___________________________________________________________________________________________

Columbus Model A

(Click to embiggen)

Columbus Vending Company, Columbus, OH, c. 1908 through the 1930s, about 16" depending on specific model. Columbus made the Model A for more than 25 years, and like car companies, they made changes throughout the years. All were cast iron and used basically the same mechanism, but the body styles changed as follows:

• c. 1908. The earliest example had a thin-lipped dish on the front of the base and an open gate to catch peanuts before they fell out. This version---which is rare---is shown in Silent Salesmen Too, page 38 bottom right, and is the basis of the 1908 patent date.

• c. 1910. After the Health Department declared the open gate to be unsanitary, the open gate was replaced with the Columbus gate with the stenciled star found on the vast majority of As. The lip on the dish remained thin, as shown here. The far left picture above shows an example of this version, which is scarce.

  Sometime between 1908 and 1915 Columbus also produced a version with a truncated dish---more of a deep indentation than a fully formed dish---but I don't know whether this came before or after the full thin-lipped dish and the open gate. I know of only two examples of the truncated dish on a Model A, so it appears to be a rare variation.

• c. 1915. Finally for the dished models, the dish's lip was widened and embossed with the patent date of "SEPT. 15, 08" as shown here. This is the most common version of the dished Columbus A and is what usually appears for sale. Collectors often call this version a "Columbus A with a tray" even though it has a dish, not a tray. Even Bill Enes calls it a "tray" in his descriptions on Silent Salesmen Too page 39, and he's a renowned author! But the wrong word doesn't become right just because a lot of people use it wrongly, and a dish doesn't become a tray just become a lot of people call it that. This here shows a tray, which ain't nothing like what's on Model As.

  But back to the narrative....at some point in the life cycle of this variation the small-nippled lid became a large-nippled lid and the baseplate changed in the way it was anchored into the body. According to Silent Salesmen Too, the dished base was discontinued around 1920.

• c. 1920 (approximately). Finally (I think), the dish was dropped and the model became the style most commonly available today. This model has a large nippled lid and a baseplate anchored by a pin instead of a flat extension of the baseplate.

The earliest Columbus A was painted black with pinstriping. Later versions were available in "a cardinal red baked enamel" and a "forest green baked enamel," although the vast majority are red. I've seen one porcelainized Model A, although I think more than one exist.

Early decals were paper and were shaped like an inverted wide-based "V." These are not rare, but they're scarce and are usually gobbled up quickly when offered for sale. Water-transfer decals were introduced in 1925 and were eventually available in a variety of shapes. I think the styles shaped like a shield were later, but I'm not sure.

Barrel locks were correct starting in 1933, the year they were first available. Before that, Columbus used a variety of padlocks. Eagle locks are considered by many collectors to be the correct lock, but I don't agree. I've seen original Columbus machines fresh from basements, attics, or old storerooms that look like they hadn't been touched in 60 years and had different styles of locks. A Columbus catalog from the late 1930s or 1940s offered "Columbus Vise-Grip" barrel locks for $1.35 (or a dozen for $13.25!) or small Master locks---the same "wafer-style" lock you can buy today---for $0.60 each.

Columbus Model A's were also available with slug rejectors, of which the "Pac-Man" style is most common, and were available with stands. A stand with a heavily tiered base was available with a head for one or two machines, and this stand is considered by all to be "the early Columbus stand." A later version with a smoother base is also widely known as a Columbus stand. I think the early stand is period-suitable for pre-WWII cast iron machines like the Columbus A and the Model M, while the later smoother-based stand is suitable for post-war machines like the Model 46.

I love Columbus Model As, but at some point along the way I realized that they're common. They made a billion Model A's and if only 0.0113% survived, then that's still....ummm....hang on....wait---almost there....well, it's still a lot of survivors, way more than enough to go around. Despite how common they are, there's something about them that compels me to stop and look at an unrestored Model A when I pass one, even if it's not a great example of the breed. It's an iconic model that evokes---for me---an emotional connection. Bill Enes once told me he felt the same way about the A, and I suspect a lot of other collectors do, too.

When buying a Model A, look for good original condition and features that indicate earlier vintage. The earlier the vintage, the wider you'll have to open your wallet but you'll have a better example of a classic vendor, and one that'll hold your interest a lot longer than a common later example will.

The examples shown above are 100% original except for the black one in the middle, which has an old repaint over red.