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. 
* Surprisingly, we acquired a second one of these Rare Baseball/Americana treasures.  Check out the other one

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. 

Condition:   All Original.  100% Original red paint as issued in 1956.   No restoration, except a possible lock replace at top.    Tested working.  Put in a penny and it dispensed a gumball.  But did not know how to setup the card dispenser and and hence did Not test the card functionality. 

Size: 13x13x5.5".  1 cent machine.   Comes with two sets of keys. 

*See enlargeable images

NOTE:  >> The  cards in the display windows are NOT included and are for presentation only.     You can add your own favorite cards to look at in there. 

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  configured for original 1¢ operation and hence assume this was an original 1956 release, as a few years later the 2¢ (late 50s) and nickel (early-mid 60s) configurations followed.   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. 


Meanwhile,  until someone takes this away from me,  I will be loving this beauty in my office/man cave: