Bryans Pushers, Double Decker, Penny-Go-Round, etc.

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Bryans Coin Pushers

The Coin Pusher was introduced in the mid-60s, and gained instant popularity with the public. The lure of all those coins teetering precariously over the payout chute was irresistible. Many variations of Coin Pushers were produced by a number of manufacturers, including Bryans.

**Bryans Coin Pushers**
DOUBLE DECKER (1968) Bryan's best known contribution to the world of the Coin Pusher was the Double Decker. As was usual with Bryans machines, this gave the public something extra - this was a 2-level pusher, hence the name. Coins land in the centre of the top table and are swept onto the left or right tables, or into the gap in between (see close up below). Coins falling through the gap fall onto the bottom tables where, again, they are swept left or right or into the central cash box. All coins pushed off the edges of any of the 4 tables are returned to the player. There are also holes in the top tables which allow coins to fall through to the bottom tables, causing coins to pile up in multiple layers. This results in greater wins from the bottom tables, but these are more difficult to achieve, as they depend upon two lucky pushes and more critical timing. The gameplay is well thought out. Extra visual appeal is provided by the inclusion of two model double decker buses which roll to-and-fro on tilting tracks at the back of each level. The red buses are just visible in the pictures. Value: £900-1500
See the Double Decker working		Read the Double Decker Instruction Sheet (courtesy Jim Hacking)


Close up of Double Decker playfields Coins dropping down the central chutes bounce randomly to the left or right, making the game more unpredictable. There is only one sweep on the bottom level, which sweeps both tables. See the Double Decker working		Motor drive and mechanism of Double Decker The horizontal link beneath the blue pulley is slotted and allows the sweep to be centralised. The top playfield and bus track can be seen at the bottom of the photo. Click here to see an MPEG video clip of the mechanism
	This early Double Decker has large semi-circular cut-outs on the edges of the top tables, and a number of small holes near the edges of the bottom tables. Quite what the point of these were, I don't know. Maybe they were experimental? Later Double Deckers had straight edges. The photograph is of a Double Decker on 1d play, so it is from 1968-1970.
'Double Decker' Buses: The Double Decker uses buses from the Matchbox series. The buses supplied by Bryans were a No.5 London Bus in red for the top track and a No.74 Daimler Bus in green for the bottom track. Many variations of these two buses have been produced over the years, in terms of colour, adverts, wheel type, etc. As far as I know, the London Bus was only produced in red, but the Daimler Bus was produced in red, green, cream, and possibly other colours. Other Matchbox buses will also work on the Double Decker - No.17 for instance. Models produced after 1969 have 'Superfast' wheels which run much better than the earlier wheels.

No.5 London Bus (Routemaster)	No.74 Daimler Bus in green (ordinary wheels)	No.74 Daimler Bus in red (Superfast wheels)	An original bus from a Double Decker. Bryans have replaced the original wheels with brass ones! (courtesy Jim Hacking)

PENNY-GO-ROUND (1968)
Only two Penny-Go-Rounds were thought to have survived, although at least one other has recently come to light. The photographs show a restored example in working order. To quote from the advertising flyer:
"The essential feature of this attractive machine is a slowly-revolving turntable onto which the player feeds his coins. Rotating in the same direction, but in an intermittent fashion, are three sweep arms in contact with the table. These radial arms sweep the coins into the shape of three sectors or triangles, thus providing the player with the fascinating spectacle of a mass of coins in constant movement."
"Play: Two coin slots are provided, and the player attempts to drop his coin into one of the three 'swept' portions of the table, as it moves in line with the feeding chute. This requires a small amount of skill, and if successful, one or more coins on the edge of the chosen sector fall into the annular payout chute and are delivered to the player."
See the Penny-Go-Round working
(Photos and video courtesy Jim Hacking)

This web site is copyright (C) 1999-2022 Melvyn Wright
A note about values: These were included on the site because 80% of emails received by me are of the type "I have xyz machine - how much is it worth?". The values are based on the best information available at the time, but they are subject to large fluctuations due to the condition of the machine, the case style, and the demand for it at the time of sale. There is no guarantee that your particular machine is worth the amount shown on this site. All values are in GBP (£).