Vending machine memories..oh to be a kid again! Experiences? Any hits?

Steelernation

The thread with the awesome baseball card vending machine got me thinking.
I def remember it was 1981 season, looking for a Fernando rookie, that i was plugging change into a three column baseball card vending machine at the mall holding a card show.

I def was naive but don't remember ever getting even a moderate star player. I can picture Seaver, Ryan, etc in my mind.

Question...did you guys ever get a big hit, Henderson rookie, any big rookies, stars etc that youd like to share? It never occurred to me that they were already searched but odds are huge they were. I def remember how the dealers took advantage of us and our parents.

Maurice...I'm not trying to sell a vending machine. May buy one tho.

Stone193

Hiya Rob - I didn't use vending machines a lot as a kid for Topps cards - I liked packs better. But did use it for "Exhibit" cards.

Here's a machine I have and like:



Over the next few years - if I can afford, I'd like to pick up a few more vending machines.

There's a really cool exhibit machine that's been on ebay for years - local pickup only - that I would definitely like. The early exhibits are wood with lights and very ornate.

vintagefun

I use to get an assortment of new (early 80s) cards or VG- vintage. I still have some. A 64 Berra with round corners and writing, a 69 Drysdale with a staple mark, a 71 Ted Wiiliams with lots of wear, and a 72 Cedeno with small crease. That was largely the haul from say $10 worth of quarters over a few years.

Never, ever got the pulls that were advertised to get my quarters. Years later that card shop owner, who had by this time closed, ended up being one of my high school teachers, and we became friends. I discovered that, though those advertised cards were indeed in the machine, he re-stocked it frequently always putting on top. Furthermore, knowing how many cards each quarter would produce allowed him to make sense/cents using simple math. The only way to get the pull, would be to hit before he re-stocked, and if someone got it, he knew he still made money.

3BoyzTrading

That's a bit cruel but understandable from a business standpoint.