Canteen Cigarette Machine Ca. 1954

[Andy Jones]

Does anybody know where I may be able to find parts for this machine? A friend of mine gave it to me when we were rummaging the remains of an old movie theater his parents owned before it was demolished. The cabinet was in one part of a storage area, while the guts were in another. He remembers it hanging in the lobby when he was a kid in the early 60's, and it had a clock with a marquee on it. At some point during the building's decay, there was a ceiling collapse that ripped the clock off of it and damaged the top. I am trying to replicate a clock for it relying on sketches from his memory. The only usable part I could find under the rubble was the cast mount.  I have seen Canteen candy machines similar to this, and ONE cigarette machine exactly like it (with a base, last pic.) online, but none with the clock. I also need the brand label holder inside the window or photos and measurements, and a coin mech. I arrived at the 1954 vintage, because the back of the mirror is stamped "May 18, 1954".

[ld26]

I saw one of these on  Maine craigslist without the clock, might still be up there, looks like a nice orig though would be a shame to take parts from

[Jim]

Thant is a similar setup to a National cigarette coin mech.
Appears that any nickel, dime, quarter slug rejector should work.
Just make sure the four support studs are present on the slug rejector so it will mount properly.
Cool machine too ! ! !

[Ltransam]

Andy ,

Nice machine .but unless you find a Donner machine parts are few and far between . I would love to see a picture of the clock .
From my knowledge and from my Father as far as I know there were never clocks on one ! It could be possible it was added latter at some point from someone
My father has since passed but he worked for Canteen corp for almost 30 years  . And I had asked him once if there was a canteen with a clock sorta like the National but he said not that he had ever heard of or seen .

So it's possible you might have the only one Never know
 

[Andy Jones]

My friend thinks his mother may have an old pic with it in the background. I keep bothering him to go look, but it is apparently a daunting task. He's 73, his mother is in her 90's, and she lives in the same packed to the gills house HIS FATHER grew up in. It was his grandparents that opened the theater around 1914. He used to sneak buying cigarettes from that machine. He told me he bought his first pack from it in about 1956. The clock mounted on a cast pedestal which I was lucky enough to find. There is a large hole in the center of the top, about 2" in diameter. The pedestal has a lip that fits down into the hole, and there is a cupped washer like piece that fits from the inside and is fastened to the pedestal with screws. The clock had a clear plastic lighted halo around the entire face, with a half round sign over the top. From his memory, the marquee said "Time for a Smoke?". There are tombstones for a fluorescent light above the selection window, and what was left of a small light socket on the lower left of the cabinet near an opening in the mechanism, apparently lighting the tray. I can only guess this was meant for a darker location like a theater lobby or the like? There are 7 selections, and 3 stacks in back with fingers that rotate to dispense a pack of matches with each purchase. The cigarettes were either 25 or 30 cents a pack. As far as the clock and it's originality goes, I only know what little I have been able to find online since I got it and what the guy who grew up around it remembers.
I'm actually a juke & arcade game guy... This and the Coke machine I just bought are my first foray into vending machines - Where does it end? Oh God help me! LOL!

[Jared]

It starts with one and doesn't stop. Cool looking machine can't wait to see it done. Good luck!

[Andy Jones]

Here is a mockup I slapped together using an old school slave clock I picked up at a flea market for $5 and the bottom 1/4 of a plastic bucket as a housing. (you can't see the duct tape and baling wire holding it all together! LOL!) I love the hands and numbers on that clock. When I have the glass face made, I may see if they can reproduce that font. The funny thing is that the clock has a date of December 1953 stamped on the back! Is it kismet?

[Andy Jones]

Some pics of the finished vend mechanism....Would anyone have a slug rejector to fit this? The brackets are 5" apart, and approximately 3 1/2" top slot to bottom slot.I would prefer something all metal and of this vintage if someone has one..

[Jim]

Looks Great ! ! !
The vending mech is identical to the National Cigarette Vending Mech!
The slug rejector should be the same as any other quarter, dime, nickel rejector...

[Ltransam]

I'll have to check I might have the rejector.