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Advance Unit E

Advance Machine Co., Chicago, IL, c. 1925, 30 ¹/₂". This is one of several wall-mounted single-column "unit" vendors made by Advance from the late 1910s or early 1920s through the '40s or '50s. They're all made of sheet metal. The models differ by height, depth, mechanism, presence of small windows in front, and the shape and location of product exit openings. This model has the same mechanism as many other Advance machines, such as the Model D and the Advance Stamp Machine. Another example of the "unit" vendors is the Unit A, which is similar but has an earlier mechanism and is not nearly as deep. I can't keep these unit models straight, but they're described in Silent Salesman Too (page 13) if you want to investigate.

This and the other "unit" models were used to vend a variety of products, including gum, candy, perfume, hand soap, handkerchiefs, and prophylactics. I've passed on dozens of these over the years, but I was smitten with this one when I first saw it in the parking lot at the November 2009 Chicagoland show. I don't know why---it's got black wrinkle paint, which I'm usually not fond of, and the graphics aren't all that striking---but something kept drawing me back to it. I think it's an early example of the model, but I can't support that opinion with any objective evidence. I can't put my finger on why, but everything about this one just works. I especially love the "blown tested" statement of quality on the front, pictured here more closely. As a friend said after I'd bought this, does that mean they sold used condoms? And is it too late to get a job as a testee?

The machine pictured above is 100% original and in excellent condition. It has pristine instructions on the backside---meaning the inside---of the front, and came filled with about 30 boxes of product. All in all, it's the complete package.