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Southalls Sanitary Towel vendor

Southalls, Birmingham, England, c. 1920's or 1930's, 28 ¹/₄". The date is an estimate based on hunch, also known as a "guess." This model is not listed in Silent Salesmen Too, and I have no knowledge of the machine beyond what I could figure out on my own, such as: It's made of wood, it's British, it has a single column, and it sells sanitary towels. I don't know what those are, but I suspect they're like sanitary napkins, only bigger and tougher. Maybe British women....never mind.

The tags are some type of celluloid material. The large top tag says "Southalls SANITARY TOWELS, SOUTHALLS BIRMINGHAM, SINCE 1820," and the bottom tag simply says "INSERT HERE TWO PENNIES." A small window above the bottom tag lets the customer see if any goods are left in the machine. The wood sides, top, and bottom are joined at the corners with tongue-and-groove construction, so you know it's a quality piece, probably constructed by the finest union craftsmen in Britain!

This is one of only 2 Southalls machines I've seen in 17 years. I saw the other at a COCA (Coin-Op Collectors Association) auction in 2006, where it sold for $550 amongst a group of knowledgeable and committed coin-op collectors. I thought that was a lot to pay for it, but at least 2 bidders must have thought otherwise. There may be others around, but if so then they've been hiding from me.

The machine above is 100% original.