The museum was able to purchase about 35 items to add to our collection. Glenn and I met for years at the Indianapolis Antique Advertising Show twice a year when you got there at 6 AM to be first through the door. Those were great times and made for some comradery in collecting. He did self publish a popcorn tin and box book that   comes up on Ebay ever so often.

When Ebay sarted up we would not bid against each other if an item was important to one of us. Multiple items were bid on by one of us and then split. A good friend that I miss.

Here are some shots of the project. I did mistakenly say in a previous post that Holcomb & hoke made 12 of these. They actually made 10.

      The highlight though was a trip that I made with fellow friend and popcorn machine collector Rusty Symmes from Winchester Indiana. We had the pleasure of a private tour by 5th generation (maybe 4th) Charles Cretor of the Cretors manufacturing plant. I was impressed by how each employee has specific responsibilities for their given task. Not just another assembly line. The average employee has 15 plus years of service t the company. That alone says volumes about their company.

      The Cretors museum was in disarray due to new carpeting being installed but that didn’t reduce our ability to admire these fabulous machines. Having Charlie tells us stories and history about the machines and his family was appreciated more than he will ever know.

     We then had the pleasure of seeing part of a collection of historical popcorn machine manufacturers brochures. Of course I asked to see the Holcomb & Hoke literature since that is my main collection and interest. What I found was beyond my wildest dreams. I have been looking for years for pictures of a little known Holcomb & Hoke Popcorn truck. When Rusty pulled three pictures out of the folder I was flabbergasted. The pictures showed the left, right, and rear view. The were black and white but were hand colored in some areas. Charlie was very obliging in offering to let me copy whatever I needed.

       Cretors is celebrating 125 years of continuous family run business. Not many of these companies left. My thanks again to Charles Cretors for a great time, a wonderful 125th year calender with historical photos and his invitation to let us return.

    More than likely they were easily knocked off or just separated from the machine. They did have a small decal that said gum or mints. This ad shows the jars on a full tile.

This machine is in great shape, needing only some minor tweaking. I was fortunate enough to have a friend in popcorn, Lee Conklin, sell me a salt shaker and counter to complete the machine. Thanks again, Lee.

Although an original manual came with it I do not think it actually went with this machine. If you have a manual and want to compare or trade copies please contact me .

As the owner of Wyandott Popcorn he was a pioneer in the in the popcorn snack food business. His collection of beautifully restored machines is a must see for popcorn machine enthusiasts. I was fortunate to spend time with him several years ago discussing our collections.

His knowledge will be missed.
Jim

The best thing about having a collection and sharing it in a mini museum atmosphere and a web site is the people you meet and talk to.  Those who know me know I don’t want to take information to the grave. So many collectors treat their knowledge as if its a great secret. Sometimes I wonder if they really have gained anything by their actions. I do know what people think of their actions and I vowed early on I would be as helpful as I can be and let the chips fall as they may.

Well a chip just fell before Christmas. I had the pleasure of having Steve Hinchliffe from Los Angeles California for a two day visit at the museum. Yes, if you like Holcomb & Hoke machines and history, you can spend that much time looking and reading. While here he showed me a picture of his next restoration project. I believe he has done 5 H & H machines. I have a habit of looking in the back round of pictures. Just behind the machine was a peanut roaster with a left hand drive. This is quite rare and only fit a Grand model Holcomb & Hoke Butter-Kist popcorn machine. Not needing it, Steve graciously has donated it to the museum where it has now been united with the Grand  Machine.

My gratitude to Steve is really heartfelt. I have looked for 15 years, when I obtained an ad for this machine for a front facing roaster. It is gentleman like Steve that really keep collecting fun and enjoyable.

THANKS AGAIN STEVE

Holcomb & Hoke made a five-cent drink dispensing machine.  As you can see, it featured a lot of “popcorn machine” parts.  To date, I have not been able to locate any literature detailing how the drink was cooled.  I can only assume ice was used.  Interestingly, H  & H began making meat display cases (the kind you’d find in a butcher shop) about this same time which incorporated a compressor to keep the contents cool.

Do any of these units still exist?  Sure seems like an expensive method for dispensing a nickle drink.  Nonetheless, company records indicate that a few were sold.  Could this be the first modern coin-op drink dispenser?  If anyone has any more information, please let me know.

Christmas vacation led me to Lynchburg South Carolina to purchase a rare Model 3E Universal Peanut Toaster. What makes this so hard to find is the “ribbon Mitre glass” that matches the lines in the lighted marquee on top. The machine is all complete except the apothecary jar that would have been on the side. (see the model 3 in the H&H machine page) The paint scheme is said to be Mountain Ash Red and Manchu Black Duco

The owner was Patricia Tyler whose father Dewey Houser purchased the machine for use in his store in Lynchburg. The machine is in working order and was used as recently as two years ago. I plan on restoring it in the near future, or maybe just keeping it as.