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Sweet Chocolate and National Chewing Gum

National Automatic Vending Machine Co., Philadelphia, PA, and Belvedere, NJ, pat. 1917, 17". I've lumped these two machines together on the same page because Silent Salesmen Too does that, but even as I type this I'm not sure that's the best way to do it. They're different models, and to include the chewing-gum version under the heading "Sweet Chocolate" as Mr. Enes did on page 100 of that book more or less buries the gum version. But Silent Salesmen Too is the bible and I'm just a humble disciple, so I'll keep it consistent with that source.

According to Silent Salesmen Too (page 100), the Sweet Chocolate machine pictured above left is a Model S, and the Chewing Gum machine on the right is the Model G. I've consulted Silent Salesmen Too a billion times since 1995 but didn't remember reading that, so it was like new news to me when I saw it while writing this page. I've never in my life---not once!---heard the chocolate or gum models referred to in conversation by their model designations. To collectors the Model S is a "Sweet Chocolate" and the Model G is "the machine like the Sweet Chocolate, but the gum version." In the Silent Salesmen Too price guide they're listed separately as "Sweet Chocolate" and "National gum" but the gum version isn't called anything beyond "Model G" in the Sweet Chocolate description, so "National gum" in the price guide makes sense only within the context of the book and the Sweet Chocolate description. When they hear "National gum," most collectors think of the globed cast iron machine shown in Silent Salesmen Too, top right on page 102, they don't think of the Sweet Chocolate's less-common sibling. Maybe working the model designations into collectors' lexicon isn't a bad idea.

The cities of origin on these examples are Philadelphia, PA, and Belvedere, NJ, but I've heard of others including Newark, NJ, as stated in Silent Salesmen Too. I've not paid enough attention to the examples I've seen to notice differences there but I should probably start doing that. One or 2 of these usually show up at each Chicagoland show, so the opportunity is there. The Model G is much less common than the Model S but it's not considered Officially Rare. It's also more expensive, in case you wondered.

This is a pretty little machine that even my wife likes. It's made of sheet metal and mounts on the wall, but has a smooth flat bottom that allows it to stand upright on a shelf or tabletop as you can see in the pictures. In service it would have hung on a wall, but in a collection?---it's nice to have display options. These models are all about the graphics, which you can see closer on the front here and here on the Model S. Take those away and print "Sweet Chocolate" or "Chewing Gum" in white block letters on the front and you have a $150 machine....if you're lucky. Add the fancy graphics and it's sooo much more!

Several times over the years I've heard from reliable sources that a supply of "new old stock" machines was found at some point, and these were sold to collectors. Because of the importance of the graphics on this model and the existence of a fair number of NOS examples, more than with most other models the value of a specific machine is dictated by the condition of the paint and graphics. Expectations for this model are high, and what would be considered excellent condition for other vending models is considered just "good" or "very good" for this one. Condition is graded on a curve, and the coin-op vending class has a lot of smart kids in it. This is unfair to a "good" example of this model, but no one said life is fair. As context, I consider the examples above to be very good bordering on excellent, but they're not NOS.

Allow me a soapbox moment, please: I get the attraction to NOS machines, but I'm not a big fan of them. I can't tell the difference between a true NOS machine and a restored example of the same model, and neither one has the character I like in a machine. Great used condition is optimal for me, and crossing the line from "great condition" into NOS territory is a step backward. What gets my juices flowing is, say, a Columbus with great original paint that's aged superbly (like this), or a Northwestern with nearly perfect porcelain that shows a nice patina on the aluminum bits (like this), or a wood machine without chips or cracks but with the nice soft patina that comes with age (like this or this or this or these ). Given the choice between a NOS Bluebird that looks like it came out of a time capsule all bright and shiny like it would have come out of its box 85 years ago, or one that's developed a nice satin-gray or even darker patina over the years (like this or this), I'll take the one showing its age any day. I know collectors who lust after NOS machines, but I'm not one of them.

Okay, 'nuff said about that. Back to these models. As pretty as they are, they have one downside that luckily is easy to overcome: Placement is critical. The red graphics against the blue background form the basis of this model's appeal, but the red doesn't pop against the blue. In addition, the machines are 17" tall (the height of a Norris Master) but are thin like a teenaged Kate Moss and are easily lost in a crowd. I found myself not seeing the Sweet Chocolate when it was placed alongside other machines, and I didn't appreciate it as much as I thought I should until I found a spot where it can hang more on its own. I found a similar placement for the Chewing Gum, and only after I found the right spots for them did my buyer's remorse evaporate.

The examples above are 100% original