Tag: Jack Dempsey

Featured: early arcade, music, gambling, vending and other slot machines plus alcohol, soft drink, gum, tobacco, soda fountain and other desirable advertising and signageDENVER, Pa. – Long before the era of instant entertainment from TV, downloaded music and streaming videos, Americans could amuse themselves with a pocketful of change at an arcade. The thrilling atmosphere of those places, whether indoors or on a seaside boardwalk, resonated with the clanging and whirring of slot machines, the pinging of bagatelles, and orchestral tunes performed by mechanical music machines. Coin-ops were also found in saloons and other social establishments. Today, the mechanical entertainers of yesteryear are displayed in collections from coast to coast, often flanked by antique advertising signs of the same period. Many of the rarest and finest of all antique coin-ops and signs have passed through the doors of Morphy Auctions, which will hold its next sale of these popular specialties on May 4-6.Advertising tray with image of pretty lady in patriotic attire, emblazoned ‘Drink Deacon Brown King of Phosphates,’ Manufactured by Kauffmann and Strauss, New York, and dated 1911. Condition 9.5+ and arguably the finest known example. Estimate $8,000-$12,000The connoisseur’s selection features more than 2,100 coveted 19th- and early 20th-century coin-ops and advertising signs that would seldom be available elsewhere, especially in such beautiful condition. Morphy’s will strike up the band with a JP Seeburg Style “G” Art Style Orchestrion, a technological marvel that is as stunningly beautiful as it is intricate. Designed as an upright piano with four art glass panels illuminated from within, it also houses violin and flute pipes; a mandolin attachment, a tympani, bass and snare drums; a cymbal and triangle. With exceptional volume, it plays a Style “G” music roll with a selection of 65 notes. In very good condition, the Orchestrion could crescendo in the