Birmingham father and son who built 'astonishing' arcade from broken machines set to make fortune

A Birmingham father and son who spent decades rescuing broken arcade machines look set to make up to £100,000 as their "astonishing" collection goes under the hammer. Ken Jackson, 89, and his son Stewart Jackson, 49, have spent the last 34 years rescuing a magnificent array of machines.

Their "astonishing" collection of 82 machines forms its own arcade and includes one-armed bandits dating back from the 1890s to the 1970s and a relic from Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It is believed to be the the UK’s biggest privately-owned collection of arcade machines.

Some of the machines they sourced were so old they needed to be hit with a hammer to work, others were completely taken apart. Hansons Auctioneers believe the collection could fetch between £50,000-£100,000 later this month.

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Ken and Stewart have decided to sell their museum-worthy collection because of downsizing and the demands of upkeeping them. Ken said: “As a child Stewart was fascinated by seaside slot machines when we visited Blackpool, Skegness and Torquay.

"This inspired him to build his own primitive slot machine out of cardboard and wood when he was 10. Though I didn’t share Stewart’s passion for penny arcades, I discovered a passion for the restoration process.

“In 1990, when Stewart was 15, we saw a machine advertised - a 1961 Mills Bell-O-Matic Spanish Gold one-armed bandit. We purchased our first machine but when we got it home it wouldn’t work. We took it back and the seller thumped it with a hammer to make it work.

"We obviously knew this was not correct, so took it to pieces, bit by bit, taking photographs as we did. Eventually it worked correctly. I discovered I really enjoyed restoring machines to their former glory, so I had the bug for more." And Ken revealed that he and Stewart were complete rookies to the restoration process, learning as they went along.

“The first machine took two months to restore. All the work was done in our spare time, evenings and weekends. On average, it probably took a couple of months per machine - some longer, others shorter.

“We didn’t buy any from seaside towns but we acquired one, a Bryans Bullion, when it was retired from Blackpool Pleasure Beach Dipper Amusement Arcade in the 1990s.

“We had contact with the Bryan family who owned Drayton Manor Theme Park at the time. They were descendants of William Bryan who manufactured machines from the 1920s, many of which we have in our collection. William Bryan’s son, Jim, supplied us with parts and instruction manual and allowed us to purchase original machines from him."

And distance was not an issue in sourcing the most obscure and unique machines, as Stewart explained: “The oldest and most valuable machine in the collection was imported from America. It’s a Mills Novelty Company Dewey 1898 floor roulette machine made between 1889 and 1930.

"It was named in honour of Admiral Dewey, hero of the 1898 Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. Its estimate is £15,000-£20,000. Another favourite of mine is a Watling Manufacturing Company Rol-a- Top, Bird of Paradise one-armed bandit made in 1936. It’s a high quality machine and has its original special award gold coins.”

Explaining the reason for selling up, Ken said: “At the age of 89, I feel the time has come to look at downsizing and, unfortunately, Stewart’s home is not large enough to accommodate the collection. Obviously, because of all the work and effort we have put in on the machines, we would like them to go to good homes where they will be loved and well cared for.”

The auction will be held on May 30 at Hansons Auctioneers’ Derbyshire saleroom. Viewing by appointment off- site in the West Midlands. To book call 01283 733988 or email service@hansonsauctioneers.co.uk.