Nice find Attic, classic elegant machines these Pickwick's. And seems to be in nice unmolested original cond. When I got mine the previous owner had already had a go at "restoring", sadly he didn't know what he was doing at the time and hacked the wood with an 80 grit rotary sander!! Then stripped o...

I'm wondering what the purpose is for the metal plate. Wood will expand/contract with humidity changes so applying it directly to wood is not a good idea. Applying to a thick card stock makes sense but is it going to be rigid over time or will it bow, warp, etc.? I'm leaning toward sandwiching it b...

Hey Woody, all the Novelty cranes I've seen have had a print attached to thin cardboard, held in place with small quarter molding nailed on all edges, same molding that holds the glasses in place. Much easier to deal with if you replace it sometime.

Geoff, I'd suggest buying a bottle of good quality penetrating oil and soaking every nut & bolt possible on all your new machines, once or twice a week. A light tap with a plastic headed mallet to the nuts also helps. And heat really helps. But of course this can be an issue when they are close to w...

Copied from Re: Wonders Wonder Win - Site Admin. I'd suggest buying a bottle of good quality penetrating oil and soaking every nut & bolt possible, once or twice a week. A light tap with a plastic headed mallet to the nuts also helps. And heat really helps. But of course this can be an issue when t...

Leave it alone is my suggestion, the slight fading looks fine. And once you replace the clear plastic covering and lightly rub away any dust off the print will look a lot better.

Mystery solved! This attached question and answer is no doubt regarding the re-cased Greyhound machine that started this thread. Came across it by accident looking through old Coin-Op Classics magazines. This letter to Dick Bueschel in the Winter 1997, Vol4, Number 1. So this guy started with a rott...

These stands were re-produced for many years by Mike Gorski. Unsure if the original he copied from was actually made by a slot maker though as not shown in any of my old catalogues.

Update: Tim LaGanke just posted on a site about these. Copied from a Mills stand, Gorski made at least 100 of them.

Especially when you factor in the 28% premium, plus 1.8% or so for credit card payments.

Which reminds me that one of the common uses I have for the Mapp gas torch is freeing up rusted nuts, bolts and parts. A quick shot of heat and some penetrating oil is often all it takes to break the rust bond. Sometimes a few more goes needed as best to start slow.