1956 Oak Premiere Baseball Trading Card & Gumball Vending Machine
A Childhood Dream Preserved in Time
Vintage 1950s Oak Mfg. Co. Premiere Ball Gum and Card Dispenser with Ernie Banks (1966) and Ron Santo Baseball Cards. The gumballs are apparently very old.
Special NOTE: About 15 years ago I sold a similar Red Gumball/Card machine childhood treasure that elicited fond memories of riding our bikes to the country store with a dime to put in the gumball machine. And the buyer Still loves it! Ever since then, I have dreamed of owning another one, and after 15 years this Gem finally surfaced.
NOTE: These machines were NOT just for baseball cards but also offered the popular non-sport cards from the beloved 1950s and 60s TV shows.
*See enlargeable images
Step back into the golden age of baseball with this incredible circa 1956 Oak Premiere Coin-Op Baseball Trading Card & Gumball Vending Machine—a colorful piece of vintage sports memorabilia and classic Americana that recalls the excitement of dropping a coin into the machine and waiting to see which baseball card would appear.
Manufactured by Oak Manufacturing Co., the Premiere was designed to dispense both ball gum and picture/trading cards. Its distinctive twin card windows, colorful gumballs, chrome mechanism and bold mid-century styling made it a natural fixture for the neighborhood stores and businesses where generations of kids discovered the thrill of collecting.
The Masterpiece of Baseball Americana
To the fine art collector, a Monet can be the find of a lifetime. To the collector of vintage sports, Americana, 1950s/60s treasures and baseball history, this Oak Premiere may be that masterpiece—a three-dimensional time capsule of childhood nostalgia and the treasure they've searched a lifetime to find.
Displayed with baseball cards featuring Chicago Cubs legends Ernie Banks and Ron Santo, the machine has tremendous visual impact. It is presently configured for 5¢ operation and makes an extraordinary centerpiece for a sports memorabilia collection, game room, man cave, office, restaurant or vintage Americana display.
More than an antique vending machine, this is a reminder of an era when baseball cards weren't investments locked away in holders—they were childhood treasures bought with pocket change, traded with friends and accompanied by a piece of bubble gum.
NOTE: Manufactured in 1956, this machine was last used around 1966 based on the baseball cards which are 1966 issued.
