The History of Coin-Operated Hair Irons
The idea of coin-operated hair irons is not new.

During the 1920’s a man named Wally Kalumenos came up with the idea of coin-operated  electric hair iron. This was a completely new and innovative machine back in those days. Wally decided to apply for a patent for this idea and on July 7th, 1926 he was granted this patent….more than 80 years ago.

We guess Wally’s idea was just a little bit ahead of its time because we can’t find any evidence that Wally died a rich man!
Cutting from "Popular Science Monthly" Oct 1927

A cent in the slot, and in two minutes the "hair-curling automat," invented in Europe, electrically heats the attached iron. The hotel guest, aided by the mirror, does the rest.

Patent Claims

While some have claimed to be granted an exclusive patent, this is actually untrue, due to the fact this concept cannot be exclusively patented. The patent authorities have indicated that such a patent application will be disallowed due to prior art (Wally’s patent).