This week's finished project!

[BrianB]

I just finished up restoring a 50's Victor Half-Cabinet Vending Machine. I got it off of Ebay a few months ago and just got around to playing with it. These aren't the most expensive machines but I really love the look of most all of the machine's that Victor Vending Company turned out in the 40's and 50's.

This one wasn't quite a "basket case" but it was pretty worn and well used with quite a bit of rust and oxidation. here are a few before and after pictures.

[BrianB]

A few more pictures.

[Larry]

Brian,

Nice job!  Are you going to use it or just display it?

[davethebirdman]

Lovely Job...

I'm really into Gumball/Peanut Machines at the moment...

My bias is with Northwestern but there are so many different types and shapes out there...

Dave

[collecture]

Nice Job! - Gotta get me a gumball machine one of these days.

[Eric]

That looks really nice Brian... did you rechrome or just buff that out.
turned out awesome... I have a Victor V from the show last fall... in use
here at home... love the looks of Victor models....
then the acorns fall next just because that's what I remember and grew up with ...heck some are STILL in use
in my town along with the 10¢ horse ride... I stalk...er... ask them all the time for it....
Funny... before this site I think I had only 2 rt machines.... now I have 6
and several gumball machines due to you guys showing stuff off 
they are addicting the only way I seem to stop is when someone else starts collecting something else then I just follow suite.

[loman4ec]

Great Looking Topper. They are great looking machines. I have one also. I left it at my Moms in Ohio because my nephew loves to get gumballs out of it. I ended up buying him a 5c Northwestern on a stand for his bedroom along with an upright ms pacman, a Tetris cocktail table and a Space Invaders cocktail table. I think he is a little spoiled

[BrianB]

Thanks everybody!

Larry,

I will more than likely use it at home. At the outset, my mission was to collect and restore things that I would want to display and use. There's nothing wrong with having a few "gems" on the shelf but I prfer to fixem' up and put em' to use!

I ended up just replacing the old chute door and bar with an NOS one. I was easier and cheaper. I can only guess that rechroming for the door, bar and knob wuould be around $80. I don't pay 1/4 of that for an NOS one! Since the knobs aren't as available, I just buffed it it out.

Josh,

A little spoiled? I'd just call it privileged! 

[sodaworks]

Nice job!

[loman4ec]

Mine is a little different. It has a glass globe but the part that holds the globe to the body is painted and not chrome. Is there an age difference in these two? When were these made? Mine is 1c

[BrianB]

What you have there, Josh, is an early to mid fifties Victor Topper with a standard sized glass globe. VVC also made a taller glass globe that used the same body and a black mech. There was a model that had a chrome globe top and an aluminum mech. Another version of the Topper saw it with a Lions Club emblem engraved and colored on the chute cover.

The Topper Half-Cabinet has a clear plastic front. The Topper Deluxe which has a three sided steel top with a plastic front with side holes for viewing and one other version that utilizes the Topper body, called the L.C. (Large Capacity) Topper, with a basketball size,  plastic globe.

A couple of weird but cool items that fell under the "Topper" umbrella was the Topper Deluxe Music Too which played a 30 second tune when the product was vended and Victor Topper with Viewer which was outlawed due to anti-gambling laws.

As far as age goes, VVC cranked out a bunch of different versions at the same time. I would guess that my Half Cabinet is more than likely from the early to mid-fifties. I have two other Topper's that are alike and are identical to the one you have. If I see them for cheap, I can't help myself!! 

[johnieG]

Looks good!, I always like the Toppers