Cavalier c144

[ZMonet]

Just to beat myself up a bit, I was wondering if I can get some opinions on the value of this machine.  The owner advertised it as a 1986 Cavalier CS144, but I think it is a C144 from the 50s.  What would a non-working one of these go for?  I was watching the auction the final minutes, but ultimately decided that a trip to Philly to pick up a machine that weighs 450+ pounds just wasn't in the cards.  The auction closed at $110.

LINK TO EBAY AUCTION: http://tinyurl.com/kfpho

[collecture]

Walter's 3rd book gives the C-144 a high rarity rating of 4.75, but a low avg. condition value of $200. This one looks just like the one pictured in his book, so I think you are right in that it is not a CS series. No mention in Jeff's book of bottle sizes it will vend or weight. The Vendo 144 will handle regular and King Size Cokes and weighs 450 lbs. Too big for my taste!

[ZMonet]

Thanks Collecture.  How accurate is Walter's 3rd edition in terms of pricing?  This seems like a hobby that is beginning to take off, making me think that book values mean very little.  Of course I haven't been in the hobby long enough to really say.  

I wonder why this woman thought this machine was from 1986.  Strange.

[collecture]

The book value is more of a guideline than anything else. Any collectible is worth what somebody is willing to pay for it.

[audiobeer]

Book values on the collectible machines are very low. I wish I could buy machines for the outdated book values. I would never play the stock market again!

[MoonDawg]

This is so true, I think Jeff's latest book in now 10 years old, and I understand that there will be no new edition printed.
       Who has a computer program available where actual transactions could be stored then sorted for statistics.
       For example, if I added every Vendo 39 on Ebay to my watch list, then when the listings end, (if sold), I log in the ACTUAL selling prices along with their grading of 1 to 10.  Private sales always bring more money and they should be recorded whenever possible.  After the first year the computer will have enough data to tell us what that machine is actually worth in today's market, and could keep us posted of price variations in the future.
       Any ideas?