Palm reading fortune tellers

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treefrog
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Re: Ahrens Palmist

Post by treefrog »

So how much is a Automatic Palm Reader worth........must be a fortune as a top marque for one sold today for £1010.... :!: !OMFG!

Similar to machine above.

Only thing I cannot work out, if you look closely, there are four screw holes in the corners, which would not be needed in an enamel sign fitted in a frame, so did this start in this !PUZZLED!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Palm-Reader- ... fresh=true
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bryans fan
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Re: Ahrens Palmist

Post by bryans fan »

I only found this on ebay with 8 hours to go. By then it was £380, which I thought was ok, bearing in mind the cost to reproduce one properly. I too was surprised at what it finished at. So there was more than one person desperate to own it!
I can only assume that the winning bidder owns a machine and wanted an original top marque for it. Otherwise it's an expensive wall decoration. No idea re the screw holes.
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arrgee
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Re: Ahrens Palmist

Post by arrgee »

Here is another Ahrens with a different marque, they seem to have had a number of different designs, or maybe they were all one-off marques depending upon what the operator wanted? The mirror looks original but the wood surround just does not look right to me, it looks like a dressing table mirror surround - just not ornate enough.
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Re: Ahrens Palmist

Post by pennymachines »

I'm pretty sure the marquee on that Ahrens Automatic Palmistry is correct. You see that style of top on many different Ahrens arcade pieces, like the Pile Driver, Marksman Shooter, Marathon Cycle Race, Jolly Fireman Racer and others.


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The expensive ebay marquee is from an Arnold Automatic Palm Reader
pennymachines wrote: Fri Aug 08, 2008 5:37 pm Below is the top of an unidentified American Automatic Palm Reader which may pre-date the British versions.
Having studied these things a little more since I wrote that, I can now identify the American Palm reader on the previous page as a Marvin & Casler Co. Palm Reader. There's one in the next Morphy auction:
This historic arcade machine was manufactured in 1905 by Marvin and Casler Co. of New York and is a very interesting coin-operated machine. By pulling the handle with the left hand, patron must place right hand on the flat surface. The interior mechanism rises to equal level, reading their fortune, which is then dispensed below. The large wooden cabinet is made of oak with a rich finish, accentuating the brass and nickel-plated features. The top façade is a mirror with a glass door. This machine has been completely restored and is in beautiful condition. With keys. This is not a standard shippable item and will require 3rd party shipping or pickup arrangements to be made.Keys: Yes Condition (Restored). Dimensions 31" x 27" x 73 - 1/2".
Astonishingly, this all mechanical machine determines which card stack to dispense from by actually 'reading' the palm! No doubt Charles Ahrens got his idea of the palm-tickling pins from this.

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arrgee
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by arrgee »

pennymachines wrote:I'm pretty sure the marquee on that Ahrens Automatic Palmistry is correct.
I bow to superior knowledge Mr PM. *BOWS*
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treefrog
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by treefrog »

Those holes shouldn’t be there though, like it was wall mounted at some point...
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gameswat
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by gameswat »

treefrog wrote: Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:42 pm Those holes shouldn’t be there though, like it was wall mounted at some point...
But if you look at the earlier Arnold machine photo Tree it appears on the lower enamel sign to have the same screws in the corners plus a couple in the middle of the sign as it's much taller than the marquee.
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sweetmeats
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by sweetmeats »

The marque is definitely from an Arnold palmist. Its dimensions fit exactly, although the cast iron supports do not belong. I was alerted to the e-bay item by Bryans fan a few hours before it finished and did consider bidding. The machine shown earlier at Mablethorpe has both top and main enamels replaced with cards. If you compare you can see the difference.

Treefrog asks what value the machine? The answer is of course what someone would pay. The only one with an original enamel was sold in the John Carter sale in 1999 for just over £3000 and I bought it. Would have liked the top as I did not know until now it ever had one, but on examining the top of my machine I now see the screw holes! I can get one made for about £4/500 and may now do so. The interesting thing about this machine is that it works on the left hand. I have added a picture of my machine. The cabinet was re-glued and polished but complete and working when bought.
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arrgee
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by arrgee »

sweetmeats wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2019 4:27 pmThe interesting thing about this machine is that it works on the left hand.
I see that the coin slot on the right, sweetmeats, so it would be natural to first place your left hand down and then put the coin in with your right hand.
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by gameswat »

So it would appear that Arnold went to an enamel sign company to make these signs and they accidently added in the holes since 99% of wall mount signs used them. I've had this happen myself enough times that I can totally see it happening. The reason I became a restorer is because of those endless muck ups in the early days. And in the course of repairing those mess ups I found it wasn't rocket science after all! (The usual response when I pointed out how they hadn't done what I'd implicitly asked for was: "Well the guy did it the modern way that everybody wants and is better than the old fashioned way anyway").
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by pennymachines »

An earlier looking example of Marvin & Casler Co.'s Palm Reader just sold at the Cedar Point Auction, Cleveland, USA.
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treefrog
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by treefrog »

On tonight’s Antique Roadshow, a lady had an Arnold Palm Reader version she had had for 30 years. Valued at £600 and has the holes like all previous versions mentioned. A lot of machines were scrapped back in the day.....
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sentimental salvage
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by sentimental salvage »

I have a couple of Ahrens palm readers.
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treefrog
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by treefrog »

!!THUMBSX2!! Wow a matching pair... If I remember, you hoped to get a museum going, is it running yet?
sentimental salvage
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by sentimental salvage »

@Treefrog...Museums were banned along with everything else :( It's nearing completion and I will be up and running as soon as The Govt. allows me.
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tim575
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by tim575 »

I have one in the US like the one a previous post showed with the narrow cabinet. Coin chute plate markings included Patented May 28, 1907 and August 12, 1919. It has four types of cards, but no marking of the printer/maker on old cards in it, but newer cards have 'Munves 1944 copyright', and I see it in a Munves catalog where he was selling refurbished units 1939-1944.

I saw some references attributing the machine to ESCO in the '30s. Patents show it was conceived by Marvin & Casler Co in 1905. There was a version patented in 1919 by Harry Marvin which is the narrow simpler four slot version compared to the 1905 design. Related Patents are #854752 filed 1905 and #1312860 filed 1919 for the four slot version, if that helps any.
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by pennymachines »

Some good info there - thanks! I'd love to see your version. !!PHOTO!!
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tim575
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by tim575 »

It is the same one that used to be in Mike&Todd's collection, I purchased it in 2011 and is shown in one of the u-tube vids in the fortune teller section of this site.
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by pennymachines »

Oh yes, I see it. Thank you for that.

arnoldsouthend
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by arnoldsouthend »

Hi - the "Know Thyself" Arnold machines were made in Southend by my Great Grandfather and his sons (one of whom was my grandfather whose shed contained a drawer full of parts from decommissioned machines that I used to spend hours looking at in the late 60s/early 70s!). Would love to see one or even buy one - but no idea how that would happen. Any ideas? M Arnold
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