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Berkshire

Great States Mfg. Co., Kansas City, MO, c. 1938, 15". For years I looked at the picture of this model in Silent Salesmen Too and thought it looked like a neat machine, but I never saw one live. One day the machine above appeared in an eBay auction and a week later I was its new owner. Based on the auction's hammer price I know I wasn't the only one smitten with it. Since then I see them for sale occasionally, but not often---it's an uncommon model, perhaps even scarce, but it's not rare.

Great States Mfg. Co. is known for its massive boat-anchor-like machines, and this one is no exception. The body and lid are made of thick cast iron, most of which is finished with black wrinkle paint. The entire machine weighs 83 pounds. Okay, maybe not 83, but it's one of the heaviest single-globe machines I've ever had the pleasure of hoisting.

I love the art deco styling. The base has great chromium-plated detailing that sets it apart from other, plainer machines from the same manufacturer. The thick columns up the side, the raised pickets on the front just above the gate and on the side, and the raised plated sections along the bottom rim are (in my opinion) what make the machine. The Sel-Mor Model E is a neat model from the same manufacturer, but the Berkshire has everything that model has and then some. The globe is nothing special, except that this one has its original decals even though one is almost completely faded.

This is the first Great States machine that I owned, and I believe that I jumped in at the top of the line. I've since bought several Sel-Mor Model E's. The details on the Berkshire make me believe that it was their premium model. I don't know if that translated to higher candy sales for the vendors who owned them, but based on the model's scarcity I suspect that it didn't lead to higher sales of the machine itself to those vendors.

The example pictured above is 100% original. I've shown a side/rear shot to give you a better idea of the detail put into the model.