However, is coming from a family that has loved Coffee from generation to generation must have heard of the famous Arcade coffee grinders/ mills. If not, we are here to share with you the splendor of this company during its developing history. The Arcade Manufacturing has made a long and successful journey thanks to the dedication of its owners, the skillful and talented workers and most of all, because of their love for coffee.
When you search on the internet for the Arcade Company you will notice that there is almost no data on their splendor. Only a few websites are covering the successful years when the company built its brand recognition and the sales of the coffee grinders were reaching unprecedented peaks.
Unfortunately, nowadays you can hardly find original Arcade Coffee grinders. If you are a “wild” fan of their products and you are lucky enough, you might have the chance to get one in one of the auctions that are organized for traditional and antique coffee grinders.
As we know that there are many traditional coffee lovers out there, we want you to enter the Arcade world and enjoy their devotion to the coffee you are having today. Their job has inspired many other newborns that operated in the coffee industry later on.
Arcade coffee grinder historical events!
The origins of Arcade Company are found in the late 60s in Stephenson County when the Morgan brothers created the “Novelty Iron Works”. The company had only ten employees. Later on, during the mid-70s we find the company develops. A new and highly technological production line was built and run by the standards of those times. At those time pumps were one of the most demanded and produced product line from the company.
Because of the industrial changes happening in the mid-80s, the company stopped its production, but its original fathers together with new business partners re – vitalized it by giving to it the name we call it today – The Arcade Manufacturing Company. The company experienced a sudden growth and expansion which demanded even relocation for a better management. By the beginning of the 1890s, Charles Morgan could patent its coffee grinder design.
20th of October 1891 to be more precise the Coffee Grinder design invented from one of the Arcade fathers was eligible and made known to the world. Other patents have been registered as well.
Only one year later, Arcade faced an unhappy accident. Their building was burnt out and nobody ever found the reasons behind the flames. As a matter of fact, this was a real misfortune for the successful company since all the products located in the warehouse and on the production line were totally destroyed and the economic loss was almost irrecoverable. Apart the manufactured products, also the production equipment and industrial investments were totally lost between the flames.
Arcade could catch the rhythm during L.L. Munn partnership establishment. This happened one year after the burning incident.
Arcade Company life – cycle ends by 1946 when it was purchased from another company which decided to realize this purchase because of the Arcade line of production and industrial equipment. Arcade had a long journey – more than 85 years of successful events. Thanks to the love of its founders and the devoted skillful workers the company brought itself up many times.
Arcade Company product gamma.
When you start gathering pieces of the Arcade empire you have the feeling that they have always been driven by the love to succeed and produce products that set new benchmarks in terms of quality and life style improvement. We have started to look into Arcade because of the success they had with the coffee grinders, but Arcade is not only about this product category. Arcade has had a wider product gamma.
The main products we have been coming across when looking for Arcade are as per below mentioned:
- Home related appliances and other artworks:
- Coffee grinders
- Screen door hinges
- Stove pipe dampers
- Lid lifters
- Corkscrews
- Toys for children:
- Yellow Cab
- “Fordson”
- Small trains
- Swings
- Carriages for dolls
- Toy coffee grinders
- Animal series such as:
- Horses
- Lions
- Seals
- Pigs
- Buffalos
- Cows
- Rhinoceros
- Rats
Children loved to play with the Arcade animal series as they were really children proof and original.
- Home – craft lines
- Woodworking machinery
All of these products have been highly appreciated from the localities where Arcade was developing and wider. These products have always been selected because of their outstanding quality and reliability. It seems like an Arcade product was hard to be damaged regardless of the challenges you might put in front of it. These elements have been achieved thanks to the talented workers that have invested all their skillset for the company and also thanks to the durable and reliable materials that Arcade was choosing to manufacture them.
Let us now have a picture of the Arcade coffee grinders and their specific characteristics which made Arcade famous about.
Arcade coffee grinders
Crystal No. 1 is the first type of the Arcade Crystal series. It was patented in 1900. After that, other models were invented and designed. They were differentiating from each – other because of slight design elements, but the main conceptual idea has always been the same – Offer into the market outstanding mill grinders.
This model is considered to be one of the most well – known models provided from Arcade Company. Even nowadays this model is the most demanded and searched one. The given model has been sold in large quantities during the Arcade Company successful history. Thanks to this large number of sold items, today you can easily find replacement parts for this model in different online stores and forums. Other ancient models manufactured from Arcade are really hard to find, unfortunately. This is a real misfortune because having such a piece of antiquary at home would be a great investment for any coffee lover addicted to traditional coffee grinding, brewing and tasting as well.
- Coffee grinder elements:
- Glass canister – round shaped provided in clear colors.
- Glass tumbler
- Tablespoon graduations
- Chilled steel grinders – The Arcade No. 3 steel grinders are adjusted by using a screw.
- Wall support gear casing
- Cup holder
- Capacity – The capacity offered with this model is 1 pound.
- Height – 17 inches
The body of the Arcade Crystal No. 3 is made of iron. The appliance is considered as easy to be cleaned thanks to the possibility to unscrew the hopper to the frame.
- Arcade X-Ray Coffee grinder alias Arcade Crystal No. 1 elements:
- Wood back
- Wood tank
- Glass front side
- Chilled iron mill grinders
- Screw adjustments
- Japanned cast iron body
- Japanned cast iron handle
- Detachable iron cup
- Height – The height of this coffee grinder is 13 inches
As you can see from the model specifics, when comparing these two models, the elements that are differentiating are the height and the material used for the container.
We need to emphasize that Arcade Crystal No. 1 has been marked as a “state of the art” coffee grinder. Anyways, we need to mention that this model must not have been sold in large quantities (maybe because of the production line demands) and due to this you can hardly find any replacement piece out there or “in there”.
Important notes to anyone who finds him/ herself interested in buying one of this ancient models!
First of all, when you decide to buy an ancient coffee grinder, you have to consider that this item might most probably be more than 150 years old. Because of this long way to our days, these coffee grinders might not be working with the same efficiency as they did when they were “younger”. Thus, pay attention to the fact that you are buying a piece of antiquary and not a perfect grinding tool. We do not want to discourage you at all! As a matter of fact, there are still found great and functioning Arcade coffee grinders from which you can benefit great coffee grounds, regardless of the years passing by.
When you buy an antiquary you need to consider the cleaning aspect as well. These appliances need to be treated with care and you can only use certain cleaning products and clothes materials. Other not recommended products might damage the fragility of the product. In case you do not possess complete information on how to take care of your Arcade coffee grinder, we suggest you consult the nearest antiquary store – keeper. These professionals are considered to have the necessary information and skill sets to support you with the Arcade coffee grinder cleaning and maintenance.
As far as replacement parts are concerned, be informed and accept the fact that you will have to struggle in order to find the right and compatible replacement part for your Arcade coffee grinder. Unfortunately, all the models of this company have been discontinued when the company got out of business and this happened almost 70 years before now.
Anyways, many coffee lovers have passed the Arcade coffee grinders from generation to generation and you can find them spread all over the world. Thanks to the virtual communication and information exchange you will be able to find the necessary replacement part in good conditions. The sky is the limit – all you need to do is be focused, patient and search!
At the end, we have to stress out one important advice. As we already mentioned in the very beginning, Arcade coffee grinders are mostly found in different auctions held in different countries. Anyways, they are also found in different online stores.
Because of being accepted as ancient products, different entities might be tempted to reproduce these models and sold them as original ones. This means that you will spend a certain amount of money and you won’t be getting what you have paid for.
One of the main reliable elements to understand whether your Arcade coffee grinder model is original or not is the front glass. The original model’s front glass has a label stamped on it. Of course, due to many years passing by from the production time, this label might have been lost, but yet, it should have left some signs on the glass.
Another smart approach for avoiding unhappy events is choosing a reliable vendor. Make sure that the vendor of your Arcade coffee grinder model has positive customer feedback and also success stories from previous experiences.
To be concluded …
- Arcade Company has left its mark in the coffee industry. Many other coffee grinder manufacturers have based their designs upon the Arcade models.
- You can find Arcade Coffee Grinders all around the world. They have a history of 85 years of success.
- Arcade was not famous only for its coffee grinder models but also for many other products related to home, kitchen and children toys.
- You can still find Arcade coffee grinders in good and working conditions, but you still need to pay careful attention to their maintenance.
- Make sure you are buying your favorite Arcade coffee grinder from a trusted store in order to prevent fake models.
And remember … traditional ancient coffee grinders, once brought at home, are adding a valuable historical element to your next generations to come. Make sure you make learn to your kids or grandkids coffee love in order for them to proudly take care of the Arcade coffee grinder.
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