39 Vintage Vending Machines That Dispensed More Than Just Snacks

John Summers • Contributor

Sep 7, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

When you picture a vending machine, you're probably thinking candy bars, chips, and maybe the occasional energy drink if the machine is feeling generous. But if you rewind the clock a few decades, vending machines were a whole different beast. These things weren't just about snacks - they were mini miracles of convenience that could serve you almost anything.

We're talking the 1940s through the 1960s, an era when machines could hand you a fresh carton of eggs, pour you a cold glass of whiskey (yes, really), or even provide you with coal for the fireplace. Need a pitcher of milk on the way home? Just pop in a few coins. Fancy a quick smoke? Of course, there was a machine for that too. It seems like if someone thought of it, there was a vending machine somewhere that could deliver it.

And the wildest part? These machines weren't hidden away in futuristic labs - they were just part of daily life. Somewhere between then and now, vending machines narrowed their scope to sugar, salt, and soda. But these vintage photos prove that once upon a time, vending machines were ambitious little contraptions that dared to do it all.

01
ICE CREAM

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02
Automatic insurance at the airport

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03
These were popular

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04
Books

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05
Fresh Pie

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06
This machine actually sold lit cigarettes for a penny.

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07
A coin operated perfume dispenser.

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08
A music record vending machine.

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09
A whole supermarket as a vending machine.

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10
Worms!

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11
Lemonade

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12
Reader’s Digest vending machine.

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13
Pantyhose on-the-go in France.

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14
A machine dispensing lightbulbs.

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15
A sandwich vending machine. 1940s.

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16
A Macy’s vending machine that sold men’s shorts for only 97 cents.

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17
Warm lunch vending machine at Zandvoort in the Netherlands.

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These are still extremely popular in the Netherlands
18
Milk!

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19
Coal machine distributor in England.

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20
A fruit vending machine in London Tube. 1920s.

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21
Fresh Fruit

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22
Sparkling Water

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23
A cafeteria vending machine

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24
Hot Coffee 1947

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25
Sandwich dispenser

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26
Cold Drinks and Hot Soup

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27
Campbell’s Soup vending machine 1950s

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28
A vending machine that allowed customers to buy stamps without having to queue.

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29
A woman purchases a pair of nylon stockings from a machine.

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30
ice cream vending machine

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31
This couple have a choice of sandwiches, hot soup or hot chocolate, coffee, cold drinks, fresh milk and chilled fruit from a series of automated vendors. 1959

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32
Eggs

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33
More Eggs

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34
Po-Ta-To

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35
A woman in Berlin, Germany uses a coin-operated device to buy a clock. 1960s.

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36
Whisky!

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37
Beer!

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38
Shoppers could pick up household essentials from this machine. 1960s.

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39
This woman is now able to use a credit card to pay for one of a selection of coffees from this self-serve machine. 1960s.

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