FUN or SUICIDE

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roger
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FUN or SUICIDE

Post by roger »

Back in 1900 a visut to your favorite penny arcade could be hazardous for your health !!DIG!!
This LUNG MACHINE tested the strength of your breath.
You would insert your penny and blow into a rubber tube to see how many blocks you could lift.
Everyone used the same mouthpiece so the Grim Reaper was just around the corner.
The attached illustration of the machine indicated that there were no surviving examples .
Well, I had one in 1960,,,,,,,Nobody knew what it was as there wasn't any instruction sign, mechanism,
top sign, rubber hose, lower case, or legs. All I knew was that there was a coin slot and that was good
enough for me.....and the
Lung Tester 1.jpg

price was right at $25
I flipped the machine for a modest profit.
Many years later my machine pops up in "RESTORED" condition which term I use in its loosest context.
AND THE PRICE............ 45,000.00 ......Now that is inflation or one crazy buyer.....your thoughts ??? ROGER
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Lung Tester 2.jpg
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moonriver
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by moonriver »

roger wrote: Mon Nov 01, 2021 2:46 pm AND THE PRICE............ 45,000.00 ......Now that is inflation or one crazy buyer.....your thoughts ??? ROGER
You should have kept it.
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badpenny
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by badpenny »

Strewth Roger you're very brave owning up to that.
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coppinpr
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by coppinpr »

Lung testers were indeed a form of suicide. Almost every big slot-maker had them in their catalog until a rumor (most likely true) went round that you could catch Tuberculosis from them, they then disappeared from the sales books almost overnight, interestingly the version used in hospitals at the time was exactly the same design with the same end result :shock:
the Mills "balloon" is my favorite,this had the added advantage of blowing your germs (and any previous users) back down your throat when you stopped blowing!! !PUKE!
https://www.penny-arcade.info/the-strange-the-unusual
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gameswat
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by gameswat »

Well, that's amazing that you owned it during its lifetime! But not sure why the disparaging remarks ("RESTORED" condition which term I use in its loosest context.) ? Either you think it's a poor job, or you think it should have been left as just an incomplete wreck?? You do realise that many of the multi-million dollar cars paraded around Pebble Beach were built up from just a chassis and rusted engine block!? That only one of your former lung tester survives attests to the fact there was little point in holding out for another to turn up for that perfect restoration. I can't remember if I've seen this particular one in person or not, but I have seen many of the super rare figural lung testers, Caille Rubber Neck, Mills Hats Off, Mills Balloon, and they all needed major restorations. I'm a picky restorer and while there were little things I'd have done differently they all scored damn highly with me!
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coppinpr
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by coppinpr »

Either you think it's a poor job, or you think it should have been left as just an incomplete wreck?
or perhaps he thinks that with a price tag of $45,000 it should be a perfect restoration :!?!:
roger
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by roger »

coppinpr has raised the question that, perhaps, $ 45,000 is a little over the top.

I CALL IT SHEER MADNESS :o !OMFG! :!: :shock:

But then again, since nobody else expressed astonishment, we must have high rollers in this Forum. ROGER
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moonriver
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by moonriver »

Several years ago at the VCA and then Morphys auctions before they moved from Las Vegas there were many wealthy and well known collectors to be seen regularly attending and competing with each other and buying for fun thus keeping the prices buoyant, but then one by one they died, collections split up and sold off, and the big money floating about for big boys toys now in the hands of fewer and fewer wealthy but ageing individuals.
With a lot of the US star collections ending up in museum trusts, the high end reproduction machine makers found themselves without customers to sell to.
As an example here in the UK there have been instances of historic offers from the US of $130,000 for a cast iron shooter, so $45,000 doesn't surprise me.
What is a shame is that most US collectors seem to want all their machines restored to look shiny and new, covering over all that lovely patina and losing all that character.
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badpenny
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by badpenny »

moonriver wrote: Tue Nov 02, 2021 6:58 pm Several years ago at the VCA and then Morphys auctions ............... What is a shame is that most US collectors seem to want all their machines restored to look shiny and new, covering over all that lovely patina and losing all that character.
Ain't it the truth!

BP :!?!:
roger
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by roger »

I encourage you to watch the following entertaining video.......simply GOOGLE:

" John Papa presents new video on original, fake, and reproduction Coin-Op Machines."

ROGER :tarah:
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badpenny
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by badpenny »

roger
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Re: FUN or SUICIDE

Post by roger »

Gameswat should understand that I do not object to "restorations" but, rather, how they are represented when sold.

I would appreciate his evaluation of my "restored" lung tester using the facts in my posting.

Obviously, condition dictates the price. All to often there is a lot of selective memory loss in our hobby...(Pebble Beach too)

ROGER :tarah:
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