HOPPER-MÜNZ- UND SCHEIBENZUFÜHRUNGEN

A hopper coin and disc feeder of the inclined disc type is provided with vacuum suction means (6, 7, 8) to hold the coins on the margin of the disc, rather than the disc being provided with mechanical driving means, such as pockets or a high-friction peripheral band. The margin of the disc is provided with a series of circumferentially-spaced through-holes (8), and a vacuum manifold (6) is arranged at the rear of the disc to connect the disc holes in an arcuate region of the path of the disc margin to vacuum (7), the arcuate region extending between the 5 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions of the disc in the direction of rotation, at which latter position the coins in single file are stripped from the disc by a belt conveying means (33). The vacuum manifold can be an arcuate chamber sealed to the disc by parallel seating strips (16, 17), or the manifold may be sealed by a single closed-loop seal (30) that follows the disc margin, but crosses the path of the holes at the 5 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions (A, B).