#Onearm #bandits #worth #gamble #Antique #Collecting
A collection of one-arm bandits coming up for auction could be worth a ‘gamble’…
It’s not every day you walk into a house clearance valuation to be greeted room after room packed with arcade machines and on-arm bandits. But what’s exactly what happened when the team from Cuttlestones attended a house in Cannock earlier this year.
The collection of over 40 arcade machines and funfair pieces had been amassed by the late collector over a lifetime – and is now set to come under the hammer during the auction house’s forthcoming Toys, Comics and Collectors’ Items sale on Thursday 13th June.
The collection includes a significant number of 20th Century one arm bandit slot machines alongside other arcade machines, advertising ephemera and more. MD and Head Auctioneer, Ben Gamble, said: “When people think of auctions they tend to think of traditional antiques – furniture, paintings and decorative items, but collectables have a huge marketplace and the diversity is vast. Things like arcade games and one arm bandit slot machines in particular have a very active collectors’ community as well as attracting those who don’t collect but just love the nostalgia element – they’re the kind of thing people invest in to have in their games room or garden bar.
“When we discovered the collection it was a huge surprise – there was no way of predicting what lay behind the doors of a fairly normal looking house, but that is part of what makes our job so exciting. There are some really interesting lots here and we’re expecting significant interest from bidders in the UK and overseas.”
In addition to the arcade collection, the sale features a host of vintage toys, posts cards, vintage books and magazines as well as wines and spirits.
The auction will take place on Thursday 13th June at Cuttlestones’ Penkridge sale room with viewing will take place on the morning of the sale. The catalogue will be available at www.cuttlestones.co.uk from Friday 7th June with bidding in the room, by commission, on the telephone or live online through www.easyliveauction.com/
