Starting in the early 1970s the “XII Signs” that’s “12 Signs” company produced the “Starscroll” vending machines which quickly exploded all over America due to the 60s/70s renewed interest in the occult and things such as “Astrology”.  They lurked in bars and grocery stores and sometimes department stores and Arcades.  Though aimed at adults many a child’s interest in Astrology no doubt was sparked by seeing one of these machines.  Waiting for the parents to finish whatever business they had they would spin the wheel, seeing all the signs and the easy guide at the bottom to help the uninitiated not waste that first quarter - later retrofitted for two.          Inside was a very dense pack of horoscopes for the upcoming month.  In addition to the legend on the bottom right there were two other ways of avoiding customer dissatisfaction;  First the upper

middle display had 12 base plates for the month of the year.  When the vendor changed the faceplate that meant he had unloaded the old scrolls and put in new scrolls.  There was a small area of transparancy at the outside of the wheel

which appeared at the bottom of the machine when turned to the appropriate sign.  This way the customer could tell if there were more scrolls left for that month.  This was very good for indeed this was a very popular vending machine that only the changing times of the late 90s could at last kill off.  Nowadays you can always find a used one on Ebay though the scrolls are no longer manufactured.  If I had a bar or public space ownership I’d probably buy one, restore it, put in alternative scrolls for old times

sake, though I’d have to change the logo to avoid copyright issues.      Like many things here, this represents an America that is no more.  A unique idea, beautiful execution, nostalgia for things past.