This information provided via the courtesy of Vintage Slots of Colorado, Inc.
If you have an antique coin machine and want to sell it, please send me
an email. If I am not interested in it, I will forward your email to a collector
who probably is.
The following information is the web version of Coin Op on CD which was a book all about antique coin machines and it was distributed on a CD-ROM. This book was written in 1995 and sold in 1996. Please take this into consideration when reading the articles. There are no plans to come out with version 2. However, we do plan on periodically updating the information on the web version.
The CD version of the book has pricing information as well as a dealer directory. Since the prices are out of date and many of the dealers/collectors may no longer be collecting the machine we have purposely left this information out of the web version. However, we do keep in contact with many dealers and collectors who are actively buying and selling machines and would be happy to put you in touch with one if you have a machine you are looking to sell.If you are looking to purchase an antique coin machine you may also send me
an email and I will put you in touch with a reputable dealer. Odds are, I will
not be selling the machine you are looking for (since I rarely sell any
machines).
Buying Vintage Coin Machines
By Dick Bueschel
There is little question that in the buying and selling of vintage coin machines there is a direct relationship between the price, or estimated value, of the machines and the transaction. But price is not as influential a determining factor as you might believe. The key factors in buying and selling are the reasons why, and at what point in the distribution stream you are taking action, the latter being the most significant influence on the money expended or received.
Probably more than any other form of antique endeavor, vintage coin machines (or any of the other dominantly male enthusiasms such as working machinery, cars, electrical appliances, typewriters and similar Industrial Age artifacts, not to say that women aren't just as avid once they have caught the bug) are regarded very much like the production and marketing of manufactured products. In the life cycle of mechanical goods, from raw materials to the finished product in a customers' hands, there is a rigid producing and marketing stream which is paralleled by an equally rigid stream of supply and sales to coin machine collectors. In manufacturing, at each step along the way as sales are made, each supplier to the next step makes a profit for value added through manufacturing or marketing. In vintage coin-ops the same holds true, although the profit or markup is generally higher. In coin-ops it is customary for the dealer with the piece to sell it for twice as much as it cost when it was picked up. This traditional "Dealer Doubling" is deeply imbedded in vintage coin-ops sales and has become the way of its world. It means that a machine that was "discovered" for $100 will quickly run up to $1,600 in estimated value by the time it has reached its fifth owner, and go even higher if the machine is rare and unique enough to stay the course. In the case of a particularly interesting or exciting find, and because the dealers and advanced collectors are in such close contact with each other, that can happen as fast as a week or two or three through myriad telephone calls, actual visits to view the machine and subsequent wheeling and dealing, a buying and selling characteristic of the rarer and more desireable coin-ops.
Here's how the system works:
Machine Holder Gets Paid Marketing Point Industrial Equivalent
Original Owner $100 Find Raw Material
Picker/Estate Sale$200 Finder Mill Supply
Flea Markets/Shows$400 Good Deal Manufacturer
Dealers/Auctions $800 Wholesale Jobber/Distributor
Specialized Dealer$1,600 Retail Retailer
Collector $3,200 Top Retail Boutique
Advanced Collector($6,400)* Museum Class Consumer
* Appraised value.
It behooves the buyer or seller of coin-ops to understand this distribution system in order to get the best deal when they are buying or the most for their machine when selling.
Conversely, there is a great value to staking out a position on the coin-op distribution stream and sticking to it in order to get what you want. Some buying examples will prove the point. Assuming you are a collector that has a good eye for rare and exotic machines, by staking your claim as a buyer at "Top Retail" you can save enormous amounts of money and travel time by just waiting for the "finds" to work their way up to you, at which point you make the buy with little question. If you are that kind of a buyer, your task is simple. Just make contact with the Specialized Dealers across the country, tell them what you are looking for, and the machines will come to you. You will also want to attend the advanced auctions of coin-ops and antique advertising. You might end up in a bidding war with other collectors, both with dealers and at auctions, but you still have a shot at a machine that would otherwise be lost to you. At that point you make the decision about how much you will be willing to pay for what you get, passing to other collectors if their buy decision leads to a willingness to make a stronger commitment. The same goes for the Advanced Collectors. They often maintain contact with Specialized Dealers as well as Collectors to pick up what they want. They have usually heard about any new machine on the market through the vintage coin-op underground conduit, and if they're interested they make their wishes known and can then pick and choose what they want, provided they are willing to pay for it.
All of this is at the higher levels of vintage coin-op collectibility. But what about the rest of us? If you want to get good machines at good prices, you should frequent those steps in the marketing stream that offer you the prices you are willing to pay. Unless you are willing to get into a van and scour the countryside, hit farm and out-of-the-way estate auctions, and dig through junkyards and the like (which some people like a lot, often leading to very good buys), forget being a picker and a finder. Your best best is at the next entry level at Flea Markets, antique shows, antique dealers in malls and shops and advertised auctions. In all candor, this is where most of the vintage coin machines that ultimately enter the collector market are found. But you must face the fact that they might be a bit rough, non-working and even a "basket case," needing some TLC and an experienced hand to get them back into shape and operation.
That brings us to the specialized vintage coin-op dealer, and the most reliable source for collectible machines. That's not to say that all dealers are true blue; there's liable to be a bad apple in every barrel. But in the main they are dependable, trustworthy, informative and, most important of all, willing to stand behind their sale. They have to know their product to be able to buy wisely, "shop" the machine to bring it back to workability, and arrange for restoration where needed, or where desirable for a display machine. You will find these dealers advertising in the leading antique publications, in local newspapers (when ads say "Will Buy" it usually means the advertiser will sell, too), in the coin-op fanzines (specialized coin machine collector magazines) and exhibiting at the many vintage coin-op, jukebox, slot machine and antique advertising shows that take place around the country throughout the year. To get the needed assurance of their reliability, confirm the fact that they will give you some form of operating guarantee with your machine and then ask for references. There should be no problem in asking for the names (and telephone numbers) of recent customers. And once contacted, these happy (or perhaps even unhappy) customers will fill you in in a hurry. You should pick you vintage coin-op dealer in the same way you would pick your doctor. If you intend to become a coin-op collector this could well be a long term relationship.
Traditionally the biggest antique advertising and vintage coin-op show, and the one where you will find all sorts of machines and dealers at numerous points in the marketing stream-from pickers to antique dealers, specialized coin machine dealers and even collectors-is the world class Chicagoland Show conducted twice a year in the Spring and Fall, usually in April and November, although there are now half a dozen or more shows around the country running throughout the year. Keeping track of vintage coin-ops through the fanzines, or watching your local newspapers (check the antiques shows section weekly!), will alert you to these events. You'll get a crash course in coin-ops and collectibility when you go, and will most likely enjoy every moment of the visit.
Q. - I discovered this cigarette machine in a basement and can't find any information about it. It was last licensed in 1955, but I think the Bakelite handles date it earlier. S.W., Denton, NC.
A. - That was a very astute observation of yours. Bakelite handles! It certainly sounds earlier than 1955. And it is. Your machine is the DuGrenier (Arthur H. DuGrenier, Inc.) ELECTRIC of December 1948. It was part of the new line of post-WW2 line of cigarette venders, with both MECHANICAL (e.k. manual) and ELECTRIC models being made, and looking quite different. Sadly, vending machines of this type have never caught on. I have seen them at coin-op shows listed at $125, and remaining unsold. An average retail price is $70 to $100, and a lot less if you're selling. In fact, if there are vintage cigarette packs in the machine, they might be worth more.
But this does give me a chance to expound on a theory. If we are indeed approaching a "Smokeless Society," so desired by the Surgeon General's Office, that means that cigarette artifacts will disappear. It's my hunch that cigarette collectibles will be very desirable items a generation away from today. Can you wait? If you can, you can bet that in the year 2020, your DuGrenier might be a hot item.
Q. - I need information about my oak gumball machine, including age and value. S. D., Grand Rapids, MI.
A. - Your machine is the BABY GRAND DELUXE made by the Victor Vending Corporation of Chicago in 1951, and for some years thereafter. Primarily a gumball vender, it was also used for candies and charms. Often the local operator would dedicate a portion of the funds received to charity, thus the "Help the blind to help themselves" decal on the plastic front of your machine. A major feature is that there are two locks, one to add the merchandise and the second for the money.
At retail the machine is valued at $50, or half that for wholesale, or your selling price. Shops may try to charge more, but the collectible value isn't there.
Q. - Enclosed find photo of two condom machines I acquired as part of an estate purchase. Give me some idea of value and where they can be sold. They date from the 1950s and have no manufacturer's ID on them. W. T., Napoleon , OH.
A. - I wonder if someone didn't slip those condom machines into the estate sale, as you can still buy them in virtually new condition from a unique and interesting dealer named Mr. Condom, 1725 Lincoln, Dubuque, IA 52001 (or you can call him at 319.556.3633). Your machines are one and the same, with someone apparently putting different decals on them to cover some graffiti or whatever (probably to avoid repainting them). Condom machines are frequently defaced where they are placed on location, and need repainting frequently. These machines were made by the Bluff City Manufacturing Company of Elgin, Illinois, in the 1960s. You have the Model L100 that vends 144 packs of condoms at 25› each, or 72 packs at 50›, depending on how it is set up. The manufacturers nameplate was silk screened in the coin instruction area, but is usually covered over when a machine is repainted. Once refurbished and ready for operation, Mr. Condom sells the L100 for $85, or refinishes them for collectors for $50. He will pay between $10 and $15 each for them depending on their appearance and working condition, although he says his current inventory is quite high.
You might want to call or send for his catalog. It's wild! Send two stamps.
(c) Richard M. Bueschel, 1993