Vintage Gypsy Grandma Coin Op Fortune Teller

Alright, so your probably very interested and a little confused. I believe this to be a genco gypsy grandma fortune teller machine. The machine "works" the grandma moves her arms breathes moves her head and at the end a card is dispensed. The problem is the old lady never stops. The cycle continues over and over so I think a relay may be burned out. Her arms have come off and will need to be reattached but are in good cosmetic condition where exposed. Her head falls off and even her torso needs to be screwed down again. The wiring is of course old and needs to be redone. I have the front glass panel and two sides. The front glass only reads 10 cents. There are hundreds of fortune cards included. The dome for her crystal ball is also missing but the light functions as do the two interior lights.

One still has a vintage flasher installed. Overall it seems to be nearly complete and very much worth restoring. I don't really know the value as it sits but I do know it is desirable.

I've researched her a bit and I've never seen a fortune teller only model in a cabinet like this without the horoscope option. There are differences between this machine and what you would typically expect to find inside this cabinet (a horiscope and fortune telling grandma).

I guess the first issue that needs to be addressed is grandma herself. While her head has the exact same design as the traditional grandma it seems to mount differently, her arms and head move but not the complicated moved carried out by the traditional grandma her head dips and rotates in a obital pattern and her arms move in circles but no movement at the elbow. Her chest rises and falls with each rotation. Her clothing seems original and includes the shirt the dress and a scarf that I haven't really seen elsewhere. She is mounted to a wooden pedestal and operates off of a single motor. It is missing the horoscope designs typically painted on the sides but that makes sense given the lack of a horiscope option. The wiring seems original for the most part with few exceptions including the lighting. Within the cabinet things are even more unusual. The interior seems to have its original paint and the shelf shows no signs of alteration. No extra holes where the carousel dispenser would have been mounted and no holes for the more elaborate wiring typically seen.

The card dispenser is designed for the fortune cards used by genco and operates well. I don't know the type of dispenser used by the smaller genco granny but this certainly isn't typical of the large cabinet model.

The machine is fairly simple and lacks all the complications of its sisters (don't know if that's good or bad, I guess it depends on how you look at it). The hinge holding the door doesn't seem typical and the interior of the door lacks the white specs of paint. There is no hole for a pull knob on the side of the door no hole for the selector in the center. The metal grill on the bottom looks original and has been kicked in a bit but should pop back out nicely. No second slot for a nickel chute on the cabinet or the door. The chute for dimes is made of wood and there is a custom fitted panel that covers the chute and gives it support. There are no mounting holes for it on the cabinet I don't know if that is typical. The canopy is badly cracked and in need of repair. There is also some minor damage to the cabinet which should be easily repaired.

Please feel free to message me with questions, comments or requests for photos. I'd also appreciate any information you can provide on what this machine is. It could be an attempt by the factory to simplify the grandma making her more affordable or it could be something completely different. I do not accept the hypothesis that it was a horiscope and fortune telling machine at any point.

The cabinet lacks any evidence of what would have been far more electronics and hardware. No extra wires behind her curtain for instance. Feel free to contact me and let me know the part or parts you are interested in and the price your willing to pay.

The item "Vintage Gypsy Grandma Coin Op Fortune Teller" is in sale since Wednesday, February 13, 2019. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Banks, Registers & Vending\Vending Machines\Other Vending Machines".

The seller is "echoes_of_america" and is located in Compton, California. This item can't be shipped, the buyer must pick up the item.