Vintage Northwestern Chrome Gumball Machine, Painted by Biggs — Pontiac Artist (Vintage & Found)

A floor-standing chrome Northwestern gumball machine loaded with Dubble Bubble's original 1928 flavor — 25¢ per gumball. The machine features a polished octagonal chrome base and pedestal, clear acrylic globe, and a coin-operated dispensing mechanism in full working order. Custom painted by Biggs, a Pontiac-based artist whose work is rooted in the city’s creative community.

Northwestern Corporation has been manufacturing bulk vending machines in Morris, Illinois since 1910 — one of the longest-running vending machine manufacturers in American history. Their chrome floor-standing models became fixtures of American retail life from the 1940s through the 1980s: barbershops, diners, hardware stores, and five-and-dimes. The octagonal chrome base is one of Northwestern’s most recognizable design signatures. Dubble Bubble was introduced in 1928 by the Fleer Corporation — the first commercially successful bubble gum in American history. The “1928 flavor” is the original formula, unchanged for nearly a century.

Biggs’ work on this machine adds a second layer to an already iconic object — a Pontiac artist’s hand on a piece of American commercial history. The result is something that functions as both a working vending machine and a one-of-a-kind art object. One available.

• Painted by Biggs — Pontiac, Michigan artist
• Manufacturer: Northwestern International Inc. — Morris, Illinois (est. 1910)
• Coin mechanism: 25¢ — fully operational
• Gum: Dubble Bubble “1928” Original Flavor — loaded and ready
• Base: Polished octagonal chrome pedestal
• Globe: Clear acrylic
• Condition: Vintage / working — consistent with age and commercial use
• One of a kind — one available