Essex Greyhound Racer identified

Discuss our on-site auctions and other slot machine auctions.
User avatar
bryans fan
Posts: 822
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2003 10:15 pm
Reaction score: 7
Location: Somerset

Re: Greyhound 2 player Race in the USA

Post by bryans fan »

pennymachines wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:57 pm Yes, that's the wooden cased version. At that price, I'll have two please. :cool:

GREEDY :tut
User avatar
gameswat
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:17 am
Reaction score: 21
Location: perth, australia

Re: Essex Racer identified

Post by gameswat »

Mystery solved! This attached question and answer is no doubt regarding the re-cased Greyhound machine that started this thread. Came across it by accident looking through old Coin-Op Classics magazines. This letter to Dick Bueschel in the Winter 1997, Vol4, Number 1. So this guy started with a rotten case and rebuilt it, and he even describes the incorrect marquee.
Attachments
derby.jpg
greyhound.jpg
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Essex Racer identified

Post by pennymachines »

Interesting that Essex made two distinctly different wooden cabinets; one similar in shape to their metal-case design.
Attachments
Essex Race Game (at Morphy's)
Essex Race Game (at Morphy's)
Essex Race Game (at Sotheby's)
Essex Race Game (at Sotheby's)
Essex Football in metal case
Essex Football in metal case
User avatar
tim575
Posts: 163
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 5:51 pm
Reaction score: 18

Another Greyhound Racer in the States

Post by tim575 »

Topic merged - Site Admin.

OK, so even more Greyhound Racer questions. I just picked up one at Morphy Auctions a week ago, yet to be delivered. Looking if anyone knows about this variation. It seems to have the same mechanics as the wood re-cased one in another thread identified as an Essex ~1926. But this one is in a metal case, I assume intended for outdoor use. I can trace this machine to the exact same one that sold in Christie's 25 May 2005 auction which had same cabinet paint job including some scratches and dents that match so I know it is the same one. But that one had different top Marquee lettering and different background art, both seemed to have incorrect background art, so some restoration has happened. I know it needs mechanical work to get playing but won't know how extensive until I receive it. Any further history on the metal case version will be useful. First photo is 2005 and next is current. More photos at Morphy site for lot 5395: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/RAR ... 00718.aspx
Attachments
Christie's 2005
Christie's 2005
Morphy 2021
Morphy 2021
User avatar
coppinpr
Posts: 5111
Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:01 pm
Reaction score: 20
Location: Lewes, East Sussex
Contact:

Re: Another Greyhound Racer in the States

Post by coppinpr »

The background art is interesting from a historical point of view. If the machine is 1926 or earlier then at least the style of the top photo background would make sense as greyhound racing prior to July 1926 was an outdoor cross country sport ( and a big one, the grand national horse race was first run to offer secondary extra entertainment to the people attending the Waterloo cup greyhound coursing event nearby). Large scale greyhound racing in stadiums, although it did exist after mid 26 in a small way, did not really get into its stride until early 1928 following the building of purpose-built venues.
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Another Greyhound Racer in the States

Post by pennymachines »

tim575 wrote: Sun May 23, 2021 8:07 pm It seems to have the same mechanics as the wood re-cased one in another thread identified as an Essex ~1926.
Yes, it's another version (almost certainly later, given the more utilitarian style of the metal case). For this reason, I've merged the topics. Congrats on acquiring such a classic British arcade piece. !THUMBS!
User avatar
JC
Posts: 1082
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 10:38 pm
Reaction score: 9
Location: Kent
Contact:

Re: Essex Greyhound Racer identified

Post by JC »

Yes, it's another version (almost certainly later, given the more utilitarian style of the metal case).
Actually, it's not another version as such - it has an original Essex mech. that was re-cased by Ruffler & Walker in the 1950s.
This particular machine was owned by John Hayward until auctioned by Cristie's in 2005.
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Essex Greyhound Racer identified

Post by pennymachines »

Thanks JC for putting the record a little straighter. What other games have you seen in these R&W cases? Don't think I'm familiar with them.
User avatar
gameswat
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:17 am
Reaction score: 21
Location: perth, australia

Re: Greyhound 2 player Race in the USA

Post by gameswat »

gameswat wrote: Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:30 pm Just to be clear PM, I don't know anything about the R&W made race games they sold after the war. But I have seen up close inside a couple of the tin cased versions that look just like post war wooden cases R&W sold, but the mechs were much older 1920's. Polo seemed to be a popular re-vamp. Whether any had R&W labels I can't rightly remember but I've always thought they were responsible.
User avatar
brigham
Posts: 1180
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:37 pm
Reaction score: 2

Re: Essex Greyhound Racer identified

Post by brigham »

It looks very like the familiar R&W wooden cases, even down to the players' handles and the centre coin slot, which I imagine returns the winner's coin at the end.
Has anyone seen a metal-cased version of the R&W Grand National?
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Greyhound 2 player Race in the USA

Post by pennymachines »

brigham wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 8:01 am It looks very like the familiar R&W wooden cases, even down to the players' handles...
I believe the handles are smaller than on R&W racers (and Chester Pollards for that matter) which, together with the close picket fencing, are the main external clues to the Essex mechanism.
gameswat wrote: Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:30 pm Whether any had R&W labels I can't rightly remember but I've always thought they were responsible.
Like this re-cased Ahrens Footballer (EH sale 2015)?

258.jpg

As these were found in the UK, with British mechanisms, we can rule out Mike Munves - and a similarity to the R&W wooden cases is evident.
roger
Posts: 437
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 7:43 pm
Reaction score: 10

Re: Essex Greyhound Racer identified

Post by roger »

!!YIPPEE!! HERNIA MYSTERY SOLVED !!!.......Many years ago I posted about an incident that happened circa 1970. I had purchased 4 huge English pier machines from a small American auction house. How they got there is a mystery in itself.
Two of the "Play Polo" machines were housed in steel cabinets which weighed a ton. They were not tin-covered wood as shown in this post..i.e. football, racer,soccer, golf.
So, the question remained, what were these steel cabinet machines that caused my friends and I to end up with hernias ???
The recent Morphy auction May lot # 5395 may have solved this mystery as it looks like my cabinets with a fancy paint job and fitted with a Essex greyhound mechanism...........confusing, to say the least.
GAMESWAT, posted that "Play Polo" was the most popular of all the games but I have found that this model is the rarest one of all in today's collections. ROGER
User avatar
gameswat
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:17 am
Reaction score: 21
Location: perth, australia

Re: Essex Greyhound Racer identified

Post by gameswat »

roger wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 5:06 pm GAMESWAT, posted that "Play Polo" was the most popular of all the games
gameswat wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 6:54 am Polo seemed to be a popular re-vamp.
That's a lot of extra info from my simple comment Roger. I've seen a couple more of the Polos than other games but I've never taken much interest in these revamped games so never confessed to know much about them.
roger wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 5:06 pm They were not tin-covered wood as shown in this post
I don't remember ever seeing any tin covered wood cases in my travels, just those streamlined 1950s all tin or steel cases with the older 1920s mechs.
roger
Posts: 437
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 7:43 pm
Reaction score: 10

Re: Essex Greyhound Racer identified

Post by roger »

Along with GAMESWAT, I am not a big fan of the revamps.......however, the Morphy $8600 sale price cannot be denied for item #5395 with a number of under bidders. ROGER
User avatar
tim575
Posts: 163
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 5:51 pm
Reaction score: 18

Re: Essex Greyhound Racer identified

Post by tim575 »

I received a request to post more pics of the Greyhound Racer from Morphy Auction this year inside out so here they are. Although auction description was suggestive of it needing mechanical work, the only problem turned out to be one screw had fallen out letting a linkage come loose, 5 minute repair. It looks like someone had already done a mechanical restoration. I also replaced the modern line core with a more vintage cloth covered wire.
Attachments
Fronta.jpg
CoinDoorOffa.jpg
StartEnd-insidea.jpg
Weightsa.jpg
Center-insidea.jpg
FinishEnd-insidea.jpg
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Essex Greyhound Racer identified

Post by pennymachines »

Another one from Morphy Auctions, Oct. 16, 2016
Attachments
47695774_1_x.jpg
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests