Nearly 100 antique amusement machines are going under the hammer today from the unique collection of fire-eating escapologist John Gresham.
Mutoscopes are among the devices being auctioned in the sale that come from the collection of Gresham’s Penny Arcadia, a private museum. Gresham worked the music halls, circuses and fairgrounds for years before settling in Hull to run the family timber importing business.
He amassed most of his collection in the 1970s. It was eventually to outgrow his home so he bought the Ritz Cinema in the Market Place at Pocklington, Yorkshire, to turn into the Penny Arcadia.
The museum closed upon Gresham’s death in 1994 and some parts of the stock were sold at that time, but much of the collection was retained by his family. Now, Spicers Auctioneers of Goole are auctioning off much of the remainder.
It includes 20 antique jukeboxes, bagatelle games, fairground dodgem cars, slot machines, including Yamasa, Duchess, top boxes from slots, video games, ball gum venders, fairground art, coin-operated novelties, and other games.
