Fortune Teller Machines, rare artifact surviving from the era of penny arcades and amusement parks!?

[Mi-Shell]

Yesterday Peter and me watched an episode of "Vintage Tec Hunters" on TV.

This time 2 guys were checking out a vast museum of penny arcade games. 

Among these they briefly showed an elaborate oak cabinet with an animated Gypsy fortune teller dispersing her wisdom gleaned from a set of extra large Thoth cards.

It was too short to get the camera out and get a picture, but on the net I found, that there were quite a few suck machines in circulation! 

Some pictures are shown as well, many with different cards put out before the "fortune teller, some even showing a Celtic cross.

 

Quote:

• Estrella's Prophecies Fortune Teller - A coin-operated Gypsy-style fortune teller machine. A full size enclosed figure in elaborate oak cabinet. Her head moves from side to side, hand moves across the cards, while her left hand raises and then she slowly dispenses a fortune card through the ornate card slot.
• (wikipedia)

 

 

Has anyone here ever seen - or tried one of these?

 

[Guest]

I've seen them before. Haven't tried them though. How quaint! 

[gregory]

There are whole museums of them. They're fascinating.

[Hypnomoon]

There was one at my home state fair. I wish I would have saved all the cards I got from it. The one there was a male fortune-teller.