Theater models we restored: one is blue and the other is maroon.

Manufactured by:

Stoner Mfg. Corp.

Aurora, Illinois

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

Here is a cool little upright candy machine that used to be manufactured in Haverhill, MA—practically in our own backyard. It is the DuGrenier Candy Man Candy Bar Machine, and at the time, it sold for $41.50. The machine held 72 bars and displayed up to 12 different brands. The optional stand for $6.00 could be locked and was a good place to store extra candy. Loading and servicing was performed through the sides of the machine. Although we owned several of these over the years, we never restored one.

Manufactured by:
A.H. DuGrenier, Inc.
15 Hale Street
Haverhill, MA

This is a cigar vending machine that we restored. It was made by the Cigaromat Service Corp. some time in the 1950s. They were available in either a smaller tabletop 3-selection style, or like this floor model 6-selection style. The pull handles are made of Bakelite. The graphics are ours and are not original.

This is an interesting machine as it dispensed a single cigar at a time. It was probably placed beside cigarette vending machines in the lobbies of restaurants, theaters and nightclubs.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

The Hupp Console-Cup Cold Drink Machine was an automatic drink vendor that was marketed for use in all types of locations. These 1949 ads show them placed in a bowling alley, gas station, bus station, theater, supermarket, company lunchroom and on a factory floor. Although it may not have been a very attractive machine, they were touted as being economical to operate and having an innovative design.

The Hupp Corporation is not usually associated with vending machines, but rather, with the automobile industry. They started in Detroit in 1908 as a manufacturer of the Hupmobile car. The company was formed by Robert C. Hupp and named the Hupp Motor Car Company. They moved to Cleveland in 1928 where they manufactured a less expensive Hupmobile model as well as automobile parts. Automobile production was halted in July 1940 as Detroit struggled to recover from the Depression. During WWII they manufactured munitions for the U.S. Government and following the war, they made parts for other automobile manufacturers. Hupp returned to Cleveland in 1946 and began making appliances, including the Hupp Console-Cup Cold Drink Machine we see pictured here.

The company was bought by John O. Ekblom in 1955 and he combined Hupp with several other companies he had acquired. Hupp diversified into several manufacturing areas including air-conditioning, heating, appliances and aviation. About 35% of the overall business was made up of appliance manufacturing. Hupp was sold three more times and declared bankruptcy in 1991.

The unique-looking Hupp Console-Cup Cold Drink Machine was manufactured for several soft drink companies, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Hires and Royal Crown. It vended the soft drink into a cup, as well as ice. These are rare machines and we’d love to hear if you’ve come across one.

Dimensions: 36”H x 32”W x 27”D
Weight: 400 lbs.
Produced: Late 1940s

Manufactured by:
Hupp Corporation
Cleveland, Ohio

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

In the 1930s the Good Humor ice cream company saw the need to be able to sell ice cream where people spent their time in the good weather—outdoors. Their solution was to send out a fleet of ice cream vending tricycles. They went directly to Schwinn and asked them if they were interested in designing something for them. Schwinn turned them down, but not before directing them to Worksman, a small bicycle manufacturer in New York that was already producing something like that. Worksman was busy producing Good Humor ice cream vending trikes for 40 years. They still manufacture all sorts of recreation and vending bicycles today.

This 1950s ice cream tricycle is one that we restored. As you can see by the old paint, there was a generic brand of ice cream painted on it originally. All of the trike’s components are the original pieces. Everything was stripped, repaired and repainted. The restoration was completed with a custom paint job and new wide whitewall tires.

Produced: 1950s
Dimensions: 100″L x 25″W x 40″H

Manufactured by:
Worksman Cycles
Queens, New York

This Vendo ice cream vending machine was a very challenging restoration. The exterior was pretty straightforward but the vending component was difficult to get right. If you attempt this restoration, make sure you document the process of taking the machine apart with photos and notes. Also, the machine should be complete, as parts cannot be found for it unless you buy another machine for spares.

I wish I could give you some more specific tips, but this restoration was done many years ago and our notes have been lost. Besides, we only restored one of these and we would have never done another.

All the graphics on the finished machine were custom, this machine was not originally painted like this. They were usually found painted light blue like the Vendo milk machine and the upright Vendo ice cream vendor.

Dimensions: 34 ¾”W x 29 ½”D x 36 ¼” H
Produced: 1950s

Manufactured by:
The Vendo Company
Kansas City, Missouri

Is Refreshery even a word? In any case, we had this photo of what looks to be a movie theater concession stand. Really great 1950’s styling for the back wall with “Refreshery” spelled out in a great-looking script set on top of alternating square panels.

There’s a popcorn machine, candy counter, self-serve ice cream and a cup vending soda machine, all you would ever need to watch a movie.

Does anybody remember where this might be? Bottom of the photo has “Kingston” written out. Please blog-in if you know where this may have been.

This late 1950s Cavalier CS-96 soda machine is a one-of-kind vending machine. On it we did a custom restoration for a college fraternity. The colors are inspired by their fraternity insignia and rather than dispensing soda, the shelves were adjusted so vending long neck beer bottles is no problem.

The Cavalier 96 is popular today because it was originally constructed with the adjustable shelves and also allowed varying amounts to be charged for dispensing. It is possible to charge up $1.00 per bottle and bottles from 6.5 ounces to 10 ounces are able to fit in the machine.

It’s a good example of how vintage soda vending machines can still be used in your home or office. Even if you keep the Coca-Cola embossing, you can fill your drink box with any bottled beverage that will fit for a fun and functional conversation piece in your home.

Please note we are no longer in the restoration business.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

This is a 1940s cigarette machine that we restored. With smoking as popular as it was at the time, these machines would have been used nearly everywhere. Its beautiful art deco design indicates that it was probably used in a nice restaurant, nightclub or theater. We’re not sure who the manufacturer is, so if you have an idea, blog-in and let us know what you think.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

This is a 1940s Stoner Candy Vendor that we restored some years ago. It has a very art deco look and was probably used in ritzier venues such as the lobby of an elegant hotel. It has a light on top that shines on the mirror below, as well as bulbs behind the “Fresh” and “Candy” signs to illuminate them. There’s a lot of pinstriping and chrome on this vending machine, making it a very beautiful example of a vintage Stoner Candy Vendor.

If you know more about this machine, or own one yourself we’d really like to hear what you know about it, so please blog-in.

Manufactured by:
Stoner Mfg. Corp.
Aurora, Illinois

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

Univendor One-Cent Fresh Gum Vendor

Here is a neat little gum machine we restored. Many years ago we purchased about 20 of these in various conditions and restored 4 or 5 of them. It is a Stoner/Univendor one-cent fresh gum vendor. They were designed to bolt onto the side of a larger Stoner candy machine. It dispensed a single piece of gum and had separate chutes for different flavors.

Dimensions: 17”H x 11.5”W x 4.5”D

Manufactured by:
Stoner Manufacturing Corp.
Aurora, Illinois

Stoner Fresh Gum Dispenser

Stoner Gum Vendor

Original Stoner Univendor Fresh Gum Machine

A Coca-Cola Large Capacity Pre-Mix Soda Fountain Dispenser

The 1965 Cornelius Universal 400 soft drink dispenser was designed as a high-capacity, low-cost machine. Its intended use was at places that attracted big crowds like drive-ins, restaurants and bars, and even the beach. There was an optional wheel kit available to make the unit portable. It could also be used with 6-inch brushed chrome legs as a freestanding unit, or without the legs to fit under a counter.

The dispenser featured a prominently placed, illuminated panel printed with the Coca-Cola slogan of “Things go better with Coke”. There were 4 valves, allowing up to 4 products to be dispensed. The soft drinks were premixed and cooled and this dispenser could serve 400 cold drinks, figuring on 8 drinks dispensed per minute. There was a cooling recovery rate of 3 drinks per minute.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

Weight: 138 lbs.
Dimensions: 38”H x 16 3/8”W x 16”D (without legs)
44”H x 16 3/8”W x 16”D (with legs)

Here are some pictures of a Stoner 180M candy machine we restored. What made this a 180M was the little window you see on the left that held gum and mints. You would rotate the knob to make your selection and pull then pull the handle to vend. The candy bar section of the machine worked like any other Stoner.

This particular machine was an upgrade from our standard restoration. The Candy lettering you see along the bottom of the machine is cut out of the panel. It was then raised and offset from the cut out. The cut out had glass put behind it and then a rotating multicolored light was put behind it creating a great effect.

The lettering design on the base of the machine may look familiar if you have seen other candy machines on the web. That design originated with Vintage Vending and soon was copied by many others. As with all our restorations the machine was done inside and out and was completely functional.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

We feature both a Stoner Candy machine and a Stoner Gum machine in our Retroplanet.com Museum. This brochure is for a Stoner Univendor 80, which is a vending machine designed to dispense larger items, like cupcakes, donuts or pouch tobacco. It has a striking resemblance to our restored Stoner Theater Candy Machine, made in the 1950’s with the same art deco design. This is a 4-selection machine that accepts nickels, dimes and quarters. And it addresses the changing needs of vendable items, able to hold anything from a donut to a variety of general merchandise.

Manufactured by:

Stoner Mfg. Corp.

Aurora, Illinois

I’ve been unable to find any photos of one of these vintage vendors. Perhaps you’ve seen one? Please blog-in and let us know.

The VMC 27 was made for Coca-Cola from 1948 to 1951. This tabletop vending machine had a unique mailbox-type shape that attracted customers, so these were very popular among storeowners. There was an optional stand made by Kay Products for this machine that had additional storage space below. The VMC 27 was capable of vending 27 cold soft drinks, and pre-cooled 10. This machine was a friendlier size for use in Mom and Pop establishments where space was at a premium. These places wouldn’t have had any use for the gargantuan Vendorlator Master and Jumbo models that were made during the war for use in factories. (The Master could vend 84 bottles and pre-cool 80 and the Jumbo could vend 124 bottles and cool 104!) Unfortunately for the 27, the Coca-Cola Company wanted something that could vend more drinks than these were able. In the early 1950’s Vendorlator made the upright Dual 27 for Coca-Cola that was an improvement with the capacity to vend 27 and pre-cool 27 more. As the competition between the soft drink manufacturers grew, Coke felt the 27 still wasn’t big enough. The answer was the VMC 33 that could vend 33 bottles and cool 27. These replaced the model 27 product line and were manufactured from the early to mid-1950’s. And the vendors got larger still, with very popular models like the VMC 81 that was made for dispensing Royal Crown, Pepsi-Cola, 7Up and Dr. Pepper. These classic machines were produced from the mid- to late-1950’s and are very collectible today.

In 1956, Vendorlator merged with its former rival, the Vendo Company of Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to the merger, Vendo worked almost exclusively with the Coca-Cola Company, so the combination of the two companies made them the primary supplier of vendors to the soft drink market. Within two years, the companies were completely consolidated and operating out of the Fresno location. In 1988 Vendo became a subsidiary of the Sanden Corporation of Japan. Vendo moved its headquarters to Dallas, Texas in 2005 and the name changed to SandenVendo America Inc. They still operate today as a manufacturer of vending machines, in addition to commercial freezers, and automotive air-conditioning systems.

The Vendorlator Manufacturing Company
4000 Railroad Avenue
Fresno, California

Manley Aristocrat Machine Manual

We have a copy of a Manley Aristocrat popcorn machine manual available for download at the Retroplanet.com PDF Library. The Manley Aristocrat is a classic 1940’s deco-style popcorn machine that was used extensively in movie theaters and anywhere else large amounts of fresh popcorn was sold. Also in this blog is a photo of an Aristocrat we restored many years ago. Look for a future blog on that restoration. Hope you find the manual helpful and interesting.

1940s Manley Popcorn Machine

Restored Aristocrat Popcorn Machine

Vendo Milk Vendor

The Vendo Milk Vendor was manufactured by The Vendo Co. in the 1950’s. It uses a lot of the same parts as the V-80 and 81 soda machines as well as having the same shape. This machine was not intended for large volume, but rather was classified as a small to mid-size machine for “’in-between’ volume needs”. As with other machines of the 50s, this is an upright with rounded corners. The upright design was intended to save floor space and this model requires only three square feet. The design includes the addition of an illuminated display case on top of the machine for the customer to view the different drink options. The drinks were available in cardboard cartons and the selection could include up to four different choices. There was a 52 to 80 drink total capacity and the machine operated with a push-button selection.

The Vendo Milk Vendor was one of a group of three very similar machines produced by Vendo at the time. In addition to the Milk Vendor were the Hot Food Vendor and the Ice Cream Machine. The Milk Vender is a rare machine, but of the three, the Ice Cream Machine is the most rare.

The standard color for the Vendo Milk Vendor was blue, as seen in the brochure. But we had a machine that we decided to do a little differently. See our earlier blog about the Cow Motif Vendo Milk Machine.

Dimensions: 58”H x 27”W x 16”D
Manufactured by:
The Vendo Company
Kansas City, Missouri

The Mills 65 Soft Drink Vendor

The Mills 65 cold drink dispenser was advertised as a smaller version of soft drink vending machines of the time. This machine was manufactured from 1947-1953. For a nickel, it would dispense an ice cold drink and it could make change from a dime or quarter with its electric coin changer. It could hold 65 bottles of soft drinks and was painted in a variety of colors with a baked-on enamel and stainless steel accents. Manufactured by:Mills Industries, Inc.4100 Fullerton Ave.Chicago, ILIf you have one of these, they are the most desirable of the Mills machines made after WWII. If you are fortunate enough to have one of these, blog-in and let us know. Or if you have anything of interest to add to this blog, please let us know.

1950’s SuperVend Cold Cup Drink Vendor

The ad for this 1950’s superVend drink vendor stated that this machine could be used at a variety of locations to increase drink selling profits. Some of the locations listed were schools, air, rail and bus terminals, supermarkets and filling stations. This model cold drink dispenser was capable of vending 3 different flavors of a cold drink into a cup.

Manufactured by:
SuperVend Corp.
2586 Cedar Springs Ave.
Dallas, TX

The ad proclaimed that this machine was “A sleek, glistening beauty!” Maybe you have seen one. Blog in and let us know.

The 1920’s Icy-O Coca-Cola Vendors

Following the first efforts at bottling Coca-Cola in 1894, the Coca-Cola Company decided they needed a way to display and sell cold bottles of Coke. Originally, the solution was a wooden barrel sawed in half and filled with ice. A sign was usually attached to the front of the barrel. This tub-style Icy-O vendor was the first of the Coca-Cola Company’s improvements to the more crude former method. In this vendor, the bottles were displayed beneath a clear door. A crank of the handle would allow the customer to see and select a bottle. The door in the front of the vendor was for the empty bottles.

If the merchant did not have enough floor space for the tub vendor, the Coca-Cola Company’s solution was the Icy-O countertop model. Ice was placed inside to keep the soft drinks cold. This is a self-service cooler that was made of metal, but finished to look like wood.

Manufactured by:
The Icy-O Company, Inc.
Peachtree St. and Clement Ave.
Charlotte, NC

Both the tub and countertop models are very rare. Do you happen to be lucky enough to have one? Send us an email and let us know.

The Cole-Spa Hermetic vending machine was a 3-flavor cold drink dispenser. This machine was made in the late 40’s and early 50’s. The term “hermetic” referred to the fact that the machine was sealed, the idea being that fewer things should break down, resulting in fewer service calls.

The Cole-Spa was capable of vending 630 cups. It could vend hot cocoa or hot soup with the addition of an attachment available from the manufacturer. There was a handy round mirror at the top of the machine, so you could check your hair or lipstick while your drink was dispensing.

These machines seem to have done very well, according to their brochure: “Chicago’s Northcenter Theatre reports tripled profits with Cole-Spa.” Apparently in an attempt to link their company identity with the world’s most successful soft drink company, the Cole Products Corp. created a logo that very closely resembles the logo used for Coca-Cola, even using the Coca-Cola’s Company’s characteristic white type on a red background.

Manufactured by:
Cole Products Corp.
39 S. La Salle St.
Chicago, IL

Have you ever seen one of these drink dispensers? Blog-in and let us know.

The Spacarb 4-D-51 hot and cold drink vendor was manufactured in the mid 40’s to early 50’s. As with any other drink vending machine from its time, not many of these have survived.

The vending options are listed as any combination of carbonated drink, non-carbonated (or “still”) drink and hot drink, adding up to a total of 4 dispensing choices. It could dispense into either 600 10oz. cups or 1000 7oz. cups.

The brochure states that the machine “serves 3 syrup flavors and club soda”. Evidently the syrup and carbonated water were combined just prior to the drink being dispensed. Spacarb describes itself as “America’s oldest manufacturer and operator of automated beverage dispensers.”

Manufactured by:
Spacarb, Inc.
311-317 East 23rd St.
New York, NY

Have you ever seen or had any experience using one of these drink dispensers? Blog-in and let us know.

The Delf Triple-Selector Soda Machine

The Fully-Automatic Delf Triple-Selector Vendor dispensed bottled soft drinks and was capable of vending up to 3 different flavors. This model machine, made in the late 1940’s to early 50’s was touted as being a smaller model, but with a large capacity. It had an overall 121-bottle vending capacity but had a unique way of vending them. It utilized 3 horizontal vending conveyors that vended 37 bottles. This machine could vend 6 to 12 oz. bottles of soda. There was a stainless steel interior lining and storage available inside the machine to hold 48 additional bottles.

Manufactured by:
Atlas Tool & Manufacturing Co.
5147 Natural Bridge Blvd.
St. Louis, MO

Dimensions: 73”H x 24.5”W x 25”D

Blog-in and tell us if you’ve ever seen one of these machines, or maybe you also have one in your collection.

Atlas ColSnac Ice Cream Vendor

The 1950’s Atlas ColSnac Ice Cream Vendor allowed merchandisers to sell ice cream bars on a stick at locations other than the grocery store. These would have been placed at locations such as filling stations, pharmacies and similar venues. As the ad says, “ColSnac gives you the opportunity to open up a vast new market…”, in addition to the business that the proprietor was already engaged in. With a coin slot and built-in change-maker, these units would have been self-serve so the customer could help themselves to an icy cold ice cream.

Manufactured by:
Atlas Tool & Mfg. Co.
5147 Natural Bridge Blvd.
St. Louis, Missouri

Maybe you’ve come across one of these over the years. Blog in and let us know.

1950’s Vendo Milk Machine

The 1950’s Vendo Milk Machine is very rare and highly sought after by collectors. We were lucky enough to find 4 of these at one time. So instead of restoring them all in the traditional blue they originally came in, we decided to have some fun.

As you can see, this particular machine was done in a cow motif with a customized milk sign. As with all of our restorations, this machine was redone both inside and out to make it fully functional.

The Vendo Milk Machine was one of a series of three upright machines put out by Vendo in the mid 50’s. Also available was the Vendo Hot Food Vender. It was very similar to the milk machine but vended small cans of hot food. I believe Vendo did away with it because it was a fire hazard. The last machine of the three was the Vendo Ice Cream Machine. Although all three machines are rare, the ice cream version is the hardest to find. We owned several milk machines and one hot food vendor, but never even saw an ice cream machine.

If you are searching for one of these machines to collect, the one you want is the early, smaller machine from 1950’s. Vendo came out with all kinds of upright milk and ice cream machines later on, but these machines are nowhere near as collectible as the original three. The exception to that is the Vendo Dairy-Vend ice cream vender, a chest style ice cream machine that we will blog about soon.

Parts for these machines are not available so you will need to find a complete machine or a second one you can use for parts. Happy hunting and blog in and let us know how you make out.

Dimensions:
58”H x 27”W x 16”D

1960 Coca-Cola Vendo Soda Machines

This is a Vendo Company brochure announcing their available soda vending machine line for the year in 1960. Note the Vendo 44, which was introduced in 1956, was still being manufactured. This was a very popular model, and tens of thousands of these were manufactured.

As the Vendo soda machines were modernized and improved, they were also getting larger, as you can see in this photo of a Vendo V-304-4 Multi-Drink model. This machine was capable of vending 304 regular or king (10 oz.) bottles, as well as cooling an additional 36 bottles. It could vend up to 4 different beverages. With its large capacity, this vendor was designed for high-traffic areas.

Blog-in with any comments you may have.

Auto-Lite Spark Plug Automotive Parts Store Counter Display

This was a great little Auto-Lite spark plug counter display we restored. It looked a little rough on the outside, but inside the case was pretty clean. Most importantly, it had all the original spark plugs and the curved glass was not broken.

It was a pretty basic restoration: take apart, sandblast, bodywork, prime, sand, paint, reassemble, apply decals and it was done.

I think it is safe to say they don’t make displays like this anymore, and I am happy to say I have this piece in my collection.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby.

The Revco Mono-Mat and Duo-Mat

Here are a couple of interesting ice cream cup vending machines. The Revco Mono-Mat and the Duo-mat made by Revco Inc. of Deerfield, Michigan. The Mono-Mat held 121 cups and spoons and offered one choice of ice cream. The Duo-mat held 226 cups and spoons and offered two selections.

When we were in the restoration business we came across a couple of these, but they were missing parts so we never restored them. The person we bought them from said his brother had a warehouse full of them, but did not want to part with them. Let us know if you have any experience with these machines.

Refrigerated Apples Vending Machine

I never realized there was such a market for fruit vending machines back in the day. This cool-looking machine is the third fruit vendor that we have come across a photo or literature on. It appears to be a 1950’s machine and was probably rare even back then. If you have ever seen one of these or have any information on it we would love to hear from you.

Canteen Hot Dog and Hamburger Vending Machine

This isn’t a great picture, but it’s all we have on this one. This vending machine with “Canteen” across the top appears to be some sort of a hot food vendor. The graphics on the mirror look to be a hamburger and a hot dog. This is an unusual machine, to say the least. Any information you may have on this would be appreciated.

Welch’s Juice Vendor

The 1950’s Welch Juice vending machine dispensed cups of Welch’s juices, like grape and apple. This model was a 2-flavor dispenser. Inside the machine, concentrated fruit juice was mixed with water and then dispensed into cups for the customer. The unit needed to be connected to the city water supply to intake water for the mixing of the drinks.

Manufactured by:
The Welch Grape Juice Co.
55 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY

Dimensions: 25.5 in. wide x 22 in. deep x 68.5 in. high

Blog in and let us know if you remember vintage models like this.

The Vendo Company History

The Vendo Company is known worldwide as having been a leader in the manufacture of vending machines for more than 50 years. Vendo was founded as a small company in 1937 in Kansas City, Missouri as a manufacturer of bottled soft drink vending machines. Prior to this, early vendors had not been coin operated machines, but rather self-serve coolers packed with ice. This system relied on the customers’ honesty.

The first coin-operated vending machines appeared in the early 1880’s. They were first used to dispense postcards and books. These early models did not work well, often jamming. They also did not have the necessary safeguards and could not distinguish between a coin and a slug.

In the late 1930’s, two brothers named Elmer and John Pierson saw a need for improvement to the earlier designs and took out a patent for a vending lid that could be added to existing coolers. This lid called “The Red Top”, was simple, reliable and inexpensive. The lid was locked on top of the cooler and could be opened after a coin was inserted. The lid rotated to the next available bottle, eliminating the need to dig through the ice. At first the lids were added to Frigidaire and Westinghouse coolers that were already in use. Vendo then began buying coolers from Westinghouse and outfitting them with The Red Top and selling the resulting vending machines under the Vendo name. Early examples of this were the Vendo Junior and the Vendo Master (both from the late 30’s to early 40’s). In the 40’s, a compressor was added to soft drink bottle coolers, eliminating the need for ice altogether.

Red Top lids went to war during WWII, after the US War Department declared that soft drinks were necessary to the morale of military personnel. 5,000 Red Tops were made to be placed in military training camps and wartime factories. Vendo also manufactured radar detection systems which aided in the war effort. After the war, Vendo went back to designing soda vending machines, and produced the V-83 in 1946. The V-83 was Vendo’s first mass-produced upright coin-operated machine. A nickel was inserted, and then you simply had to lift the small door to get your bottle of Coke. This model’s great success was followed in 1949 by another highly successful vendor—the V-39.

In the 1950’s Vendo diversified its product line and produced machines that could vend other items like hot food, ice cream and milk. They also experimented with fully automated restaurants, convenience stores and drive-ins that were served only by vending machines. Vendo merged with its competitor, Vendorlator in 1956. They had, like Vendo, been founded in 1937. But where Vendo worked mainly with Coca-Cola, Vendorlator had been working with both Pepsi-Cola and Royal Crown. The merger of these two companies made Vendo the primary supplier to the soft drink market. Vendo also went public in 1956 and their stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1961 and continued to for the next 20 years. Vendo also expanded internationally, working with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan starting in 1962, where they manufactured Vendo beverage coolers. They also licensed operations in England and Mexico. In 1964 they opened new facilities and contracted out to Belgium, Australia, Italy, Germany, France and Canada. The 60’s also brought Vendo’s introduction of the canned soft drink dispensers.

In the 1970’s, due to the energy crisis, vending machines were determined to be nonessential and the vending industry began to suffer. Vendo left Kansas City and sold its snack vendor division. In 1988 Vendo was bought by the Sanden Corporation of Japan. This infused new life into the Vendo company, and led to many innovations in vending machine design. These include programmable electronic vending machines, high-capacity vendors that can hold plastic bottles in many shapes and sizes, and machines that will take a debit card. Today Vendo is expanding into territories like Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Not only has Vendo produced many highly collectible vendors in their past, but they also continue to be a significant presence in the manufacturing marketplace.

Blog in to add to the information presented here. We’d love to hear from Vendo machine collectors or anyone who remembers using them.

1951 Vendall Candy Vendor

The Belvend Manufacturing Company produced this Art Deco styled vending machine in 1951. As the ad says, it is “streamlined for smart, modern merchandising.” The ad also reflects the modern trends of the 50’s. The “candy” sign was illuminated on a sleek, chrome banner. Candy was displayed at eye-level to allow the customer to make their selection, and then a handle was pulled and the candy dropped into the delivery tray.

Manufactured by:
Belvend Manufacturing Company, Inc.
122 South Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL

I seem to recall using machines like this when I was a child in the 60’s, so they must have been very durable. Did you come across these as well? Let us know where you’ve seen them displayed.

1950’s Vend-Rite Purity Pretzel Stix Vendor

The 1950’s Purity Pretzel Stix vending machine was marketed as a companion unit to be placed beside existing drink vendors. Starting in 1948, Vend-Rite Manufacturing created machines that dispensed products from other companies, as in this case, pretzels. They also made, and are still making, machines that dispense Kleenex, Tide and various food products.

Manufactured by:
Vend-Rite Manufacturing Co.
6029 W. 31st St.
Cicero, IL

Send us your feedback for this blog. This company is still making vending machines today. What interesting items have you seen that they dispense?

The Vendo Coin Changer

Manufactured between the late 1940’s and the mid 1950’s, the Vendo Coin Changer was originally designed for use in lunchrooms beside the Vendo V-83s. This machine gave the appropriate number of nickels in exchange for a dime or quarter that could then be used in the soda vending machine. Keep in mind that up until 1959 soda vending machines were only able to take nickels.

The coin changer was mounted on the wall beside the soda vendor, or placed on a stand beside it. Sometimes they were mounted right onto the side on the V-83. There were only two styles of the coin changer manufactured. The earlier version was a simpler design that was unable to give an indication to the customer when it was out of nickels. In the later version, a window in the upper left of the machine face would display an “Empty” sign when it was out of change. They were manually operated and did not need electricity to function.

A paper insert was placed under the Plexiglas on the face of the coin changer. The most common signs were those advertising Coca-Cola, but there were other brands also displayed.

Capacity: $20.00 in nickels
Dimensions: 15.5 in. high x 11.5 in. wide x 5 in. deep

Manufactured by:
Vendo Company
7209 N. Ingram Ave.
Fresno, CA

Blog in and tell us if you have one of these and have ever used one. What brands of soda have you seen on these?

“From tree to thee” was the slogan for the Frigid Fruit Companies cold fruit vending machine. Another pretty cool and unusual fruit vending machine that unfortunately we do not have much info on.

The 1960’s Boy-O-Boy popcorn vending machine. According to the brochure, when the coin was inserted, the folded box would drop, be opened and filled with popcorn. That must have been something to see. The brochure states, “Here’s real action with Sales Magnetism!”

Some of the unused popcorn boxes are still available to collectors today.

Manufactured by:
The Queen City Mfg.
Co.Cincinnati, OH

This is a machine you’re not likely to forget. If you’ve seen one, let us know where that was. Blog in, we’d love to hear from you.

“Two full years of Research, Development and Location Testing Stand Behind the World’s Finest…Hot Coffee Vendor”

The brochure sings the praises of this sleek vending machine. Probably made in the 1950’s, it was marketed as a hot coffee vending machine that could easily be converted to a hot soup vending machine (“Instantly convertible on location”).

Other features listed on the sales brochure:
• Economical in cost, servicing and operation.
• Powdered ingredients in constant quantities, maintained at constant temperature to
give full-bodied drinks of constant flavor.
• No expensive refrigeration.
• Sanitary construction.
• Complete rinsing of mixing bowl.
• Every safety feature.

Coffee and soup machines are still around today, but the designs are not as dynamic as the old ones, like the one we are featuring here. Have you ever happened to see one like this? Email and let us know.

Manufactured by:
American National Dispensing Co., Inc.
Fourth St. and Cannon Ave.
Lansdale, PA

Promoting their products as “The Nation’s Finest Vendors”, in this ad the Automatic Products Co. is advertising their “Sodashoppe”, “Smokeshop 612” and “Refresh-o-Mat” vending machines. The Automatic Products Co. has been in business since 1949. Today they are owned by the Crane Company and are the leading manufacturer of glassfront snack, hot and cold beverage and frozen food vending machines. These 3 different 1950’s era vending machines illustrate the diversity in machines that evidently date back to the very beginning of this company. Note the Art Deco design and chrome detail that are part of the sleek design in all 3 of these models.

Manufactured by:
Automatic Products Co.
250 West 57th St.
New York, NY

Factories:
Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota

Have you ever come across a Sodashoppe, Smokeshop 612 or Refresh-o-Mat vending machine made by the Automatic Products Co.? Blog in and let us know.

This 1950 model Fruit-o-matic fresh fruit-dispensing machine was touted as “A fully automatic fresh fruit merchandiser”. Made by the Fruit-o-matic Manufacturing Company, this machine dispensed chilled, fresh fruit. A coin was dropped in the slot corresponding with the row of fruit displayed in the window above the slot, and the fruit automatically dropped into the dispensing chute for it to be retrieved.

Features listed for the Fruit-o-matic are:
Hermetically sealed noiseless refrigeration unit
Standard coin mechanism with a slug rejector
Fluorescent light on front panel
Baked enamel finish

And in addition, the Fruit-o-matic incorporated “all the features that make Fruit-o-matic the ideal fresh fruit merchandiser for new fields, diversification and year ‘round profits.” The ad that appears here includes two testimonials regarding the popularity and dependability of these machines. One review is from the Executive Secretary of the YMCA of Hollywood, CA and the other is from the UCLA store manager. The photos here show the Fruit-o-matic being used in schools, at the Y and at bowling alleys. There is also an ad from a vending machine trade publication informing those who will attend a trade show to be on the lookout for the Fruit-o-matic in room 730!

A video of Jane Mansfield using the Fruit-o-matic can be viewed at YouTube:

Manufactured by:
Fruit-o-matic Manufacturing Company
5225 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

Have you, or anyone you know ever used a Fruit-o-matic? Email us and let us know. We here at Vintage Vending have seen many vending machines over the years, but have never run across one of these.

This Candy Mart candy vending machine looks to be a 1960’s model. The brochure touts its flexibility, that it could be mounted on a wall, placed on a counter or used as a console on the floor. The large capacity of this vendor allowed for between 3- and 400 candy bars, and 7 different selections. All that was necessary was to insert the proper coins, pushing the button for the selection, and the candy was deposited into the chute for the customer.

Manufactured by:
Alco-DEREE Co.
4200 N. California Ave.
Chicago, IL

These were probably more common, as I recall having one of these at in my college break area in the 80’s. Have you also seen one of these? If you have a comment, please send us an email.