Select-O-Vend Candy Vending Machine & Trojan Batteries Single-Sided Tin Sign Showcased at The World’s Largest Road Art Auction 2023

The World’s Largest Road Art Auction 2023, presented by Mecum Auction Company, will commence this June. Leading the auction is the Select-O-Vend candy vending machine, serial no. 5213. The vending machine is missing one leg. The first vending machine was built in the first century by a Greek mathematician and engineer, Hero of Alexandria. It dispensed holy water in exchange for coins. Modern vending machines began in London in the 1880s with coin-operated postcard dispensers and quickly spread worldwide. The first candy vending machine in the US appeared on a New York subway platform in 1888. The vending machine sold gum to commuters. The available Select-O-Vend model, with multiple selectable goods, first appeared in the mid-20th century.  

The Falstaff Brewing Corporation was an American brewery in St. Louis, Missouri. Falstaff Brewery was named after a comedic character named Sir John Falstaff in Shakespeare’s play Henry IV. Falstaff is a boastful knight, heavy and vain, who spends most of his time drinking with petty criminals, living on stolen or borrowed money at the Boar’s Head Inn. He leads the wayward Prince Hal into trouble and is ultimately repudiated after Hal becomes king. A 1971 recreated Falstaff Beer work of road art is available in the sale. It is a single-sided tin sign. It depicts a Falstaff-like character sitting while a lady pours him Falstaff beer. View the complete catalog of The World’s Largest Road Art Auction 2023 and register to bid by visiting Mecum Auction Company.