The Chester Pollard Amusement Company was created in the 1920s by the three Chester brothers of New York. Frank Chester, an electrical engineer, was the visionary force behind the company, while Charles was an expert in mechanical technology and Ernest was the creative consummate businessman. In 1926, a British manufacturer named Freddy Bolland called on Chester Pollard in New York to see if the brothers might be interested in the North American manufacturing rights to a manikin football game for which he owned the patents. In this game, housed in a large wooden cabinet, two players would control the sides of a football match by pressing a lever to cause all the players to kick their legs at once. For a nickel, the players would get a single ball and would have to time their kicks to score a goal on their opponent. Score could be kept using a set of beads strung along the top of the cabinet, but every time a goal was scored, a new nickel would have to be inserted to keep playing. Chester Pollard agreed to take on the product, built 100 units, and tested them at select locations over the course of a year. Proving itself a huge moneymaker, it was released generally in 1927. Next came a mannikin golf game, which despite a relatively steep price of $150 for the penny model and $175 for the nickel model, still sold over 7,000 units. In 1929, a horse racing game called Play the Derby debuted, in which two players turned cranks to drive horses around a track and became yet another hit. Also, in 1930 a Chester Pollard Baseball version was tested and produced. Chester-Pollard machines were soon appearing in thousands of hotels, clubs, and railroad depots and could even be found on steamship lines. Any of the amusement machines produced by Chester Pollard are near and dear to the heart of The Torrence Collection.
Chester Pollard Amusement Co. released 5 machines. (1926 - 1930) - Below are some examples from The Torrence Collection.
1924 CHESTER POLLARD PLAY FOOTBALL
|
|
|
Rare and fantastic early arcade piece, especially in this type of condition. Plays on a nickel. Chester Pollard Football was an extremely popular machine that came out in the roaring twenties. They were produced from 1924 through 1926. a two-player game and was popular due to the competitive game play. Each player controls a team of manikin players that move side to side and actually kick the ball. A purely mechanical game, electricity used only for lighting of the cabinet. Original cabinet, locks, marquee, coin chute, counter, score keeper, players, coin box and the entire background art. The football players have been professionally stripped, repainted and adjusted for proper kick and ball direction. Beautiful early arcade game and functional art!
1926 CHESTER POLLARD PLAY FOOTBALL
|
|
|
A second pristine example of this rare and fantastic early arcade treasure in the collection. Plays on a nickel. Chester Pollard Football was an extremely popular machine that came out in the roaring twenties. They were produced from 1924 through 1926. A two-player game and was popular due to the competitive game play. Each player controls a team of manikin players that move side to side and actually kick the ball. A purely mechanical game, electricity used only for lighting of the cabinet. Beautiful original cabinet, locks, marquee, coin chute, counter, score keeper, coin box and the entire background art. The players have been repainted, have new clothing and works perfectly.
1927 CHESTER POLLARD PLAY GOLF
|
|
|
Rare and in pristine condition. Incredible early arcade skill game. Three balls for a nickel. Player controls manikin golfer that actually putts the ball. Three different and interesting golf holes that are challenging. A purely mechanical game, electricity used only for lighting of the cabinet. Original cabinet, play field, golfer and clothing, locks, top sign, coin chute, coin counter, coin box and the entire background. Still has the original "NO GAMBLING" decal from approximately seventy years ago on the front glass. Works perfectly. Wonderful piece of golf and early arcade history!
1929 CHESTER POLLARD JUNIOR GOLF
|
|
|
Extremely rare, with less than five known examples. Top sign reads "Golf for two" and includes original marque. Golfer's clothing is original and better yet still has its original metal stand. A purely mechanical game, electricity used only for lighting of the cabinet. Fantastic game of skill that doesn't take up a ton of game room real estate. It just does not get much better than this!
1929 CHESTER POLLARD PLAY THE DERBY
|
|
|
Truly one of the early arcade favorites of the collection. Extremely Rare. Plays on a nickel and is a two-player game. After the nickel is deposited each player spins their dedicated wheel as fast as possible to advance their horse and jockey around the racetrack and win the derby race. A purely mechanical game, electricity used only for lighting of the cabinet. Complete original cabinet, playfield, horses, jockeys and all the three-dimensional landscaping around the racetrack. Original locks, top sign, coin chute, coin counter, coin box and entire artistic background. Works perfectly!
1929 Chester pollard play the derby
|
|
|
Only four or five known examples are in existence and two of those examples have been featured in the Torrence Collection. Chester Pollard Play The Derby is a superbly hand-crafted mechanical wonder manufactured in 1929 by the Chester Pollard Amusement Co. from New York. A purely mechanical machine, using electricity only for illuminating the cabinet, plays on a nickel and is a two-player game. After the nickel is deposited each player spins their dedicated wheel as fast as possible to advance their horse and jockey around the racetrack and win the derby race. In the early 1900s the machines produced by Chester Pollard were among the most popular of the era, appearing in thousands of hotels, clubs, and railroad depots and could even be found on steamship lines. Any of the amusement machines produced by Chester Pollard are near and dear to my heart and among of my favorites. The Chester Pollard machines were beautifully manufactured in high quality handmade cabinets with incredible vintage sport themed manikin gaming. An authentic blend of investment grade furniture and functional art. Jon has spent a lot of time lately bringing this extraordinary machine back to its initial working order and refreshed. It is 100% original and is a very special machine with a significant story and history attached to it. This rare machine has spent its entire life at the World-Famous Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. The machine was in operation for decades in the amusement park's arcade until the 1970s. It was then placed into the theme park's storage facility where it sat for the last 50 years. Cedar Point is a 364-acre amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. It opened in the late 1800s and it is the second oldest amusement park in the United States. The amusement park also features a world record 72 rides, including 17 roller coasters, the second most in the world behind Six Flags Magic Mountain.
