Bell-Fruit Games Ltd

[malj1]

Guess what I found 
GOLD AWARD / 500 / Fr / VALUE
4.45g
21.45mm

I now have one of these tokens and have it on a new web page devoted to Bell Fruit tokens made for export.

Is their use in Luxembourg confirmed yet?

Another page shows their Jackpot tokens.

[brandm24]

This is an interesting token that I'd like help identifying.

The only thing I found was a vague reference to a company called Bell Fruit Games in Nottingham. Apparently they were manufacturers of gaming machines or vending machines. If this is the issuer it would be a token used in their machines?

The token measures 21.5 mm and weighs 4.5 g and is brass. Any help would be appreciated.

Bruce

[FosseWay]

Yes, you're spot on with Bell Fruit in Nottingham.

Hayes "British Machine Tokens" lists 78 different tokens from this issuer, and that is just in the original catalogue. There are more in the supplements and further that are unlisted, including overstrikes and other oddities. Yours is 49.76 in the catalogue.

They're also interesting in that they span the period before, during and after decimalisation in the UK (1971), so you get otherwise similar tokens with just £sd values, with both £sd and decimal, and just decimal. Yours exists in a variant where it says 5/- instead of 25p (49.41).

Malcolm's your man for more info on these, I think!

[Figleaf]

To get an idea of Mal's collection, just of Bell fruit stuff:
https://sites.google.com/site/machpart4/bell-fruitjackpot
https://sites.google.com/site/machpart4/bell-fruitexport

More on this site:
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,12443.0.html
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,37492.msg237870.html#msg237870
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,9796.msg65843.html#msg65843
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,26704.msg174487.html#msg174487
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,16396.msg156656.html#msg156656
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,20782.msg151024.html#msg151024

Peter

[brandm24]

Thanks for all the information, guys. I never thought there was so much to the company as I found a few scant references to them here...nothing significant either.

What I found particularly interesting was the vast variety of tokens they used. Surprisingly, some were even engraved.

Bruce

[Figleaf]

The engraved number on your token is there for a practical reason specified on the token: "redeemable only by winner where won". The gaming machine was operated by the owner, so his risk was that the player would win. In theory, the owner would not want to shoulder the risk that the player would win somewhere else and cash in on his machine - though in practice these tokens can be found without an engraved number. The number was a check on whether the player had won on the owner's machine.

The check was of course not watertight. If player A had won tokens on machine 1 and lost them on machine 2 and player B had won tokens on machine, tokens from machine 1 among his winnings would be refused, even though fairly won on machine 2. Therefore, each machine would have a population of "correctly" and "incorrectly" numbered tokens and I don't think owners ever bothered to sort out the tokens from other machines.

Peter

[brandm24]

That makes sense on my token, Peter, but I was referring to the ones in the link (Mal's collection I think) that were just badly engraved discs.

Bruce

[malj1]

This is an interesting token that I'd like help identifying.

The only thing I found was a vague reference to a company called Bell Fruit Games in Nottingham. Apparently they were manufacturers of gaming machines or vending machines. If this is the issuer it would be a token used in their machines?

The token measures 21.5 mm and weighs 4.5 g and is brass. Any help would be appreciated.

Bruce

Bell-Fruit Manufacturing Ltd of Nottingham were established in 1963.

The 1963 Betting and Gaming Act, allowed slot machines to pay out One Shilling in cash, and Five Shillings in prizes.

[bhx7]

Hi

I have this Bell Fruit 1/2p token, although I can't find it in Hayes (which I am now lucky enough to have been given a copy  ).
It is almost identical to 49.61 only the rev. no longer has a "-" between BELL and FRUIT

Would this one be listed in any of Ralp Hayes Supplements?

Thanks
Brian

[africancoins]

That token is in the Supplement book...  It is "Hayes-49.109".

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

[bhx7]

That token is in the Supplement book...  It is "Hayes-49.109".

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

Thank you Paul

[bhx7]

Here is a selection of the rare Bell-Fruit jackpot tokens.

All are round brass except top centre one in Cu-Ni. All are 25mm except top right at 21mm.

These range through 4/-, 5/-, £2-0-0, £4.10.0 and £5-0-0

They are always found holed which could suggest some kind of filing system when not in use, I.E. when returned to the cashier when claiming prize.

Adding to Mals amazing catalogue - Here is a new Jackpot 5/- token.
Obv: "Bell Fruit Ltd" - around bell
℞ "Value in Trade" over  "5/-"  central
(all incuse)
Material - Brass
Dia: 24.8mm 
Wt: 6.5g
as Hayes 49.45 without Bell on rev

[bhx7]

Help needed for this one.
I have a number of the silvered brass 4p Bell Fruit tokens, Hayes: 49.66
However, one stands out from the others due to its finish. All the others have smooth fields on which the legend is placed; this one has a linear grained field.
See images, but can be seen easier in hand.

Thanks
Brian

[africancoins]

I have two pieces of Hayes-49.66 and they both have the lines to the field on each side. The direction of the lines on my two pieces and the one you have shown are all the same, downwards on one side and that certain angle on the other side. They are not perfectly parallel lines.

The lettering is a bit thicker on the pieces with the lines and this is likely the reason why the loops in each "B" are slightly smaller on the pieces with the lines to the field.

That observation suggests a lack of polishing process for the dies resulted in the lines in the field.

I would consider your pair as being two varieties of type "Hayes-49.66".

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

[bhx7]

I have two pieces of Hayes-49.66 and they both have the lines to the field on each side. The direction of the lines on my two pieces and the one you have shown are all the same, downwards on one side and that certain angle on the other side. They are not perfectly parallel lines.

The lettering is a bit thicker on the pieces with the lines and this is likely the reason why the loops in each "B" are slightly smaller on the pieces with the lines to the field.

That observation suggests a lack of polishing process for the dies resulted in the lines in the field.

I would consider your pair as being two varieties of type "Hayes-49.66".

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

Thank you Paul. Much appreciated.