Back to prior page


Walt Grigg's "ALLSTAR
COWBOYS" vending card machine



(Image courtesy of Walt Grigg)
On the left is Walt Grigg and his "ALLSTAR COWBOYS" vending card machine ... and his gunbelt and Colt Single Action.

The .45 caliber pistol has a modified hammer for fanning and was used at the now defunct Six-Gun Territory western theme amusement park near Ocala, Florida.


Some of us have stills, lobby cards and posters on our favorite western movie heroes. Some collect other memorabilia such as comic books, circus posters, 16mm and 8mm film, etc.

Walt Grigg has us all beat. He has his own "ALLSTAR COWBOYS" movie card vending machine. He did double check this amazing device and found no brand name or label that would identify the manufacturer or date of manufacture. Vending cards displayed on the top and front of the machine include some faces from the mid to late 1940s (such as the card for Robert "Bobby" Blake as Little Beaver and Bill Elliott as Red Ryder). And check the price of two cents per card.

Special thanks to Walt for the photos.

This metal vending card machine was probably made by or for the Exhibit Supply Company of Chicago, a firm which manufactured vending machine novelties from about 1901 to the mid-1960s. It went out of business around 1979. Walt's machine was probably manufactured circa 1950, and the AllStar Cowboy card series featured four images per card and dated from the late 1940s - mid 1950s.

Exhibit Supply Company was located at 4218 - 30 W. Lake Street, Chicago, Illinois and their trade name was ESCO. The Made In Chicago Museum project has a history of the Exhibit Supply Company: https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/single-post/exhibit-supply-co/



(Image courtesy of Walt Grigg)


(Image courtesy of Walt Grigg)


(Image courtesy of Walt Grigg)


(Image courtesy of Walt Grigg)


Back to prior page