Original crane fills

[ninecup]

Hello.
I have a Novelty Merchantman Crane and would like to fill it as it would have been originally. Could anyone please help! I presume it consisted of sweets stuck into some sort of ballast. There is a covered funnel on the gift surface. Was this for sweeping out the old ballast when renewing the contents? In the gift payout chute there is a slot for capturing small particles which deposits them in a tray underneath. Was sawdust or something similar ever used? I remember in the sixties seeing marbles, dried peas and licorice torpedoes being used.

[grabber]

Hi,
I have some cranes in my collection and I have been able to collect also the metal figures the American arcades used in the machines. These were horses, dogs, elephants, deer and many more. I have been told money was tied to these metal figures and people would try to win them, but they were too heavy to pick up. Not very fair.
Regards,
The grabber.

[blikspeelgoed]

Hello,

I restored several cranes, some of them stood still from before WWII. I noticed that some were filled with dried peas, corn or other (I guess they used what was available). From the seventies till now they used plastic beats / granulet? (excuse my English).

In the early years most of the cranes were used as a vendor for sweets, but due to the shortage of candy during war time, most of the cranes disappeared or were rebuilt into a working model. Besides sweets they also used small charms, like small tin (penny) toys, tin watches and rings and other small toys.
James Roller has on his site some fillings for sale.

[grabber]

I think toy watches, chocolate coins, marbles and penknives would be used in cranes.
Anything worth playing for.