Should I buy this

[Woodse]

I really want this. It's not cheap, but it's calling to me. Anyone want to talk me out of it?

[Steph]

It is a "fantasy" item.

Though marbles were sold in gumball machines over the years, especially during the gum and sugar shortages of WWII and a little after, the gumball machines were branded with marble names like that.   

Usually the machines were advertised as working for gum, toys or marbles.  Not specializing in marbles.  (I remember one machine for marbles from well before WWII, and I can't quite remember what it looked like, but it wasn't that, and in particular wasn't Akro.)

(So the machines labeled like that could be oldish but the labels were added later, probably after the machines stopped being used in stores.)

[Spherophile]

It’s really funny that you would post this, as I just saw my first ever marble vending machine the other day and posted about it. 
 

There were marble vending machines back in the day, but the one you saw is a home modified Acorn gum ball machine for sure. Here’s a real one:

 

I wouldn’t buy the one you saw, particularly if it’s expensive. Gumball vending machines can be had for a song, and I would think it should be able to dispense marbles with minimum modification (maybe none at all depending on what it was dispensing before). 

[Woodse]

Thank you Steph for the information. Spherophile's pic is really something. Now I want that one! I didn't know there were actual "marble" machines. I, too have seen a regular one filled with marbles. Supposedly, the one I posted was from the Vitro Agate office. A former employee has it. I'll pass.

[Steph]

Oh, that says Vitro -- I misread and thought it said Akro -- same post applies after name change.

But that's interesting backstory.  I wonder about the "former employee" part, because by now former employees must be getting really old.  It's believable that a marble company might have a gumball machine with marbles in it -- but I haven't heard of it before.   I'm intrigued yet still skeptical.