Coin Machine Collector Marvin Yagoda Of Marvins Marvelous Mechanical Museum Dies At 78

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI -- Marvin Yagoda, who is among the world's best-known collectors of coin-operated amusement devices, died on Jan.8. He was 78.

The founder of Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum here, Yagoda bought his first machine in 1960 and collected ever since. Yagoda, who worked as a pharmacist for 50 years, steadily acquired what would become one of the world's largest and most diverse private coin machine collections before opening his museum in 1990.

Since its opening, the museum has attracted a wide array of visitors, from rock stars to school children, who flock to see and learn about coin-op machines. The exhibits, housed in a 5,500-sq.ft. museum venue with 40-ft. ceilings, also include collections of animatronic figures and carnival sideshow posters, among other ephemera. Many of the exhibits can be played, while others are for display only.

Not surprisingly, the museum, which instantly became a Detroit-area landmark, has also become a tourist destination featured in multiple guidebooks. The World Almanac named the Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum one of the 100 weirdest museums in the world. In recent years, Yagoda made guest appearances on the television show "American Pickers" as an appraiser (see video).

Yagoda is survived by his son Jeremy, who now runs the museum.