All language subtitles for Modern.Marvels.S22E12.Coin.Operated.Plus.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H264-BTN_track3_[eng]

- [Narrator] For
thousands of years,

they've provided
us with everything,

from gum,

to stamps,
to holy water?

Offering better entertainment,

communication, and
transportation.

These coin operated
machines can be addictive,

[man laughing]

annoying, and
sometimes really weird.

[chicken clucking]

- This is made by a
San Quentin prisoner.

- [Narrator] Once
said to contribute

to an immoral society,

and today they contribute to
billion dollar industries.

You'll never think of that
loose change the same way again,

on Modern Marvels.

[intense electronic music]

[upbeat music]

Small change is big business,

and vending machines are the
biggest source of revenue

in the coin operated industry.

A hundred million people
use them every day,

most stay open 24 hours,
seven days a week,

and you can buy anything
from aspirin to ice cream.

But the most common vending
machines are those that

dispense drinks and snacks.

The food and refreshment
vending industry

in the United States is
approximately $37 billion a year

and a hundred million
Americans a day walk up to

nearly five million machines
and make a purchase.

- There are approximately
a million people employed

in the industry,

and over 13,500 companies
providing service.

- [Narrator] Making
the job of those who

maintain vending
machines more efficient

is having technology at
the tip of their fingers.

- Here, at Ace Vending,
we use handheld computers.

What the driver does
is open the machine,

plugs it into the computer
board of the vending machine,

downloads the financial
and sales data,

and then we collect that data

and bring it back
to the warehouse.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Every time the
drivers finish their rounds,

they download the data into
the company's computer system.

[upbeat music]

This gives an exact accounting
of the money collected

and of every product sold.

By continually updating the
sales history of each machine,

warehouse workers are able to
accurately build containers

for the anticipated
restocking needs

of the machines on
each driver's route.

[upbeat music]

- And what that does is prevents
him from coming in twice.

By coming in, and
looking in, and seeing

what the vending machine needs,

then going back to the
truck and getting it,

it's already preloaded for
him based on the download.

- [Narrator] Vending machine
technology has come a long way.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

Scholars believe that the
first vending machine was

a holy water dispenser
used in Greek temples,

dating back to 215 BCE.

When deposited in the machine,
the weight of the coin

caused a lever to
lower and dispense

a small amount of the water.

Today's vending
machines can be complex,

able to take all kinds of
payments, deliver change,

and offer an almost
dizzying variety of goodies.

At Crane Merchandising's

enormous 500,000 square
foot facility in St. Louis,

snack and drink
machines are born.

The process starts with large
rolls of steel sheeting.

Each coil will manufacture
about 125 to 150 machines.

- We will mount the
steel, the coiled steel

onto the dual mandrel,

and the mandrel will take it
over to a decoiling process.

There's a deep impression
into the floor,

and we'll take the bend out,

and then we shear it to
about 15 feet in length.

- They move from there to a
punching, notching station.

From there, they move into
a roll forming station,

and the front and the
back edge of the cabinet

are rolled on.

And once they've left there,

they move into the
welding station,

where the components for the
inside of the cabinet are added.

- [Narrator] The next stop is
the tangent bending station,

where the long steel sheet
is bent to form the top

and two sides of the cabinet.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

Further down the assembly line,

the bottom and the
legs are attached.

[upbeat music]

Then workers hang the
cabinets in various parts

on a moving conveyor

that carries them through
a washer and dryer.

[air whooshing]

Next, it's onto a room
where they are coated with

a dry, powdered paint.

- This line has an
electrostatic charge on it,

so that, when the powder
is sprayed on them,

it is like a magnet,
and holds it on there

while they're being painted.

That charge is held on them
until they go into an oven.

They're heated to 450 degrees.

That melts that paint powder,

becomes a liquid, and
then no longer needs

the electrostatic charge.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Once the
basic structure of

each type of machine
is completed,

workers install all the
internal and electronic parts,

[upbeat music]

including the defining
electronic coin mechanisms.

[air whooshing]

- This is the standard
coin mechanism,

sits inside a vending machine,

and when coins are put in

through the front
of the machine,

routes 'em through here,

and there's a series
of sensors inside,

and it uses this to measure
how the coin going through

changes the frequency.

From that, it can very
accurately determine thickness,

what the diameter is,

what alloy it's made out of.

Used to be lots of
problems with frauds

and counterfeit
coins going through.

That's more or less
disappeared with the advent

of this electronic
recognition technology.

[air whooshing]

- [Narrator] And to
avoid losing sales

from consumers not
carrying enough change,

most of today's vending
machines have options;

paper money or a credit card.

- Virtually every vending
machine has a bill validator.

It recognizes bills by
shining light through it,

little LEDs that go through
at known points on here,

and depending on the ink

and if the paper that had
been made by the mint,

it'll know that
it's a good bill,

it'll know what denomination is.

It also checks magnetic inks.

Many people don't realize this,

but the black ink on the front
of a dollar bill is magnetic.

- [Narrator] When
manufacturing snack machines,

customer specifications
determine

the types of metal spirals to
be installed on the shelves.

[upbeat music]
[air whooshing]

- This is the heart
of a snack machine.

You notice, they'll come
in different varieties.

This is a 30 count,
this is an 11 count.

Your 11 count usually
produces chips or pastry,

and this will do candy
bars, and peanuts,

and things like that.

- [Narrator] The back end of
each spiral is attached to

a small 24 volt motor
that rotates once

to push the selected
product forward,

[upbeat music]

dropping it into the tray at
the bottom of the machine.

Crane Merchandising has come
up with an entertaining way

to dispense 20 ounce
bottled soft drinks

without dropping them.

- The XY delivery mechanism
rises to the height of the shelf

and delivers the
product conveniently

to the delivery port.

There's a good bit of
theater, but most importantly,

when the product is delivered,
it hasn't agitated the drink.

So, when I open the
cap, it doesn't explode.

- [Narrator] Some vending
machines can dispense

more than just soda,
candy, and chips.

Others can sell
you an entire meal.

[horns honking]

New York City's East
Village was home to

one of the last giant vending
machines in the United States.

Bamn! Automat launched in 2006,

and was the talk of the city

before the owner moved
on to other ventures.

- Some people look at
it as a vending machine,

but we look at it more like
little peep windows for foodies.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Unseen
by the public,

the shelves are being
restocked by the kitchen

on the other side of
the wall of doors.

- The way it works is
get a bunch of coins,

and then you just drop
'em into the slot,

and then you just pull
any of these doors

with the food in it,

and you can pull the food out.

Voila.
[air whooshing]

- [Narrator] The concept
of automats isn't new.

They were first seen in both
New York and Philadelphia.

At their peak of
popularity in the 1950s,

there were 180 automats
in the two cities,

and they fed more than
800,000 people per day.

Back then, they were
large restaurants,

with dining areas offering
a full selection of items

to put together
substantial meals.

The last of the original
automats closed in 1991,

with the explosion of
fast food restaurants.

[upbeat music]

- Back then a typical
grilled cheese

would be probably a nickel.

Now, it's two dollars, but
two dollars in today's value,

it's worth it.

- [Narrator] But while fresh
foods in vending machines

were all the rage in the 1950s,

over a century ago,

all it took was a stick of gum

to launch the US coin
operated vending business.

- [Narrator] America is home

to the most vending
machines in the world,

with the current estimate of

over seven million
coin operated machines,

serving everything from
electronics to makeup,

to chips and soda.

According to the

National Automated
Merchandising Association,

consumers worldwide purchased

over 88 billion
bottled beverages

from vending machines last year.

But what launched the
vending industry in America

wasn't a beverage.

It was the humble
ball of chewing gum.

[upbeat music]

Today, 20 million Americans chew

16 or more pieces of
chewing gum per day.

[air whooshing]

The Spearmint Stick from
Wrigley's Doublemint

remains America's leading
chewing gum brand.

[upbeat music]

The OK Manufacturing Company
in Salt Lake City proves

you can still build a
thriving business on gum.

[bubble popping]
[upbeat music]

Despite offering
a cheaper product,

this machine can earn more than

any vending machine offering.

Brothers, Jeff and Kurt
Ostler, know this well.

They entered the
business in a big way.

- The idea in vending is
to capture the quarter,

and in order to
capture the quarter,

you have to capture
their attention first.

There is nothing better than

the big and giant gumball
machine to capture attention.

This machine holds
40,000 pieces of gum.

- It stands about 6'10 up here,

holds the 40,000 gumballs,

which, if we equate in
dollars, that's $10,000

that this machine
would dispense out

and put in its cash box.

Our very first time we
went and put one out,

three days after we had it
there, it had over $500 in it.

That's when we knew we
had a great concept.

- I used to put my
child into the side.

They would go in to
collect the machine,

'cause that's where
the money was,

and push the quarters out.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] For the Ostlers,

the giant gumball machine
was just the beginning.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

Another standout in their
growing product line

is the Roadrunner.

- We decided people wanted
a little more entertainment,

maybe a little more bang
out of their quarter.

We made a spiral machine,

so that, after you
put your quarter in

and you turn the handle,

you get a little bit of a show,

in addition to getting
a piece of gum.

[quarter clinking]

- [Narrator] While these gumball
machines are entertaining,

they all begin the same way.

[air whooshing]

- Here, at OK Manufacturing,

we make almost all of
our own plastic parts.

For instance, we start
with plastic sheets

that we put into our plastic
vacuum thermal former,

where it's heated up
and sucked over a mold,

which we also make here.

[upbeat music]

We make a lot of our
own circular globes here

through a custom process,

where we take sheets
of clear plastic,

place it in an oven
where it's heated up,

where it becomes
nice and pliable.

It's placed in our
custom machine,

where we actually inject
air that blows the globe up

until it hits a micro switch.

and that micro switch is
set at a certain height,

depending on the
diameter of the globe.

[upbeat music]

[upbeat music]
[router whirring]

- [Narrator] OK's craftsmen cut
and clean up any rough edges

on the globes and
other plastic parts.

[upbeat music]

Then, assemble them
into gumball machines.

[upbeat music]

The coin mechanism purchased
from an outside manufacturer

is one of the last
parts to be attached.

[air whooshing]

- This is our standard
coin mechanism

that we put inside
all of our equipment,

because the quality.

You'll go ahead and
you'll put quarter in.

As the quarter then starts to
turn here on the back side,

you'll notice the
circumference check

to make sure it's
the correct size.

If it happens to be a
penny, nickel, or dime,

it will go ahead and
just drop through,

and as it starts to come,

you'll notice you have a
little ratchet arm here

that's making sure that a kid
can't rack it back and forth

to try to get the extra product.

And as you come down,

the quarter will
come and fall on out.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] The Ostler
brothers keep finding ways

to stand out in
the gumball market.

It could be thanks to
their competitive natures.

- This is our most
interactive gumball machine,

our Soccer Ball, which allows
you to be able to play.

- Now you can play
with your food.

- Get ready to go and lose!
[machine rattling]

- [Narrator] This hybrid machine
mixes sport and gumballs.

It makes it a viable addition to

another major coin
operated industry.

[laughing]

Arcade games and amusements.

[upbeat music]

For more than a century,
it's been a hypnotic realm of

flashing lights,
crazy mechanics,

and freaky visuals.

[jaunty music]

Before radio and TV, penny
arcades offered the public

a variety of entertainment,

including the earliest
forms of moving pictures.

- This is an early
motion picture machine

built in the late 1800s.

It's called a
clamshell mutoscope.

It's what they used before film.

And if I open this up, I
can show you the insides.

And it's actually the coin
that starts the mechanism

which activates the flip cards.

The person operating the
machine is the motor,

and the faster you
turn the handle,

the faster the
picture will go by.

The flip cards do one complete
rotation, 360 degrees,

which is approximately
1500 cards,

and then it shuts off.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Mutoscopes
were soon replaced

with kinetoscopes, invented by

Thomas Edison and William Dixon.

The first kinetoscope
parlor opened in 1894,

offering the public
its first chance to see

motion pictures on film.

[upbeat music]

One side of the cabinet
contained a battery

that powered a small motor,

and, on the other side,
behind a wooden panel,

a projection lamp
lit 50 feet of film

that ran through the machine.

But, when Edison perfected
the movie projector,

he made kinetoscopes
instantly obsolete.

[upbeat music]
[air whooshing]

From arm wrestling
a mechanical brute,

trying to keep up with
a virtual jumprope.

From those creepy,
old fortune tellers

to dancing cowboys,

coin operated machines have
been amusing and entertaining us

for more than a century.

Coin operated music
machines first appeared in

the late 1800s.

Some of the earliest were
basically big music boxes.

And soon, many became

very elaborate
technological fantasies.

[upbeat music]

The mechanics were often a
big part of the entertainment.

- This is a Seberg Nickelodeon
from the early 1900s.

I'll open it up, so you
can see what's inside.

When you put your quarter in,

it drops into a slot which
operates an electrical switch,

which sends a signal
to the electric motor,

and all of its function
came from the paper roll.

In this particular instrument,

we have piano, and we have
a set of violin pipes,

and we also have what's
called a mandolin rail,

which makes the piano sound
like a honky tonk piano.

When the tune is completed,

this perforation
crosses the tracker bar,

sends a pneumatic signal
to the electrical switch,

and drops the coin
into the coin box.

[coin clinking]

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Penny
phonographs became popular

in the early 1900s,

and were the precursors
to the jukebox,

which first appeared
in the 1920s.

[air whooshing]
[rock music]

Companies like Rock-Ola
are still making jukeboxes,

but with a 21st century flair.

- The first jukeboxes played
the very large 78 RPM records,

just one side.

And, of course, that transcended
into the 45 RPM record

with a big hole in
it in about 1949.

And then, eventually, the CDs
came in in the mid eighties.

But this has
transcended from CDs

over to a jukebox that is
connected to the internet,

literally plays hundreds
of thousands of CDs.

This is a touch screen.

You can just go on it,
touch what you would like,

and it blasted out of this
jukebox with 900 Watts of power.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Jukeboxes
have managed to

keep up with the times.

[air whooshing]

But more coins are inserted into

another part of the
amusement business; gaming.

In fact, at its
peak, customers spend

over eight billion
dollars a year,

mainly due to the
lure of video games.

[tires screeching]
[air whooshing]

- This is an example of

one of the first
successful coin operated

pong style video games.

It's very primitive
by today's standards,

but by 1972 standards,
this was ahead of its time.

Everyone was very impressed
to be able to play a game

on a TV set instead
of just watching it,

and then the micro
processor made the game

10 times more
complex and amazing.

And with the advent of games
like Pac-Man a few years later,

the public got really excited.

- [Narrator] Some players
were even more excited

when they found
out they could fool

the simple coin
mechanisms used back then.

- In the late '70s
and early '80s,

when video games came out,
people became so creative.

They would go and drill
holes through their quarters,

tie a little bit of
fishing line in there,

put it in 'til it hit the micro
switch, pull it back out,

get their quarter,
get a free game.

Eventually, the
industry wised up

and they put cutters in there,

where, as soon as you tried
to pull anything back out,

it would cut that line,
quarter would go into the box.

You'd still get your game,

but the operator would
still get his money.

- [Narrator] Before video
games, pinball was king.

In 1932, there were around 150
pinball machine manufacturers

in the US, but now
only one survives.

Stern Pinball, located in
Melrose Park, Illinois.

The company's
president, Gary Stern,

has been around pinball
most of his life,

and the games his
company now produces

are much different than the
ones his father used to sell.

[upbeat music]

- This is a pinball
machine from the late '60s.

These days, they were
much simpler games

than we make today,

with electromechanical
logic, relay step up units,

much like in an old
telephone system.

You can't make something
this simple today.

People are looking for
more entertainment,

more to do, much
like you can't make

cars with roll up windows.

People want power windows today,

so now we make games with
a lot of toys to play.

[upbeat music]

They're much more complex,

they do a lot more, and a
lot more entertainment value.

- [Narrator] Stern
Pinball produces

three or four titles a year,

like this Indiana Jones game.

[air whooshing]

Stern's game designer
first rendered it into

2D computer graphics.

Then, 3D computer artists
created virtual versions

of the working parts.

Next, Stern built a
prototype play field

to test the electronics
and basic gameplay.

Once approved, the game
went into production.

[air whooshing]
- This is cable department.

We use an average of over
a half a mile of wire

in every pinball
machine we manufacture.

We have operators that
are on the line over here.

It's a progressive line,

and each operator will
add one wire at a time

until a complete wire
harness is built.

- [Narrator] The wire harnesses
travel down assembly lines,

as workers carefully craft
an incredibly complex maze

that includes all the electronic
components and lights.

[upbeat music]

On the top of the surface
of the play field,

workers attach all
of the hardware,

including the flippers, bumpers,
and the custom design props

for each game.

By the time they're done,

each of Stern's games contain
an average of 3,500 parts.

[upbeat music]

- We're in the play
field test area.

In this section over here,

we test to make sure,
electrically and mechanically,

all the components on a
play field are working.

You have your
flippers down here,

you have your ball kickers,

shoot the ball back
out onto a play field.

The other thing, you have easy
access to all the components,

so you could
troubleshoot quicker.

You could flip the
play field around,

but you have complete access to

all your electrical and
mechanical components,

and that's how we
troubleshoot 'em.

[air whooshing]

- [Narrator] If everything
is working properly,

workers install the completed
play fields in the cabinets,

fully test the finished games,

and then prepare
them for shipment.

- These games will ship
throughout the world.

We export about 40
percent of our games.

Today, we're making
Austrian games,

so they have to be set
up for Austrian coinage,

actually Euros, and
with German language,

and what have you.

[air whooshing]

- [Narrator] While pinball
games have changed a lot

over the years,

there's one key
element that hasn't;

the pinball.

[upbeat music]

- It's one and 1/16th
inches in diameter,

weighs 0.17 pounds, and it's
gonna move along the play field

at 100 inches per minute.

These were originally
just ball bearings.

I don't know if they're
used for anything else now.

I do know that our
manufacturers moved offshore,

and we had a little problem
getting these for a while,

which would've been the end
of the pinball business.

[air whooshing]
[pinball clinking]

- [Narrator] For decades,

making a gleaming pinball
roll around and rack up points

has endlessly fascinated gamers,

[bell dinging]
but other arcade machines

turn your shiny coins
into the game piece.

[upbeat music]

When inserted into the machine,

they don't fall directly
into the coin box,

but become part of the play,

adding a little edge
to winning or losing.

When customers insert
their coins into

a certain variety of machine,

they hope they will cause other
coins to fall off shelves.

[air whooshing]

But all those coins
teetering on the edge

tempt some into
not playing fair.

- Now, you get a lot of people

who are always trying to
cheat the arcade and the game.

They think, give it
a good, swift shake

and you'll win some of those.

But as you see, you shake
it, the alarm goes off,

those quarters fall down, but
you don't get any tickets.

[coins clinking]
[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] In arcades you
win tickets instead of coins,

no gambling allowed.

Of course, countless fortunes
have been deposited into

casino slot machines
by those hoping to turn

a small investment
into big winnings.

[coins clinking]

But, for some
reason, in an arcade,

inserting way too many
quarters to pluck a puny prize

out of those claw machines
is considered a victory.

[upbeat music]

Before legislation,
operators were able to

change the tension on the claws,

or program the
machine to allow a win

every certain number of plays.

Now, everybody must get
an equal, if still slim,

chance of winning.

When OK Manufacturing,
the gumball guys,

decided to manufacture
a crane game,

they came up with a
kinder, gentler variation

called Tractor Time.

[upbeat music]

- If you don't win a
prize, it will keep going.

It senses there's no prize,

and in our machines, 'cause
they're winner every time,

you get a second chance.

[machine whirring]

A sensor and an eye will see
the product pass through.

Once the eye sees the
product pass through here,

it activates, and tells
the machine to stop.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] There's
a blue collar side

to coin operated machines.

They provide all
kinds of services,

from lockers and
luggage cart rentals

[air whooshing]
to laundromats.

Today, there are about
18,000 laundromats

in the United States, a 20
percent decline since 2005.

[upbeat music]

The Census Bureau
attributes this steep drop

to more washers and dryers being
offered in apartment units.

This isn't to say that
they aren't profitable.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

The average machine can bring
in $20,000 to $30,000 a year.

Coin operated machines
are available to help

clean out and wash our cars.

But then again,

it's because of our
cars that we had to

start paying for air,

and also must deal
with many people's

least favorite coin
operated machine.

There are currently over
five million parking meters

in the United States.

The first one was
installed in Oklahoma City

on July 16th, 1935.

For the first 50 years,
they were all mechanical.

But over the past few years,

they are quickly
becoming obsolete.

- What we have here
is a parking meter

that was made in the 1950s.

This is a Park-o-meter.

This has a big main
spring in the meter.

The technician would
come by weekly,

and put the crank inside
the back of the meter,

and would wind the timer,

and they would store energy
for the remainder of the week.

- [Narrator] Other
mechanical meters

let the customer do the winding
after inserting each coin.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

Then, in the mid '80s,

there was a new
meter on the block.

- In 1985, the City
of Beverly Hills

began to replace their
mechanical meters

with this first generation
electronic meter citywide.

The benefits are
the single coin slot

for all of the coins,
less moving parts,

and an electronic log of

the valid and invalid coins
that are inserted in the meter.

Because it's electronic, it
does take a nine volt battery,

which we replace
about once a year.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Beverly Hills,
California currently has

3,100 meters in operation,

and they bring in about
$2.5 million a year.

[coins clinking]

Will that be a cash or credit?

- The City of Beverly Hills was

the first city in
the United States

to deploy a credit
card meter on street.

It still accepts coin, but you
can insert your credit card.

You can add more or
less time, press okay,

and the meter will process
your credit card immediately.

It also has a solar panel,

and it's capable
of text messaging

our enforcement and our
maintenance personnel

if the meter is
vandalized or jammed.

- [Narrator] While
parking meters are

surviving and thriving
in the 21st century,

[coins jingling]

payphones are barely hanging on.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

But there was a time when the
payphone was indispensable.

- In 1964, when the US
mint was ready to change

the metallic
composition of US coins,

they consulted with
the Bell System

and other interested parties

to ensure that the new
coins would still work

in the public payphone
system of the US.

[jovial music]

- [Narrator] The first payphone,

called a coin phone back then,

went into service
in Chicago in 1898.

By 1902, there were over
80,000 in the United States.

In 1910, there was
even a portable model.

- This is an example of
a three slot payphone

that is not mounted on a wall
or found in a phone booth,

but has a handle.

It's made out of aluminum,
it's fairly lightweight.

It could be carried all over

the Wanamaker Department
Store for whom it was made.

It was made so that the
store employees could

carry it into the restaurant,

or to other parts of the
store, for customer use.

It had a long cord that
could be plugged in

wherever there was a phone jack.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] In
the 1920s and '30s,

special devices turned

the regular phones of small
businesses into pay phones.

- If I take the
receiver off the hook,

in preparation for
using the phone,

and drop a nickel in the slot,

and press the lever, it
pulls the little arm or fork

out of the dial, leaving
the dial free to turn,

and for me to dial my call.

When I'm finished with a call,

I place the receiver
on the hook,

and the arm returns to the
lock position in the dial,

and it's ready for the
next person to come along

and make a call.

- Here's a good example
of a three slot payphone

from the '50s.

A local call would cost
a dime or a nickel.

If you wanted to make
a long distance call,

you had to get the
operator involved.

- That'll be 35 cents.

- [Narrator] The
most surprising thing

about commercial
payphones, however,

is how simple the
coin mechanisms were,

all the way up to 1965,

before electronics were
first incorporated.

[coins clinking]
[phone ringing]

- And by getting the
operator involved,

she would be listening
to a series of sounds

as you put the coins through.

[coin clinking]

In order for her to
put the call through,

she would listen, and they
made distinctive sounds,

A quarter would go the slot
and go right to a bong sound,

[quarter bonging]

and she'd know that
you put a quarter in.

Next would be the dime.

She would listen
for two ding sounds.

[dime dinging]

So, it actually came around
and hit the top of the bell

and the bottom of the
bell, remarkably simple.

Then, you put the nickel in,

and it'll hit the bell one time.

[nickel dinging]

The phone had no idea of knowing

how much money was collected.

It was up to the operator,

and she kept count at
the central office,

and then she would go ahead
and put your call through.

- [Narrator] In the 1990s,

the number of payphones
in the United States

reached over 2.6 million.

[air whooshing]

But because of the explosion
of cell phone usage,

the payphone is fading fast,

with only roughly 100,000
of them remaining.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Many coin
operated machines are becoming

less reliant on coins,

and more on alternative
payment methods.

Bill acceptors were
only the beginning.

Now, many apartment tenants
can simply swipe a smart card

to do their laundry,

and vending machines
selling high priced items,

they only take credit cards.

- Here, at Macy's, we found
that our customers really enjoy

getting their gadgets
from the vending machine.

It's really quick and easy,

and you can buy it within
a matter of seconds.

[air whooshing]

- [Narrator] It's estimated that

the average US household has
about $113 of spare change

just sitting around.

Nationwide, that's
about $15 billion worth.

The Coinstar Company
found a way to cash in on

the public's coin reserves,

by placing its high
speed counting machines

in supermarkets and
other retail outlets.

[coins clinking]

In the 17 years Coinstar
has been in business,

it has processed over
350 billion coins,

with an average transaction of
$68 at each Coinstar machine.

- Right from the
beginning of Coinstar,

we networked all
of our machines,

so we know all the information
from every single machine

right across the world.

and our largest ever transaction
was $13,000 in pennies

from a gentleman in Alabama.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Coinstar's
main manufacturing facility

is located in Kent, Washington.

Workers assemble about a
thousand machines a year here.

[upbeat music]
[air whooshing]

- The Coinstar machine
is very simple to use.

You bring your coin
jar to the machine,

[machine beeping]
follow the prompts,

[machine beeping]
choose your language,

[machine beeping]
and the coin machine asks you

to put your coins
directly into the machine.

[coins clinking]

This is the first stage of
actually cleaning the coins.

[coins clinking]

- As the consumers
bring these in,

you'd be shocked at
what we see in here.

We see paper clips, washers,

we see all kinds of gum,
and everything else.

As they put it in here,

notice that there
are holes in here

that are smaller than
any of the coins.

[coins clinking]

Then, it goes
through this piece,

where you have a
turning mechanism here

that actually is
beating the coins apart.

And as they beat
the coins apart,

also any debris that'll
fall out of there.

[coins rattling]

- I'm now gonna
open up the machine.

And, once all the
debris has been removed

through the cleaning process,

all the coins drop down into
the coin counting device

at the bottom here.

- This here is our
coin counting device

outside of a machine.

Over here, behind
this fancy black box,

is our intellectual
property that we use

to actually run this device.

A consumer comes up,
they drop their coins in.

[coins clinking]

As it goes through here,

you'll notice that this machine
starts running through here.

Each one of these arms
are picking up coins

and running it down
this coin rail.

[coins clinking]

As it runs through
the coin rail,

notice how the coins
are separating.

This allows time for
each coin to be sensed.

This sensor knows that it's
a penny, a nickel, a dime,

quarter, half dollar, dollar,

and actually will recognize
that and keep track of that

in our system.

[coins clinking]

- [Narrator] Just past the
coin sensor is a metal plate,

moving too fast to be
seen by the naked eye.

[coins clinking]

When the sensor
detects a good coin,

the plate jumps forward
and sends it down a chute

leading to the
holding bins below.

The plate doesn't jump

when foreign coins and
non-valid objects, like slugs,

are sensed, and they
fall down another chute,

so customers can
recover their rejects.

- At the end of
every transaction,

a voucher is produced,
a fee is charged

for using the service,

and you then take the
voucher to the checkout

to exchange for cash,

or you can choose
a gift card now

and get free coin counting.

[coins rattling]

- [Narrator] The counted coins
are held inside the machine

in two secure steel bins.

- Each bin holds over
500 pounds of coin.

Our network tells us when
to collect these bins.

We have special moving devices

that allow our companies to
come in and collect these coins

and take them directly to

the processing
centers for counting.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] In the
Los Angeles area,

trucks bring Coinstar's bins
to a coin processing center,

operated by Brinks.

[upbeat music]
[air whooshing]

The driver rolls the
bins off the truck

into a secure loading dock

in which the inner and
outer doors are never opened

at the same time.

[upbeat music]

Once all the full bins are
exchanged for empty ones,

the inner door opens, and
the full bins are rolled

into the facility,

[upbeat music]

Brink's employees place
each bin on an elevator,

and then unlock it, so
the coins can pour into

a sorting device.

[upbeat music]

Vibrating discs full of holes

eliminate anything bigger
or smaller than US coins.

Then, they travel up a conveyor

and into a counting
and sorting mechanism.

- These machines here have
the capability of processing

approximately 5,000 to
8,000 coins per minute.

Not only is it verifying
and counting the coin,

but also it's separating
the coin by denomination.

[coins clinking]

- [Narrator] Each
denomination pours down a tube

and into a bin.

When a bin is full, it's
moved over to a scale.

- They get weighed
to verify that

the appropriate amount of
money that was processed

is actually in the bin.

[air whooshing]
[machinery beeping]

- [Narrator] When it's time to

prepare the coins
for recirculation,

workers dump them into
another series of machines,

each designed to handle
a specific denomination.

[coins clinking]

This machine is
counting quarters,

organizing them into
a steady stream,

and inserting 40 quarters at
a time into a plastic sleeve.

[coins clinking]

Now, human hands take over,

and place the plastic wrapped
tubes of coins into boxes,

and box after box onto pallets.

[air whooshing]

- This is the largest
coin center in the world.

We process over three billion
coins just for Coinstar alone.

These boxes here are going
back into circulation

for our customers, such
as banks, supermarkets.

And, as well, here we have
canvas bags filled with coin

that will be going to
the federal reserve

for recirculation.

[air whooshing]

- [Narrator] A
circulating coin can last

approximately 30 years.

Once the federal reserve
takes those coins

out of circulation,

they're replaced with new
ones from the US mint.

[air whooshing]

Once those coins
are then minted,

a new circulation cycle begins.

So, how long is the life
expectancy of a penny?

Just 12 years.

[coins clinking]

[electronic dance music]

- [Narrator] Modern arcade games
may offer wild interactivity

and imaginative graphics,

[air whooshing]

but some of the mechanical
coin operated amusements

of the past deliver their
own special brand of

fascinating, eccentric, and
often bizarre entertainment.

[upbeat music]

At Musée Mécanique, located

on Fisherman's Wharf
in San Francisco,

Dan Zelinsky uses roller skates
to race around a huge room.

[cheerful organ music]

It houses the vast collection

his late father began
for the public to enjoy.

Most of the machines
will set you back

just a quarter or two.

- Of all the machines
that my father and I

have collected here,
at the Musée Mécanique,

this is the largest
one in the collection.

It was made in the 1930s,

and it was all hand carved
by a single individual.

This is a great deal for
the public in general.

For 50 cents, you can
get 10, 20, or 30 people

to crowd around this, and
watch the entire thing

come to life at
the drop of a coin.

[cheerful music]

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Usually, the appeal
of the machines is obvious.

Who doesn't enjoy
an all monkey band?

There are some machines
that must have been

a bit of a letdown

when customers
first had the chance

to put their hard
earned coins in them,

but other curiosities are
well worth the investment.

This circus is made
entirely out of toothpicks.

Obviously, this sort of
intricate work is done by

someone with a lot of
spare time on their hands.

[air whooshing]

- This is a toothpick
Ferris wheel.

It's not terribly elaborate,

but what makes it interesting is

it was made by a San
Quentin prisoner.

It's part of a larger display

that was constructed of
over 150,000 toothpicks.

[air whooshing]
[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] The
vintage oddities

at the Musée Mécanique
are certainly

unique, but a search for truly
weird coin operated fare

inevitably brings you to
Farmington Hills, Michigan.

- Welcome to Marvin's,
known from coast to coast,

like butter and toast.

Nowhere in the
contiguous United States

or other environments is
a place like Marvin's.

Welcome, have fun!

- [Narrator] Just
about every inch of

ceiling, wall, and floor
space is jam-packed.

The museum is over
5,000 square feet,

and has over a thousand
electrical outlets

to power all the historic
and modern machines,

[upbeat music]

His interest in these
mechanical wonders

began about 50 years ago.

- When I was in college,

I was fascinated by these
coin operated machines,

and I started collecting.

Well, after I graduated
in the early '60s,

I couldn't quit collecting.

- He started collecting
and collecting this stuff.

He overtook my mother's house.

1980, she took me
to a food court,

and thought, "What
a great place for

"your dad to get this
stuff outta my house

"and put it for other
people to enjoy."

[air whooshing]

- [Narrator] Marvin is
the ultimate collector,

always on the lookout for,

well, unusual coin
operated contraptions

to add to his museum.

[air whooshing]
[organ music]

- [Marvin] These wooden automata

that the craftsmen are still
making these machines here,

so there's a place to buy
old ones and new ones,

which I like equally well.

- [Narrator] Many of the
old penny arcade machines

have a decidedly dark bet.

[coin clinking]
[ominous music]

Intricate motors and gears
cause small robotic figures

to act out all sorts
of ghoulish scenes,

including the horrors of
the Spanish Inquisition.

In keeping with this
grisly tradition,

Marvin decided his
customers might enjoy

firing up an electric chair.

- Now, this machine, I
found as a Halloween prop,

and I added a case and a coin
accepting mechanism, and watch.

[man screaming]

It may be a little too
intense for younger children.

- Another machine

turns the tables on
Marvin's customers,

and delivers a
shocking experience.

- This machine is
Challenge Killer-Watt,

a machine unique to my museum.

It was built by
a friend of mine,

a robotics engineer from Ohio,

and the idea of the machine

is to keep your hands as long
as you can on these handles.

- Ah, a cute little hero to
take on Killer-Watt, huh?

- Actually, a little static
electricity is produced,

very light, and
very non dangerous,

but it does give
you a little tingle.

- Don't worry, try
a little of this.

Whoa, I love it!

- In the old days,
there were some machines

that did give you a shock,

[laughing]

but, of course, in
today's litigious society,

we can't have
anything like that.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] From pinball
to fortune tellers,

it's easy to spend a small
fortune in coins here.

But with the fun and excitement
these machines provide,

[kids shouting]
it's money well spent.