The Penny King Company: Difference between revisions
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The same pictures from the charms were also used on the ad for the pinback button series. | The same pictures from the charms were also used on the ad for the pinback button series. | ||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
Image:Gumball-Button-Ad-01.jpg|''ad'' | Image:Gumball-Button-Ad-01.jpg|''ad'' The Billboard<br>March 16, 1959 | ||
Image:Gumball-Button-MtM-01.jpg|''Mandrake'' | Image:Gumball-Button-MtM-01.jpg|''Mandrake'' | ||
Image:gumball-Button-Lothar-01.jpg|''Lothar'' | Image:gumball-Button-Lothar-01.jpg|''Lothar'' | ||
Revision as of 18:37, 24 August 2019
 Letterhead  Display Card Favorite Comics | |
| Country: |  USA / English
|
|---|---|
History
Charms first appeared in vending machines about 1930 in US, these were mostly imported from Japan and came with silk strings attached. The operator removed the strings before placing them in his machines. The charms were generally sold in penny vending machines with a small candy. The novelty of the charms lasted for a couple of years, but died becauce of lack of variety[1]
In 1949 the Penny King Company (Pittsburgh) started making charms for the growing vending machine market. In the beginning they contracted for molds and jobbed out the molding and plating to outside firms. The firm opened a plant in Puerto Rico for the manufacture of charms n 1951 and became a national sales agent for Acorn Charm Vendor parts and assessories in 1953. By 1955 the firm was one of the major charm manufactures and became sales agent for the Penny-Nickel Atlas Master vendor machines.
Gumball Prizes with King Feature characters
In 1958 KFS licensed the Penny King Company to manufacture and sell buttons, rings and lockets, using 39 different characters:
Mandrake
Lothar
The Phantom
Diana Palmer
Devil
Flash Gordon
Dale Arden
Prince Valiant
Annie Rooney
Zero
Jiggs
Maggie
Henry
Henrietta
Der Captain
Der Inspector
Mama
Hans
Fritz
Popeye
Olive Oyl
Wimpy
Swee'Pea
Barney Google
Snuffy Smith
Loweezy
Jughaid
Cricket
Riddles Barlow
Toozy
Sut Tattersail
Tillie Jones
Clarence "Mac" Macdougall
unknown
Rosco Sweeny
Lucille Sweeney
The Little King
Little Iodine
Henry Tremblechin
Key Chain Lockets - Charms
The various figures are printed on paper and glued to a metallic looking (silver, gold or bronze) plastic casings. One also find chasings in yellow, blue, red, green or white colors. In addition another distinct series of the charms was double sided with a clear frame, with different figures on each side.
Atlas Master
display card
charm with capsule
gold/bronze
silver
yellow
blue
blue
red
green
white
transparent
Note
The strips (Flash Gordon, The Phantom and Popeye) at the display card are all from April the 4th of 1952. A bit strange since the charms were made late 50s.
King Comic Feature Rings
In 1959 the Penny King Company adverticed[2] the King Comic Feature Rings, with the same pictures used for the charms.
ad
Dale Arden
Clarence "Mac" Macdougall
Zero
Der Inspector
Henrietta
King Comic Feature Buttons
The same pictures from the charms were also used on the ad for the pinback button series.
ad The Billboard
March 16, 1959
Mandrake
Lothar
The Phantom
Diana
Devil
Flash Gordon
Dale Arden
Prince Valiant
Annie Rooney
Zero
Jiggs
Maggie
- Gumball-Button-Henry.jpg
Henry
Herietta
Der Captain
Der Inspector
Mama
Hans
Fritz
Popeye
Olive Oyl
Wimpy
Swee'Pea
Barney Google
Snuffy Smith
Loweezy ?
Jughaid
Cricket
Riddles Barlow
Toozy
Sut Tattersail
Tillie Jones
Clarence "Mac" Macdougall
unknown
Rosco Sweeny
Lucille Sweeny ?
- Gumball-Button-Little-King.jpg
The Little King
Little Iodine
Henry Tremblechin
