The Otago Vintage Machinery Club’s Outram museum has one of the machines, acquired when Bell Tea closed its Dunedin factory in 2014.
"We’re looking for someone to make it work," museum volunteer Bob Sims said.
The museum is chock-full of interesting artefacts from trucks used in the 1920s and 1930s to an old engineering shed brought to the site from Milton.
Then there is an old Fordson Major tractor — "You could probably still use it," Mr Sims said — a Gnat that predated quadbikes and even a McMurdo Sound tractor.
The museum even has a small telephone exchange and lots of vintage phones. They have no old directories, though, and would like some to complete the display.
"You’ve got to be scroungy," Mr Sims said.
Another item on the "want list" is old car registration plates.
Until 1925, each region was responsible for its own registrations. Then annual plates were issued until 1941 when a shortage of steel meant plates became valid for five years. Permanent aluminium plates started in 1964, initially with silver letters and numbers on a black background. In November 1986, black script on a white background was introduced.
Although the vintage machinery museum has a good range of pre-1964 plates it would love to fill the gaps.
"We’d love one of the old police number plates," Mr Sims said.
If you can help, contact Neil Gamble, phone 0274 473 3036 or email Bob Sims on simsrob730@gmail.com.
The museum, in the Taieri Historical Park, George King Memorial Dr, Outram, is open (entry by donation) on Wednesdays and Sundays, and a special open day will be held at Labour Weekend.
