Remember Punchboards?

[DWalt]

Another idle thought entered my brain. Back in my much younger days, I remember many places such as bars, small stores, fraternal clubs, gas stations, etc. having punchboards on display near their cash registers. For those who don’t know what they were, it was basically a board with maybe hundreds of holes in it, with a small slip of paper in each hole. A few of the holes would have a cash or merchandise prize on a slip. A customer could buy a chance to punch out a slip to win whatever the prize was, sort of a form of lottery.

It occurred to me that I haven’t seen a punchboard in a very long time. Are they still being used anywhere, or are they now illegal in most places?

 

[Rustyt1953]

They have evolved into pull-tabs and scratch-offs.

 

[Bekeart]

Punch boards are still being sold.

Google: punchboards for sale

Punchboards | Lancaster Bingo Company

Punch Boards FOR SALE! - PicClick

Bekeart

 

[jeffrefrig]

Never heard of what is described. I thought maybe you were referring to those things on the wall where "tough guys" would punch it and see who could register the "hardest punch." I think one of the Steelers' starting QBs broke his hand on one...he missed it! (Bubby B.?!!!!)

 

[whitestang]

You can add S&H green stamps to that long ago time.

 

[Fishinfool]

The sportsmans club I belong to has them at the bar. Never tried my luck though.

Larry

 

[WCCPHD]

They are illegal in North Carolina as gambling devices. Can't have competition for the state.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Illegal in Ohio too! The sate doesn't like the competition.

One of the common usages was when a guy had a small pay check. they would raffle it off for $10 a try. Many a housewife got to have groceries that way.

Ivan

 

[Protocall_Design]

In the movie "Paper Moon" they had a punchboard scheme where Ryan O'neal and Tatum (Tantrum?) O'neal use that as one of their cons.

 

[Alk8944]

Yes, I remember them but never played one. They are classified as a gambling device in most states because you had to pay to play, and are now illegal as such. I don't recall seeing them since the 1950's or 60's at the latest.

This is one of the things I appreciate about living in Utah, there is no legal gambling of any sort. You have to go to surrounding states to even buy a lottery ticket!

 

[K-22]

GreennStamps

You can add S&H green stamps to that long ago time.

My Mother purchased my first shotgun, a Winchester mod. 37 12 gauge, with S&H green stamps.


Best,
Gary

 

[Smithboomer]

Unfortunately, punch boards are ripe for scammers.

The store owner (purchaser) was given a cheat-sheet that showed where the big payoffs were.

He could punch these out before setting out the board. That way he never paid out the big prizes.

John Scarne explained this in one of his books.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I used to sell GRIT. That's how I got my X-RAY specs and my Sea Monkeys.

 

[16thVACav]

I used to sell GRIT. That's how I got my X-RAY specs and my Sea Monkeys.

I ordered mine from Johnson Smith and Co. Man, I used to spend hours looking through those catalogs.

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[Salty RI]

The last time I saw those was back in the 50's, I also remember the gum ball machines the had gum balls that had rings painted on them depending on the color of the ring you could win up to a quarter.

Sent from my LGL455DL using Tapatalk

 

[Rustyt1953]

I remember when Spot 'em machines were in bars. No flippers and you had to nudge the machine without tilting it. Each card was 10¢. 4 or 5 numbers in a row earned you a cash payout from the bartender. If a regular player had the "touch" management would change the tilt pendulum the next day.

 

[DWalt]

I once had an old full size pinball machine, probably pre-WWII. It also had no flippers and a tilt switch for those who banged on it too hard. It was a small pendulum and ring switch affair. If it was hit too hard by an overly enthusiastic player, the pendulum would hit the ring closing the circuit to a relay which shut down the mechanism until another nickel was inserted. I removed the pendulum for my use. It was a fairly primitive machine compared to those made 20 years later. My mother gave it away while I was off attending college, and didn’t even ask me. I never quite forgave her for pulling that trick.