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Northwestern "Choice" Package Gum Vender

Northwestern Novelty Co. (perhaps maybe of Morris, Illinois), c. 1917, 20 ¹/₂". With a patent date of 1917, this is one of Northwestern's earliest vendors. Silent Salesmen Too calls it "Northwestern's first gum machine," and it was made when Northwestern was the Northwestern Novelty Co. before becoming the Northwestern Corp. of Morris, Illinois. The base is made of cast iron with a white porcelain finish, and the lid is either cast iron or thick steel and is also porcelainized. This machine is inconsistent with my rule of thumb that a porcelainized finish connotes the late 1920s or later. I'll have to ponder the reason I think that, and whether it's still a valid rule of thumb most of the time.

The upper 70% of the machine is a rotating carousel, with four stacks of gum arrayed on the carousal's perimeter. The customer rotates the carousel using the tabs protruding from the metal lazy Susan on which the carousel rests. The customer inserts a nickel and pushes down the plunger on top of the machine, and a pack of gum falls from the front-facing stack---Clove, in the pictures above.

A feature I like about this model is the clean back. Most machines are best displayed so the back is hidden. It may not be ugly, but it's often clear that it wasn't designed to be seen. Not so, this one. This one could be displayed on a coffee table or pedestal in the middle of a room and be admired from a 360-degree vantage point. I put the third picture above to prove that point.

The machine above is 100% original and in great shape. These aren't rare but they're scarce. I wanted one for decades and didn't get the chance until the October 2024 Morphy auction, where the one above appeared. The decals are a bit faded, which is okay with me---it gives the machine character---but other than that it's about perfect.