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Buffalo Gum

White Vending Co. (for the Buffalo Gum Co., Buffalo, NY), c. 1907, 16 ³/₄" including the buffalo. This machine is so spectacular that I'm almost afraid to own it. Am I worthy? I don't know....I question that sometimes.

This is a 4-column dome vendor with a clockwork mechanism. When you insert a penny the machine dispenses the tab of gum and then rotates the column assembly 90 degrees. That cycle is repeated with subsequent pennies so that gum is dispensed evenly from all 4 columns. This approach differs from that used by the Knapsack match vendor, which dispenses all of the match cannisters in the front column before rotating to the next one.

The example pictured above is 100% original and in excellent condition, with perfect patina on the metal bits. I bought it at the Spring 2019 Chicagoland show from a friend who set it out early; the doors opened at 7:00 am and I first saw it at 7:30. I didn't see it right then because a crowd was gathered in front of it, gawking and pointing and commenting. I sensed the buzz before I saw the machine, but didn't know what it was about. The machine was displayed in an L.E. West Gum Company case, which the seller had paired it with because White Vending Company also made this machine privately labeled for L.E. West. Here's the machine in the case, which is how I first laid eyes on it. It was a smart move by the seller because it literally showcased the machine, making it seem even that much more special.

When I saw it my heart rate jumped about 30 beats per minute. The machine and case looked to be softly spotlit from above, and I may have heard a heavenly choir in the background, singing one of those sustained notes that you hear in movies sometimes. I thought O...M...G...that's gorgeous, but probably too rich for my blood. I eased my way to the front of the crowd and glanced at the price tag dangling from the lid, and saw that it was actually within reach. Not cheap, but doable. That was both good and bad; good because it was doable, which made it bad because I now had a decision to make. I approached the seller as he was unpacking other stuff, and we talked for a few minutes. He told me his bottom-line price, which included the case, and I asked him if he'd mind holding it for 10 minutes while I mulled it over. He agreed to do that, and I started walking the aisles to cogitate.

The dilemma was the timing; the show had just started and I didn't know what else would come out, so I didn't really want to spend that much so soon, but I knew the machine wasn't gonna be there later. And speaking 100% objectively, what would I hope to find later that would beat this? The answer is "nothing," that's what. During the mulling period I came across a couple of good friends and stopped to talk. One asked "Did you see the Buffalo Vendor?" I said yes. He asked "Did you buy it?" I said "Not yet," that I was thinking about it and the seller was holding it for me for a few minutes while I decided. He started laughing and said "You've already bought it, you just don't know it yet!" I said "Huh?" and he said "You're gonna buy it, you just need a few minutes to wrap your head around the price." I thought about that for 1.5 seconds before realizing he was right. I wandered back to the seller and said "I'll take it," and he said "Smart move." I said "Why's that?" and he said "A line has formed behind you." I wasn't surprised. I told him about the conversation I'd had in the aisle and that I appreciated him holding it while I decided. I suspect he knows me well enough to have also known that I'd buy it but needed a few minutes to come to terms with that destiny.

Maybe I need to work on that by recognizing when it happens and changing the way I react to it. It's just as easy to wrap my head around a price after buying as it is before buying, right? Deep down I knew I wasn't gonna walk away from this, so I should have accepted the inevitable right away. Opportunities like this occur only rarely, and we need to take advantage of those within reach rather than spend our remaining days saddened by memories of passing on them.

This machine generated several interesting conversations over the course of the morning, which I had fun with but won't recount here. After I bought it we left it in the case until mid-afternoon with a "sold" sign on it, so anyone at the show who's interested in vending saw it. My favorite conversations post-purchase were with friends who mentioned the machine, praised it, and speculated about who the lucky buyer was.

Below are a few pictures with more detail than can be seen in the full-shot pictures above: