The Bryans Penny Arcade by Melvyn Wright

This web site is a tribute to W.E.Bryan, the inventive genius of the British Slot Machine industry.  It contains a complete listing of his machines, along with photographs and information about each machine.  There is also a Collectors' Corner, where Bryans enthusiasts can buy, sell, and swap machines with other collectors.

I am always interested in hearing from fellow Bryans collectors, particularly if you can supply any additional information for these pages, especially photographs.
   

The Bryans Story The history of Bryans Automatic Works Kegworth

Latest updates:  12th March Site created 4th April 1999 23 years old

 

W.E.Bryan and his slot machines William Edward Bryan was born in 1894, and opened up his slot machine factory at Kegworth, Derbyshire (England) in 1920.  He had served his apprenticeship with Rolls Royce and worked as a motor mechanic in his own garage.  The local showmen would bring their slot machines to his garage for him to repair.  He became fascinated by these slot machines, and was convinced that he could design better and more reliable examples.  How right he was!  He soon left the garage trade, and began producing slot machines full-time. Bryan was a mechanical genius, who invented 48 different amusement machine designs, and patented many improvements to their mechanisms.  Whereas other slot machine manufacturers would simply copy existing ideas, perhaps with different artwork, Bryan would devise totally new and original games.  Even games which outwardly appeared to be similar to standard machines had additional features like replays, multiple-payouts, jackpots and operator customisation.  It seems that no mechanical problem would be too complex for Bryan's inventive mind to solve, and his solutions were often deceptively simple.  Some of his machines were full of a bewildering array of levers, wheels and linkages; but they were always very reliable.  They had to be, otherwise he would have been out of business very quickly.

William Edward Bryan

Bryan officially retired in 1966, but his inventive skills proved impossible to replace, and he continued design work for the factory until 1973.  He died in 1984.  The Bryans Automatic Works still continued to trade in Kegworth up until the year 2000, run by William's son, Jim Bryan.  As well as supplying new machines, they also supplied spare parts and undertook repairs for machine operators and collectors.  The value of Bryans machines, and the interest in them, has risen significantly in the last few years, as slot machine enthusiasts have come to appreciate his fascinating games, and the clever mechanisms behind them.  Read the full story...

Click for Alphabetical Listing of Machines

Chronological  listing  of  Bryans  Machines

* Rarity is on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being 'readily available' and 6 being 'very rare'.  The figures are based on the frequency with which machines come up for sale in the UK, rather than on the number produced.

Alphabetical Listing