RARE Sun Mfg Bicycle Trade Stimulator Coin Op Gambling Machine c1890 Oak OHIO For Sale

A RARE SUN MANUFACTURING TRADE STIMULATOR MINIATURE BICYCLE c.1896–1900

An exceptionally rare and visually captivating Sun Manufacturing Trade Stimulator, featuring one of the most intricate miniature bicycles ever incorporated into an early countertop advertising and gaming device.

Far more than a simple display model, the finely crafted bicycle serves as the operating mechanism for the machine. After inserting a nickel into the coin slot, the player would turn the lever through a full sweep to the right and release, causing the bicycle wheels to spin rapidly. Inside the oak cabinet, roulette-style numbered wheels (numbers are absent) determined the outcome. The combined numbers dictated the player\'s prize, typically redeemable for cigars, trade checks, or store tokens.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, trade stimulators became popular fixtures in cigar stores, saloons, pharmacies, confectioneries, and general stores. They offered customers a small game of chance while encouraging additional purchases, years before anti-gambling laws caused many of these machines to disappear.

The bicycle itself is a masterpiece of miniature engineering, accurately replicating a full-size safety bicycle with individually laced wire spokes, cast metal frame, working steering assembly, miniature axle nuts, crank arms, saddle, and original vulcanized rubber tires. The level of detail rivals the finest mechanical advertising pieces of the era.

Features

• Rare Sun Manufacturing bicycle trade stimulator
• Circa 1896–1900
• Original oak cabinet with attractive rope-twist trim
• Functional miniature bicycle operating mechanism
• Individually laced wire spoke wheels
• Working steering assembly
• Original vulcanized rubber tires
• Coin-operated amusement and advertising device
• Outstanding craftsmanship throughout

Condition

Displays beautifully with honest age and originality.

• Original rubber tires remain installed.
• Extremely delicate wire spokes are remarkably well preserved.
• Missing one pedal; the remaining crank spindle is present, making a correct replacement possible.
• Honest antique oxidation and age-related wear throughout.
• Felt feet are later replacements.
• Brass caps on the oak base appear to be later additions and cover earlier cabinet mounting points.

This example is partially complete, retaining its spectacular bicycle and oak base while lacking portions of the original trade stimulator mechanism and cabinet. Even so, surviving bicycle-equipped Sun Manufacturing trade stimulators are seldom encountered, making this an exceptional opportunity for collectors of early coin-operated machines, antique advertising, bicycles, gambling memorabilia, or Americana.

The evidence points to Greenfield, Ohio.

The company grew out of the John M. Waddell Manufacturing Company, founded in Greenfield, Ohio, by John Freshour Waddell. During the late 1800s the business evolved through several names, including:

• John M. Waddell Manufacturing Co.
• Waddell Postal Fixture Co.
• Sun Manufacturing Co.
• Later simply The Waddell Company

Collectors of early coin-operated machines have documented this progression, and surviving bicycle trade stimulators are associated with the Greenfield factory.

Sun Manufacturing was not primarily a bicycle company.

Instead, it specialized in ingenious store fixtures, postal equipment, novelty advertising devices, and trade stimulators during the 1890s and early 1900s. Their products were designed to help merchants sell more merchandise by making shopping entertaining.

Their trade stimulators appeared in:

• Cigar stores
• General stores
• Pharmacies
• Saloons
• Hotels
• Railway depots

Rather than simply selling a cigar or soda, the merchant could invite a customer to \"try their luck.\" A nickel bought both the merchandise and the excitement of a game.

Trade stimulators were the ancestors of modern promotional games.

The customer inserted a nickel, operated the mechanism, and received a numerical result.

Instead of paying cash—which would have made them illegal gambling devices in many jurisdictions—the prizes were usually:

• Cigars
• Trade checks
• Store tokens
• Merchandise credits
• Candy
• Drinks

The merchant almost always won because every play generated another sale.

This model was introduced during the American Bicycle Craze of the 1890s.

Between roughly 1895 and 1898, bicycles became one of the biggest consumer crazes America had ever experienced. Cities built bicycle paths, newspapers devoted columns to cycling, and manufacturers produced everything from bicycle lamps to bicycle-themed games and advertising. Chicago alone had hundreds of bicycle shops by the late 1890s.

Sun Manufacturing capitalized on this enthusiasm by creating one of the most elaborate trade stimulators ever produced.

Rather than hiding the mechanism inside a plain cabinet, they placed an exquisitely detailed miniature safety bicycle on top. When the lever was released, the bicycle wheels spun rapidly, providing a dramatic visual attraction while simultaneously operating the internal roulette mechanism.

It was both a game and a store display.