If I were to guess, I would guess the 44 was the first machine that started this collector craze.
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So small and easily moved that they usually spent most of their lives indoors, so very little restoration was needed. Plus the 6 1/2oz bottles were easily available well into the 80's.
Today, I think the 44 is great for display but as far as
value, most people would rather apply that $2K to $3K toward a multivend beer machine.