Palm reading fortune tellers

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pennymachines
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by pennymachines »

:WELCOME: to the site.
It is always good to hear from folk with an ancestral connection to the vintage British amusement machine industry.
I've sent you a message from one of our members who says he'd be happy to show you his Arnold Palm Reader. .:*+*:.
I'm afraid it won't be for sale though... !UPSET!
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brigham
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by brigham »

I met Arnold Palmreader once, opening a Crazy Golf course at Whitby...
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tim575
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by tim575 »

The narrow cabinet version of this machine had 4 chutes for cards, 3 of the chutes had normal fortunes and came with card types A,B,C,D,E,F and/or color coded for the first 3 chutes and the 4th chute always used a 'White Card' with no letter. I found one reference that "Based on the length of the hand a card is dispensed from one of 4 options, improper hand position or no hand present always selects one of the 4 options in case a warning card is desired" I believe that is the 'White Card'. I have collected over time colored cards with letters for my machine but none of the white cards. I am looking for any photos of the text on the fortune side of the white cards that is readable. So far I only have one example but it is only 1/4 of the card although some text on that seems to be in line with thinking it is the error card. I want to find some text examples to see if I can have a batch of these white cards made if anyone has a link or photo of one.
Instr.jpg


Card chutes.jpg


WhiteCard.jpg

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tim575
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by tim575 »

Refreshing this post. Still looking to see if anyone has one of the white cards, picture of one, or info on what text should be on it for the automation palm reader. This is the non-lettered 'white' error card and I only have a portion of one to go by, and an auction photo that does not have the resolution to blow up and read it. I want to reprint a stack of these if I can find what the text should be, hopefully without having to just make up something for it. There was a white card in the machine sold at auction in the Nov 18, 2019 Cedar Point Auction in Cleveland OH, but I don't know what collector or dealer might have purchased it to inqure about a close up photo of the card.
sentimental salvage
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by sentimental salvage »

I’ve got a few thousand original palm cards that I’m due to put on fleabay soon. I think the text was similar across all of the card dispensing machines.
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slotalot
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by slotalot »

Hi, Dingles were looking for some a few weeks back. Don't know if they ever got sorted. Might be worth a phone call? !!THUMBSX2!!
pennymachines
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by pennymachines »

sentimental salvage wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 8:06 am I think the text was similar across all of the card dispensing machines.
The Marvin & Casler (Mystic Fingers) Palm Reader's cards are unique to that machine, as the unusual mechanism required four different sets (green, yellow, blue, white) to be dispensed according to the pins' palm 'reading' (as Tim explained above).

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As he said, the white cards (which he's missing) appear to have carried an 'error' message, presumably admonishing the punter to operate the machine correctly for a true reading. This was a clever way of convincing the public that it did something more mysterious and sophisticated than random card dispensing. John Brenner later used the same idea to good effect on his fortune tellers. From the fragment of card Tim has, you can almost guess what it said...

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... you have attempted ...to misuse this apparatus... and trick it into a ...false reading, but... you have met your ...match because this ...automaton does not ...produce readings unless you place your... hands with accuracy ...on the palm plate as instructed...
Presumably the cards were printed by (or for) Marvin & Casler.

All the other palm readers we've discussed here were British-made and used cards printed in the UK.
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tim575
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by tim575 »

Pennymachine, thank you for the clarification. Actually one of the patents for this machine note an incorrect hand placement or no hand placement activates the right most column allowing the operator to receive a card noting that. Munves did reprint cards as he refurbished and sold the automation palm reader. I have some of those NOS cards of a few of the color types, but I have not found any of the 'white' error card, so I don't think Munves reprinted it. Most machines have a full card or partial card example of each type tacked above each card tube, so even if nobody has cards in the tube they may have an example, or partial example like I did to photo. If nobody can locate one, then as you note, I will use a guess at the missing text to re-create one.
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tim575
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by tim575 »

Also, if any forum members are good at guessing and want to treat this as a puzzle, feel free to try and fill in the missing parts of the 1st half of the card.
Pennymachines did a good job at filling in the missing text for the 2nd half based on context.

missing text ... made a mistake, …missing text ...carefully and after …missing text...operate the machine … missing ...text
.. you have attempted ...to misuse this apparatus... and trick it into a ...false reading, but... you have met your ...match because this ...automaton does not ...produce readings unless you place your... hands with accuracy ...on the palm plate as instructed...
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john t peterson
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by john t peterson »

"Too bad, Bozo, you" made a mistake " which cost you your coin. Put in another" carefully and after "following instructions correctly this time, you idiot" operate the machine "and hope for the best. But remember," .......

You're welcome

J Peterson
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tim575
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by tim575 »

!!THUMBSX2!! Not a bad idea to add some humor considering most who play my games are friends and family...
pennymachines
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by pennymachines »

Not as humorous as John's, but based on the theory that each line averages 9-10 words (like the other cards).
This automaton cannot provide a Reading because you
made a mistake, which caused it to fail. Follow directions
carefully and after correctly positioning your palm,
operate the machine by very slowly pulling the handle. If
you have attempted deliberately to misuse this apparatus
and trick it into producing a false or spurious Reading,
you have met your match. Please be aware that this auto-
maton does not prognosticate unless you place your
hands with accuracy on the palm plate provided.
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tim575
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by tim575 »

A very good fit, and you're a good writer, thank you. To be an exact match to the card fragment I just need to adjust one line from:
and trick it into producing a false or spurious Reading,
to:
and trick it into a false or spurious Reading,
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tim575
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by tim575 »

Just to close out on this, the Pennymachines suggested text was used on a batch of 500 cards which are the correct size and thickness. I just received them today.
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pennymachines
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Re: Palm reading fortune tellers

Post by pennymachines »

Looks good. !!THUMBSX2!!
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