About Us

A Brief History Of Monarch

Monarch Tool and Manufacturing Company was founded in 1903 and incorporated in 1905. The original partners were Mr. Louis Hall and Mr. Walter Boer. Although Monarch was involved in the production of many different parts, from marine engines, to specialty valves, and parts for appliances and automotive parts, from the very beginning we have been involved in the production of coin mechanisms for various applications. Early player pianos used our coin boxes and timers as well as the player bar. Later, juke boxes used Monarch coin devices and many stampings for the internal mechanisms. Pool Tables have long used Monarch Mechanisms as well.

Coin mechanisms with a slide were a part of our line from the earliest days. The unit shown above was used to control player pianos. These were made to accept pennies, nickels and dimes, and included a built-in timing mechanism. Vending machines came on the scene early in the century, and Monarch was there with a push/pull style mechanism to serve that need. Early cigarette, candy, and other vending machines, as well as amusement devices used products similar to the one on the left.

In the early 40's, Mr. Mitchell Hall bought the company from his father & his father’s partner, Lindel Myers. Soon after that, he began working with Ed Heath, who established Heath Sales of Macon Georgia as a company to market Monarch products to the manufacturers. For the next 35 years, this arrangement, based on a handshake and mutual respect, saw Monarch grow and become an innovator in coin mechanisms. We still occasionally get calls wanting to know if we are Heath Sales, as the mechanisms are still in use.

Mr. Hall accumulated a number of patents for features and variations involving coin mechanisms and other products. The birth of the coin operated laundry equipment actually began much earlier than is usually recognized. Pilot projects, using coin mechanisms and timers installed in the skirts of wringer type washers, began as early as 1936, but the re-tooling of America for World War II put all such projects on hold for the duration. During the war, Monarch was involved with the production of parts for munitions, bombsights, and other materiel for the war effort.

After the War, the development of automatic washers as we know them today provided the basis for modern Laundromats. There is an amusing side note to that. In 1996, when the coin laundry industry magazines made a big deal of the 50th Anniversary of coin op laundries, Mr. Hall was asked how it felt to be a part of the birth of a new industry. He responded that when approached by engineers in the late 1930's about such an endeavor, he thought they were nuts. It just goes to prove that an idea that may seem ridiculous today may be a mature industry later.

When the war was over, Monarch was there with the Model 444 Single Coin Mechanism. With only a few cosmetic changes in the intervening years, the mechanism is still available and going strong, although today it is mostly for tokens & Tokettes. It is also used for amusement and vending devices. It is estimated more than 10 million of these units have been made over the decades. This is our primary slide for accepting our unique tokens, but if you still wish to have one that only accepts a penny, we will be happy to oblige!

In the late 50's, Monarch introduced the Model 1000, which accepted two coins. The 444's and the 1000's were the workhorses for the coin laundry industry for many years.

With the radical inflation of the “70's, the time was ripe to introduce the Vertical Eight Coin mechanism, which has proven to be versatile and rugged, serving in many countries for many different coins. We have even developed variations that do “tricks’, such as the token combo unit that will allow one token to override the price setting in quarters. And the Vertical 15 that will accept up to $3.75 in quarters with only one push! The rise of the vertical four and five coin acceptors have made the Model 1000 obsolete and production on this unit was discontinued in the early part of 1996. The Vertical Eights will fit into most machines made for the older coin chutes.

We now have the fourth generation of Halls taking an active part in the operation of Monarch. Mr. Mitchell Hall passed away in 2001. His daughter, Stephanie, continues to manage the day-to-day operations. Recently, her daughter Danielle joined Monarch and is now working and learning the operations of the company.

A few years back, we looked at what we do, and the markets we serve and decided that “Monarch Tool & Manufacturing Company” was somewhat misleading. We no longer produce tooling for other companies, and our manufacturing is primarily for coin and token devices. Now, we are Monarch Coin & Security Inc.

Monarch strives to produce the best products possible. Our efforts include the introduction of new products and accessories, such as the Monarch Key KopTM and the AquaMiserTM Shower Timers, and timers for many unique applications, and the Universal Token/Coin operated Bathroom Lock.

Our position is that we are not just a manufacturer. We are a service provider, and our service is to provide you with the items you need in a prompt manner. All of us at Monarch thank you for your patronage. You are the reason we exist. Moving into our second century, we look forward to serving you for many more years to come.