Because we sell anything and everything, we often get ads for the interesting, the unusual and the extremely specialized. One of the best parts of working here is that we learn so much about so many different things. Here’s where we feature an ad that made us sit up and take notice.
Thank goodness for the hyphen. If it weren’t for that tiny dash, we might’ve had one armed bandit – a solitary robber (with weaponry!). And that’s something altogether different than this week’s ad:
TOY 1-ARMED BANDIT pd. $25., in box, never used, $15. +(PECKVILLE) 570-489-3811
It is, of course, a toy slot machine. “One Armed Bandit” is a popular nickname for a slot machine owing to the pull lever on older ones as well as its tendency to take money without any guaranteed return.
Interestingly, the phrase “slot machine” was originally used to describe any kind of coin-operated vending machine; the bandit designation makes even more sense when you consider that fact. When you use a vending machine you’re (well, usually) going to get something for the coins you put into it. With a slot machine? Not necessarily.
You can find this ad in the Under $25 category. Like all the other ads in that section, the seller will owe no commission when it sells – commission ads with an asking price of $25 or less carry no fee, no charges, no nothing. And that’s quite a jackpot!