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Ad-Lee Model D

Columbus Vending Company, Columbus, OH, c. late 1920s, 16". This was made by Columbus for the Ad-Lee Novelty Company of Chicago. Bill Enes believed it to be the last of the Ad-Lee globe machine models.

It's made of cast iron and weighs slightly less than a boat anchor. The correct globe is a Columbus #9 without a star. According to Silent Salesmen Too this model was available with a straight one-gumball-for-a-penny vending wheel and with a profit sharing 1-2-1-2-3 wheel. Of the several I've seen, I believe that all but one have been the profit-sharing type.

This example is 100% original but the decal is not technically correct for this model. It's a fully intact, original Columbus Model 14 decal---good luck finding another one of those!---but the red "Columbus" identifiers are faded to near invisibility. Without the Columbus connection visible on the decal, the globe has no obvious connection to any specific manufacturer or model. Since this Ad-Lee Model D has the same configuration as the Model 14, this globe seemed perfect for this machine. While it's not technically correct for the machine, given the close historical connection between Columbus and Ad-Lee, and the globe's absence of a visible connection to another model or manufacturer, I'm happy with the combination.