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Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:53 pm
by arrgee
Saw this Merchantman recently, made by the Exhibit Supply Co. of Chicago, label states 1936.

Lovely piece of slot machinery and in full working order.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 12:32 pm
by sjt1803
Hi
It's NOT a Merchantman but a more rare crane made at the same time called IMPERIAL. Though not easily seen in the photos, the name is on the cast emblem on the front near the bottom.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 12:47 pm
by brigham
No Ship?

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 1:00 pm
by sjt1803
The Imperial has the front of the ship but not the casting of the ships bridge behind it.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:40 am
by paul
Hi all,
The pictures below are from my collection - the IMPERIAL is a stunning art-Deco machine.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 7:28 am
by ddstoys
Exhibit sure made some stunning machines.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 5:36 pm
by arrgee
Strewth, that's taken almost 12 years for a response :o

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:17 pm
by sjt1803
paul wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:40 am Hi all,
The pictures below are from my collection - the IMPERIAL is a stunning art-Deco machine.
If you look carefully at Paul's machine, you will notice there are two signs on the left and right of the ships bow. They are, on the left, all the patents for the machine and on the right instructions. They are toward the back where the Bridge casting on the Merchantman would be mounted.

If anyone reading this knows of someone with an Exhibit Supply lattice boom please PM me. I need one for my machine.

I am also looking for the Exhibit Supply brochure / catalog for this machine

exhibit-supply-illustrated-catalog-digger_1_32357ae86f4b928d521ea81fa0b4cee1.jpg
exhibit-supply-illustrated-catalog-digger_1_32357ae86f4b928d521ea81fa0b4cee1.jpg (21.42 KiB) Viewed 7144 times

Here are those signs
73743376_10_x.jpg


Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 8:17 am
by brigham
Does the Imperial pre-date the Merchantman?

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:08 pm
by pennymachines
Yes, apparently - arcade-museum.com has it as 1931 and the Merchantman was introduced in 1935. Exhibit Supply produced a great range of cranes in various cabinet designs, starting with the Iron Claw of 1926. My Imperial also has a broken lattice boom - seems to have been a weakness.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:36 pm
by gameswat
pennymachines wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:08 pm Yes, apparently - arcade-museum.com has it as 1931 and the Merchantman was introduced in 1935
I think you got that backwards PM. Merchantman from around 1932 and the Imperial much later.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:41 pm
by bob
A newly designed Novelty Merchantman was introduced by Exhibit Supply Company in 1935 as this advert of theirs in The Coin Machine Journal of July 1935 illustration etc stating it to be newly designed clearly shows. Somewhere I've got the design patent as well, but this ad came to hand first when I was looking for it. There was an earlier Exhibit Supply Novelty Merchantman which is the one that Gameswat is currently finishing restoring. An Exhibit Supply Company advert for this earlier Novelty Merchantman in Gameswat's posting is illustrated immediately below followed by the later design underneath.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:53 pm
by pennymachines
Thanks Bob. It's good to start piecing together the chronology of these. The Bumper Book of Vintage Diggers has yet to be written...
gameswat wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:36 pm I think you got that backwards PM. Merchantman from around 1932 and the Imperial much later.
I had thought the Imperial was later, but was prepared to believe arcade-museum.com, being an American site, knew better. That's also where I got the 1935 Merchantman date. I know from previous research their dating is not always reliable, so I searched Dick Bueschel's books but found nothing on the Imperial. I'm sure one of our sleuths can find something to date it. Is 1936, as shown on the label of the machine arrgee posted, correct?

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 1:27 pm
by sjt1803
The NEW Exhibit Supply Digger was introduced in 1936.
catalogpage1.jpg

That is the 1936 Exhibit Supply catalog. Best photo I have. (from an old auction)
There is the New Imperial on the cover.

I'm looking for this, if someone has one they will part with.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 2:09 pm
by sjt1803
Here is more information, this article published in Jan. 1937 mentions the Imperial.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 1:54 pm
by arrgee
sjt, I have sent you a pm regarding some info on the Digger photo shown in my post of 2007

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 1:31 pm
by sjt1803
With the help of some new friends on this site such as Rory (gameswat) and others
the restoration project of my Exhibit Supply Imperial is done.

There are still a few things, I could use to make it 100%
Like a better Crane boom, coin box, and the original cast feet.

I think you'll agree it's a piece of art.

IMG_8305s.jpg

To see the process go here: www.arcadetreasure.com/projects/imperial/imperial.htm

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 2:36 pm
by gameswat
Great to see it all back together. And amazing you had to search the world to restore such a classic American machine.

Re: Exhibit Supply Co. Imperial Crane

Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 12:27 pm
by moonriver
brigham wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2019 12:47 pmNo Ship?
better with !
:D