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Penny Fortune Scale
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| Accession #: | 3941.2 |
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| Title: | Penny Fortune Scale |
| Object Type: | Scale |
| Participants: | |
| Physical Description: | Green metal scale. |
| Description: | This penny fortune scale, made by the Watling Scale Company, stood outside the door of the Fonk's Variety Store in Colfax during the 1940s and possibly into the 1950s. For a penny, a passerby could find out his weight and receive his fortune as the machine advertised "Over 500 Different Dreams...Quiz Questions... Fortunes." A regional chain, Fonk's at one time served Moscow, Wallace, Pullman, Hillyard, Colville, and Colfax with stores that offered a cornucopia of household necessities. The store in Colfax was one of the last Fonk's to liquidate, in March 2000. The coming of automobiles and road improvements brought the eventual closing of many independent and family-run regional businesses after 1950. As transportation became faster and more affordable, people in small towns and rural communities began to commute to larger stores in cities like Spokane. Small stores that had been a vital element of small town Main Street could not compete with discount chain stores and malls, as well as shopping via phone and internet. Other factors also affected communities as social hubs, including the growth of television and other home leisure activities, as well as increased two-income and smaller families. Source: Collection records, Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Spokane; Reinartz, Kay F. The Inland Northwest: A Modern History of a Dynamic Region. Carlsbad: Heritage Media Corp., 2002; Hometowns: Heart of the Inland Northwest (December 5, 2001 - June 20, 2004), Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Spokane. |
| Category: | History |
| Subjects/Topics/Concepts: |
Game (Recreation)
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| Geographical Reference: | Colfax (Washington->Whitman County) |
| Dimensions: |
Object H x W x D 66 x 17 x 26 "
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| Materials/Techniques: |
glass (Material)
metal (Material)
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| Marks/Inscription: |
Over 500 Different Dreams Quiz Questions Fortunes | Your Fortune and Weight-one penny-no springs | Balanced Weight....
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| Related Exhibits: | |
| Credit Line: | Museum Purchase, 2000 |
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