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 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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Pepsi-Cola Mexican Mini Cooler

Here is a very interesting Pepsi cooler. Because it is a double-dot we know it is from the 40’s. We also think it is from Mexico because of the decals on the side of the original. It looks like more of a mini-fridge icebox than a cooler, and is definitely an original because it is embossed. We restored this many years ago and it is in the home of a private collector. We are showing the before and after but for additional photos, please visit the Retroplanet Museum at Retroplanet.com. If you have any information about this piece’s origin please blog-in and let us know.

It is a fairly small piece measuring 33”H X 18.5”W X 15″D

Paint code PPG DCC 18431 Light Blue
A sign painter applied all the other colors by hand.

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.

Unknown Ice Cream Machine

Here are some pictures of an unknown ice cream machine. Don’t know much about it, but it appears to be from the late fifties. It is a five-selection, short cabinet design machine. One of the pictures appears to be from a trade show, along with some other interesting vending machines. If anyone has any info please blog in and let us know.

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.

Vendo Bottle Decapper

The Vendo Coca-Cola Bottle Decapper soda machine was manufactured between 1948 and 1949. It was very innovative for the time. A very large vending machine, it automatically opened a bottle of Coke, dispensed it into a cup, and then vended the cup to the customer without them ever coming into contact with the bottle. It could vend 194 bottles of Coke, and dispensed them into 6 oz. cups. These machines predated the “pre-mix” dispensers. Being very expensive models, only 251 of them were sold, making them very rare today.

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

Dimensions: 78 in. high x 46 in. wide x 19 in. deep
Weight: 825 lbs.

Are you fortunate enough to own one of these Decapper models? Or perhaps you have something interesting to add. Blog in and let us know.

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

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.