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He was here but I'm afraid he's set off on his travels again. I emailed him yesterday just to make sure he'd not forgotten us, and had read this topic and he replied, "some of the questions are a little daunting! ...I shall be in touch on my return."

splendid

You may have scared him into submission with the daunting list of questions, probably need another holiday after answering them all

I do hope not. Anything Arthur can recall will be a massive help to piece together information that would otherwise only be speculation.
It's rare to get the opportunity, and any insight he can give will be fantastic

pennymachines wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:03 pm He was here but I'm afraid he's set off on his travels again. I emailed him yesterday just to make sure he'd not forgotten us, and had read this topic and he replied, "some of the questions are a little daunting! ...I shall be in touch on my return."

Is he back from his travels yet?

I've sent him another email...

I had this reply from Arthur:

Arthur Bolland wrote:Some of the queries I really cannot answer – indeed I doubt anyone living can. For example “How many Miser, or Drunkard’s Dream etc were made”. I don’t know and I do not think that Dad or uncle Fred ever kept an accurate record.

The arrangement was that we (Mum, Dad and my brother and I) moved to Northampton from an arcade at 210 Rye Lane, Peckham, London SE15 in about 1947 and immediately Dad started to convert crane cases into models. He would manufacture two every fortnight and Uncle Fred would travel down with two empty crane cases and swap them for two completed models.

Fred would do some small cosmetic alterations and he was in charge of selling them on to whoever wanted them. He operated from 49 Highshore Road, Peckham, London SE15 from a workshop at the end of his garden – although, of course, he had had a substantial business before the war operating from three arches at Loughborough Junction (Showrooms and Workshops). After the war Len Vass worked for Fred (he was the brother of Fred Vass who operated a substantial arcade at Broadstairs).

There is a book on working models – and Dad’s models are featured in one chapter – although I think the list in that tome is incomplete.

Arthur originally invited me to contact him by phone, but I suggested he should chat with one of our more knowledgeable resident working model experts. He said he'd be very happy to do so. I've PM'd his number to you, moonriver.

pennymachines wrote: ↑Thu Apr 28, 2022 6:25 pm I've PM'd his number to you, moonriver.

Thank you.
I've now made contact with Arthur and had a very long , enjoyable and fascinating initial conversation about all things 'Bolland'.
Arthur has kindly agreed to continue this process and has a remarkable memory for recalling all of those little details and queries we have wondered about, the manufacturing process and the products they used for so many of the iconic models Bolland made, many of which Arthur was personally involved in making, with a view to collating all of this otherwise lost knowledge and information for future reference here in Resources.

Hooray, Moonriver! Go for it!!

J Peterson
Non-working model, USA

That's excellent.

moonriver wrote: ↑Fri Apr 29, 2022 8:18 pm Arthur has kindly agreed to continue this process and has a remarkable memory for recalling all of those little details and queries we have wondered about, the manufacturing process and the products they used for so many of the iconic models Bolland made, many of which Arthur was personally involved in making, with a view to collating all of this otherwise lost knowledge and information for future reference here in Resources.

Any news?

Sorry, I have been super busy with the season.
I did have a long and fascinating conversation with Arthur before he departed on his travels.

We talked about his involvement and helping his Father with making the models. He distinctly remembers the Drunkard's Dreams. Arthur would paint the beer bottle labels and his Father would make the beer bottles on his lathe by turning to shape and cutting lengths of bakerlite rod. Depending how they were doing for time (producing 2 models a fortnight to deadline) would determine how much decor went into the model and how far up the back shelves the bottles would fill.

Their workshop was located at the rear of a shop Arthur's mother ran, and already there in the shop window when they moved in was a female window display mannequin. It was decided the mannequin face would be most suited for the new Pharos fortune teller machines as they were having tremendous success with their YES/NO format. These only required a disc or cylinder of questions to turn after the penny was inserted and no cost of a card vend required. Also in limited space areas these could be in very compact cases.

The Wishiwell is an example of such yes/no fortune teller machines. Arthur remembers emptying the cash boxes of these on site regularly, and not only were they sited outside busy venue toilets, but also inside! In particular he recalls inside the ladies toilets always took the most money.

The Pharos machines had various different variations of castings made. Even though they were the same machine, some heads had additional beard castings and some didn't. Some had castings with a hole for a top lock; some don't (we don't know why). Suffice to say, there were many small and local foundries at the time and castings would have been easy and cheaply made.

Interestingly, the appearance of either a male or female head could be achieved simply by the way the face of the casting was painted which, unless two different machines are standing right next to each other for comparison, give the impression of two different head castings even though they're identical.

Woburn Abbey had a corridor along which Arthur's Father used to site a long line of their own mixed machines (not all models) that he remembers helping to empty.

We are hoping to meet up at some point when Arthur ventures up this way, as he has expressed an interest in visiting and looking at some of the models.

Splendid information. Please keep us informed, Moonriver.

J Peterson
USA

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge on this fascinating branch of our hobby. It's important to record first hand accounts before they become lost due to time. Well done.
Glad you are having a good season.

bryans fan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 19, 2022 9:20 am It's important to record first hand accounts before they become lost due to time.

Or even worse, mis-remembered or altered to suit the story teller's agenda.
BP

Thank you moonriver for the interesting update.