NSW detectives required!!

[Retropin]

Ok - we cleaned up the brass badge on the peep show machine... im still trying to find SOMETHING out about this machine!!

Machine was made by TOM THUMB MOTION PICTURE CO PTY LTD
                                MODEL A SERIAL NO; 27
                               PATENTS APPLIED FOR;

AUSTRALASIAN; NO ; 25703

BRITISH NO; 5529

USA; NO; 137715

DESIGN REG;  NO 27685


This company was on the corner of SOUTH & REDDY ST EDGECLIFFE NSW
    TELEPHONE;  FM 2605


Despite having all this info... i still cannot find anything out as patent searches come up with a  Wheat chopper from April 1873!


Anyone know of this street corner?? Know if there was a factory there??

My photocell was first made around 1934... i THINK this machine could be late 40's


What happened to TOM THUMB MOTION PICTURES????

[MartyJ]

Hmm,

Little bit more info for you Gav..

http://www2.search.asic.gov.au/cgi-bin/gns030c?acn=000_081_621&juris=9&hdtext=ACN&srchsrc=1

Doesn't appear to be anything filed with ASIC.

[Retropin]

Thanks mate... didnt think to do ASIC search as company no longer exists.... de registered in 1982 is all we have then!

I looked the streets up and REDDY st is still there but it looks like SOUTH st is now a major arterial called NEW SOUTH RD or similar... wonder when the name was changed?

[Caveoftreasures]

That same Edgecliff address also sold Jubilee/Aristocrat rebadged poker machines. I recognise the details from my poker machine searches from 4 months ago.
They were there from the early fifties until the late 70's. Thats all i could find out Gav.

[Retropin]

Brett,

What was the company name you were searching for the pokie?

I have Nutt & Muddle as being in Bushcutter Bay

[faza]

Cant add much but i have an old map that shows that South Street and Reddy street met before the railway was built.


Good luck

[Retropin]

Cant add much but i have an old map that shows that South Street and Reddy street met before the railway was built.


Good luck

Thanks... is all good.. any info brings me nearer to dating my machine and the company.

Seems that building started in 1969 for the railways and viaduct... in... ( get this Brett) RUSHcutter bay... which is where Nutt & Muddle were.... my pokie is a typo ( or eyes are shot).. thought it said Bushcutter bay

[Retropin]

Ok - Nutt & Muddle were in Barcombe st Rushcutter Bay.
Same area.. different address

[faza]

Cant add much but i have an old map that shows that South Street and Reddy street met before the railway was built.


Good luck

Sorry should have added that South street was a separate street New south head road is shown as well

[Retropin]

Ok... here are my thoughts and this is all pretty much speculation, but see what you all think... it may be a bit far fetched or too cloak and dagger.

Machine is made in Edgecliff NSW.. just up the road from Nutt & Muddle.

Now Nutt & Muddle made one arm bandits... they started out after purchasing some 50 pinballs that went into milk bars.
In 1956 the one arm gambling machine is made legal in NSW... but by this time Nutt & Muddle already had a 3 storey factory making these pokie machines!

It would seem thet Mr Nutt and Mr Muddle had plenty of people paid off... this is a time when all types of these machines were being smashed by the police in raids... somehow Nutt & Muddle managed to have their machines in the market place being operated un hindered! So much so that they had a huge factory dedicated to the manufacture BEFORE they were made legal. This factory included a smelting plant.

Ok... onto my machine... just so happens that just up the road from N & M is TOM THUMB MOTION PICTURES   who just happen to make coin operated peep show machines.

The badge on my machine has 3 patents applied for... if you look these up then we have a wheat chopper from April 8 1873... not a continuous movie machine. So patents applied for is all made up to look good.

I cannot find anything for TOM THUMB MOTION PICTURES in NSW.

The phone number shown.... FM 2605 is an ENGLISH phone number... NOT australian.

My guess is that this machine is an import from England that was modified once it got here... hence the change in topper and extra paint work ( this has been done quite well by a sign writer).

What im thinking is that maybe Nutt & Muddle also had a sideline in all sorts of other coin op machines.... namely seedy peep show ones.

The badge on it was made to make it look good and "official"... it is in fact a decoy.

My theory is that these machines were put out there by operators from Nutt & Muddle and the badge is all made up data in case the premises got busted and so nothing was traceable back to Nutt & Muddle.



Sounds a bit far fetched must admit... the only thing i know for sure is that N & M were as dodgy as they came and my badge on my machine is full of misleading information.


What do you reckon???

[ajlaird]

Who cares whether it is right or not, it is a great story!

[swinks]

Can you post a picture or two to check out your machine - great story to have for a machine.

[Retropin]

All here swinks

http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=6388.0

[goodolddays]

It certainly sounds plausible I reckon , Gav.