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Lee

Lee Co., c. 1930, 13". The Lee is a cast aluminum machine with a typical lever-pull design, except for one thing: Pulling the lever causes a thin piece of metal to sweep the penny back from the coin slot into the machine. It's the only machine I know of with this type of feature, and it's pretty neat.

The Lee came in at least 2 versions, which as far as I can tell differed only in the way the base was shaped. Both flare out toward the bottom, but the other version looks more like the base on a Columbus 46, with the same method of padlocking the baseplate to the machine. The version above holds the baseplate in place with a center rod that extends from the baseplate up through the lid, where it's held in place by a special nut that attaches to the center rod through the lid. I'm sure that one of these versions is earlier than the other, but I don't know which came first.

The Lee also had 2 styles of globe, both of which are pictured above. They're the same size and shape, but one has a stippled pattern on the top one-third of the globe which you can see more closer upper here. I used to think the stippled version was quite scarce, but in the process of buying the one above I discovered that's not the case; they're much less common than the smooth version but they're not rare.

The machine and globes pictured above are all 100% original. The machine on the right is the machine on the left but with an "upgraded" globe, but I'll bet you figured that out already, didn't you, smarty pants? Lees aren't easy to find, but they're also not rare. Every one that I'd seen before this one had been newly painted or had been buffed, and none had attracted me. The one above was a different story. The nice original paint has great patina and gives the machine a look that really smittenized me. I bought it based on a picture I'd received from another collector who's also a good friend, and up until the time I actually got the machine I was wondering if I'd like it enough to justify the price. I did, and even my wife likes it which is always a plus.

I did feel a bit guilty replacing the smooth globe that for all I know was on the machine when it left the factory 80 or 90 years ago, but I thought that the stippled globe would add enough to overcome that guilt. It did, but still---breaking up original sets is not something I take lightly and a part of me still wonders if I should have done it. It's too late to undo it, though, because I swapped the smooth globe (plus cash) for the stippled globe, so there's no turning back.