Posted 14 years ago
Mitor5
(1 item)
I inherited this Vendo 44 Coke machine when my grandfather passed away, he had it in his beauty salon in Memphis. It still works and (I'm no collector) but it seems to be in very good condition. When he retired and they were moving everything out the key got lost. Does anyone know where/how I may be able to get a key to open it up? Also, I have no intention on selling but a rough appraisal would be appreciated too? Regards.
B.J. Summers has this priced at $1600.00. His prices though, are sometimes a little off.
U Lucky Dog! (er-um-Guy..lol) That is Awsome! 2,000 easy....
thats very nice. i remember my granddad had one. to bad he only sold it for couple hundread bucks. would of been worth good money .. i no id liked to of had it for the living room
Ray,
I understand your comments about restoration of coke machines and true collectors wanting original condition machines. However Randy who is a friend of mine does excellent restoration work on these machines and is very meticulous and is taking these machines back to as original condition as possible. Just because someone is rich does not mean they do not care about the history of coke items. Maybe they just want a pristine coke box as a show piece. I am sure Randy would not destroy the originality of a very nice coke box. All of the ones I have seen that he has restored really needed it.
I have been restoring antique furniture for more than 30 years and some people think that is a terrible thing to do to an old original finish. Around 75% of the items I restore have little to no value in the condition they are in when I receive them. But when I am done with the piece it becomes a treasure to that person. These pieces would end up on the side of the road for the trash truck. I have refused to refinish items that are in original condition with very minor defects like scratches, dents or mars. These type items in some cases are more valuable in the original state than restored state. So are the antiques I restore worthless I do not believe so I have made them usable and saved them for the future generation of antique collectors.
I have much respect for what Randy does he is very talented.
Trenchartman
I personaly love my rusty little coke cooler in my room. It has some dents, scratches, and other stuff, but hey, it's shows somebody used it the way it should of been, and if you think about it, each little scratch or dent has a story. Oh that dent is from when my uncle bob threw a baseball at it. Or that paint scratch is when little andy was playing toy soilder on it. When you re-paint it, un-dent it, or completely restore the entire thing. All the history is gone forever, and if a relitive dies without telling anybody about the storys it had, there's no evidence, or markings to tell the fun thing familys did with it 60 years ago.
I love your cooler CCK! And your fire extinguisher in the pic, I have one of those too. Good conversation piece. My husband and I bought a '78 Firebird Formula for a thousand bucks, restored it with original parts and sold it for $12,500.... some things just need a good correct restoration for them to continue on in life.... otherwise they end up in a junk yard rusting away. :) Isn't it nice that as humans we can agree to disagree and move on?
Everything on this machine is original, unless my grandfather had to make a repair during its use in his parlor; which I have no idea. I have no plans on any restoration except for the lock if need be, I like it the way it is and believe it adds to the character. Personal preference...
OH LOL why in the world did I think it was CCK's? The blonde in me come out from time to time.