Potter & Potter Auctions to Hold Coin Op, Advertising and Carnival Sale on October 15

Top lots include a restored Coca-Cola Roll-O-Vend trailer, a Donkey Wonder fortune telling arcade machine, and a rare White Star Pure Rye Whiskey sign

Chicago, IL — October 2026 — Potter & Potter Auctions will present its 698-lot Coin Op, Advertising & Carnival Sale on Thursday, October 15, 2026, beginning at 11:00 AM EDT, live at the gallery at 5001 W. Belmont Avenue in Chicago and live streamed at potterauctions.com. The sale features the collection of enthusiast Tim LaGanke and spans arcade machines, carnival rides, automatons, animated displays, and other mechanical novelties.

The top lot in the sale is Lot 178, a rare and nicely restored Coca-Cola Roll-O-Vend trailer, estimated at $12,000-$18,000. This 1960s-era vending booth trailer measures 50 x 82 x 82 inches and features a painted fiberglass body and a collapsible roof for towing. It is outfitted with a semi-circular counter and includes a sink, ice maker, soda taps, storage shelving, and serving pieces.

Lot 101, a Donkey Wonder fortune telling 1-cent arcade machine, is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. Standing 79.5 inches tall inclusive of its marquee, the piece was produced in Cleveland by Mike Gorski in the 1980s. Its handsome cabinet rests on a copper-accented base and houses a donkey figure. After a coin is inserted and the lever pulled, the donkey nods his head, wiggles his ears, and spins a ship’s wheel; the player’s fortune is determined by where the wheel lands. The piece was faithfully modeled on the Roovers original, including its clockwork mechanism.

Lot 111, a Penny Simplex “Electricity Is Life” Electric Shock Machine, carries an estimate of $8,000-$12,000. This nicely restored penny arcade machine measures approximately 57 x 17 x 17 inches and was made in the 1900s in Detroit by Caille Bros. It takes the form of a cast iron cabinet on a stand with a faux marble column, an elaborate cast iron base, and two grip handles. A glass front displays an “Electricity Is Life” placard and the “Simplex” logo. The machine includes two slots for modern D-cell batteries and originally promised “a most excellent treatment for rheumatism, headache, neuralgia, nervousness, debility, and all nervous disorders.”

Lot 294, an A. Hirschmann & Co. White Star Pure Rye Whiskey sign, is estimated at $6,000-$12,000. This 33.5 x 23.5-inch lithographed tin sign was made in Coshocton, OH, by the Tuscarora Advertising Co. It depicts a cowboy and a gentleman toasting at a bar in a design catalogers have called “East Meets West.” According to Potter & Potter’s experts, only one other example of this sign is known to have appeared at auction, nearly 20 years ago, advertising a different distillery.

Lot 7, a Sign Lifter advertising automaton, is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. This 40 x 24 x 17-inch figure, produced in the 1910s, takes the form of a bug-eyed man in a showman’s costume and hat. The automaton removes and replaces 10 different cards advertising Victoria Chocolats. When activated, the figure’s head swivels, his eyes and eyebrows move, his ears waggle, his left arm pulls out different cards, and his right foot swivels. The figure and portfolio rest on a wooden platform with a light-up sign reading Biscuits Chocolats Victoria.

Joe Slabaugh, Director of Cataloging at Potter & Potter Auctions, described the collector behind the sale: “Tim LaGanke was a lifelong collector, a fun-loving businessman whose passion was coin-operated arcade games and other diverting pastimes. After building an impressive collection of penny arcade machines, he sold the entire collection in one fell swoop, only to start collecting again almost right away. The assortment of mechanical objects, games, and automatons in this auction is real evidence of his love for the fun, the funny, and the rarities of yesteryear.”

For catalogues and bidding information, visit Potter & Potter Auctions.