Grandparents Shed find

cmclean

I'm back in Marietta this weekend and found this in my Grandparents shed.  My Grandmother claims they picked this up from the original Pachinko house just in time to use it to cook chicken for my Dad's 11th birthday in Feb of 1975, my old man was upset they didn't get a Pachinko machine at the time.  Assuming their stories are true this has to be one of the oldest units out there considering the Pachinko house opened in 1974.  The dome has a solid "y" shaped crack in it so I'm not really sure what my plan is for this thing yet, but I wanted to share the pictures.  Especially since WeberWho posted that CL post yesterday.

Maybe somebody else has a more accurate version of history than the story I got from my father and grandmother.  I'm still fairly new around here so I'm guessing somebody on here knows a lot more than I do.

lkapigian

Score!!!

RedSkip

Pretty cool story...

GaryLange

Most likely work fine when you get it cleaned up and ready for use. Good find for sure.

RRP

Yes that would have been a unit sold by Ed Fisher himself! Great history. BTW for those youngsters here who don't know what a pachinko is here's a shot of mine from that same era.

It is an upright "pin ball" - like machine from Japan. Mine is electrified and lights up and bells ring like crazy. When a ball goes into a special spot the machine rewards you with more balls to play. Actually it is sort of fun to play for a while!

CanDid

That looks similar to the one I found on CL for $300. Found another one where they wanted $800 for theirs, it was in tip-top shape though with stickers still on it. Someone in the discussion mentioned they were made out of clay and risk cracking at temps over 375 degrees, which I think was a big problem in Ed's earlier days.

cmclean

Yea after reading some other stuff online I think with some good TLC I can get this up and running.  I won't risk cooking anything over 350 degrees in it though.  I'll be sure to update y'all on the process of restoring it, but it may take some time.

@RRP I showed that picture to my dad and he was very jealous.  He grew to appreciate the egg as he got older but at 12 all he wanted was a Pachino machine

R2Egg2Q

Nice find! It looks the same as an Imperial Kamado they have at the BGE museum at the HQ in Atlanta.   If you can make it down there I think you'd get a kick out of the old Eggs and kamados they have on display.  Might not want to take your dad with you cause they a have an old pachinko on display too and he might still want it

RRP

Curious...in picture #3 which got repeated - I think - as #5 what is that shiny thing off to the right background with chains hanging down from it? 

theyolksonyou

A trailer hitch. 

RRP

theyolksonyou said:

A trailer hitch. 

LOL - with an upside down bowl and a funnel on the top?  

theyolksonyou

It's the trailer. Female part of hitch is the bowl, the lock is the funnel.  Looks like it's likely a boat as there is a winch above it. 

nolaegghead

Man, some of y'all have stuff from before 'LECTRICITY!

Ozzie_Isaac

RRP said:

Yes that would have been a unit sold by Ed Fisher himself! Great history. BTW for those youngsters here who don't know what a pachinko is here's a shot of mine from that same era.

It is an upright "pin ball" - like machine from Japan. Mine is electrified and lights up and bells ring like crazy. When a ball goes into a special spot the machine rewards you with more balls to play. Actually it is sort of fun to play for a while!

Growing up in Japan, I used to walk by Pachinko parlors all the time.  They were so bright and loud it made a Vegas casino seem like a monestary.

nolaegghead

My dad picked a used commercial pachinko machine, I think in Japan or somewhere overseas, and he brought it home when we were kids in Germany.  My dad surprised us with quirky hobbies. 

RRP

I bought mine locally at a unique store owned by an eccentric businessman, named Avie Cohen, who traveled all over the world buying close outs and often time crap! This was long before the "Big Lots" and such chains existed. When you walked into that store it was always in a disarray and you had to dig thru boxes. Often time the "merchandise" wasn't even marked with a price. His downfall was when he bought 36 brand new 3 cylinder foreign automobiles and sold them off the railcar for $600 as is. There were no parts to be had and by the end of the Summer hardly a one was still on the road.

cmclean

RRP said:

theyolksonyou said:

A trailer hitch. 

LOL - with an upside down bowl and a funnel on the top?  

Yea its the trailer hitch from a boat trailer

Jai-Bo

Great score....my mom and pops had an egg/kamado something when I was little (late 70's/early 80's)  It was green and looked like a BGE but not sure if BGE was around back then.  They probably sold it in a yard sale fer a couple bucks!!!

cmclean

Cleaned out all the old ash and some lump in it as a test burn.  I used as little lump as possible and did it on a concrete slab as a safety precaution.  It held up well, so I'm gonna start working to bring it somewhat back to its former glory.  

The bottom vent is completely rusted out and I don't have a top for it.  Fortunately we have a metal shop at work so I should be able to get some decent alternatives made up for it.  This won't be high up on my priority list so it may take some time, but I will post photos once I finish.
  

havertyj

That is impressive! Nice find and cool that it still works after all that time.

fishlessman

RRP said:

Yes that would have been a unit sold by Ed Fisher himself! Great history. BTW for those youngsters here who don't know what a pachinko is here's a shot of mine from that same era.

It is an upright "pin ball" - like machine from Japan. Mine is electrified and lights up and bells ring like crazy. When a ball goes into a special spot the machine rewards you with more balls to play. Actually it is sort of fun to play for a while!

neighbor has one on the lake. cant imagine 20 of those sounding off at the same time in a pachinko house=)