Postage stamp vendor

[Kapri]

Hellofrom sunny England!
I've just got this stamp vendor, and wondered if anybody could tell me anything about it?
It's only a case, the mech is missing, so it will have to hang on the wall just for looks.
Would like to know how old it is, and how common they are/were.
Thanks, Gaz.

[davethebirdman]

Did he part with the razor machine in the end?

Dave

[Kilroy]

Hi Kapri,
Zip codes took effect in the early 1960's, 1963 i9 think, so your machine was in use sometime after that..
As a kid, I remember seeing stamp machines ( though not this one) practically  in all drug stores,  the post office lobby, and   5 and dime shops. A quick search in Ebay  will come back with all sorts of models and styles, some dating back to the 1920's. by the 1970's  - 80's they seemed to  have disapearred from stores, much like the corner post Box.

Hope this is some help 

[vendo39]

That last patent number was issued in 1965 so that the oldest it could be.

[bcharlton]

I believe it is from the 60s.  Here is a similiar one on Craigslist.

http://rochester.craigslist.org/mat/1130908207.html

[collecture]

Here is a similiar one on Craigslist.

Funny that the seller says the lock was removed because it was postal property - wasn't the whole machine postal property?