American Restoration, Pawns Stars, Storage Wars, Ect....

[dodge2500]

I started a new post here because I didn't want to steal anyones thunder.

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that these shows are doing more damage than good to our hobby? Everytime I talk to someone about a coke machine 110% of the time they bring up one of these shows. It makes me want to gag. Or when they see one of my restored machines "Oh!! That's just like Rick's Restorations!!" I just laugh and say NOOO, inside I want to say .

On Thursday I drove 100 miles each way to go look at a vendo 81. They guy claimed it was in mint shape and ran perfectly. Long story short the compressor DIDN'T work, there was a dent in the door the size of a Volkswagen, and it was missing the slug rejector. It needed to be completely restored. The guy would not budge from $3000! Why? Because he saw one restored on TV sell for $7500 and thought he was sitting on a gold mine. THANKS RICK!

Its not just this guy, all the machines on eBay and Craigslist are out of control because of this. When I go through the craigslist ads I have to pass by 20 square top machines that are going for $3000  just to find a round top that is unrestored for $4000!  Everytime I get someone on the phone they think they are an expert and know what the machine needs, how much it will cost to fix, and what it will cost after a restoration...

When is this madness going to stop?? I can't take it anymore. I miss the way it was before these shows.

Does anyone else feel the same way or is it just me?

[Kaleid20]

Sing it sister!

There is actually a local antique dealer here in my area who specializes in selling old Coke machines. His business has quadrupled because of that dang show. So I think only the collectors are the ones hurting, the sellers are laughing all the way to the bank. Don't worry...ol Rick will soon go the way of Dog the Bounty Hunter. It's a passing fad for the average joe. I give it 2-3 more years.

[Matt]

Those shows got me into and hooked on the hobby. First I became interested in Coke machines. Now I'd like some other coin op machines like a candy or cig machine. For me, the shows introduced me to 1950s stuff. But I do get the point you're making.... I guess there is good and bad...

[mygoose101]

Before we just had to deal with Vegas. People would go to Las Vegas and I guess there was a store or 2 in an overpriced mall that sold Coke Machines for $7,500 or so, that meant every Coke Machine was worth that, right? I would see a woman selling a Vendo 216 or whatever for the same $7,500 and when I would ask her where she got the price she said, "Vegas Baby!"

[Chris]

It's the same thing Barrett/Jackson did to muscle cars. Now everyone thinks their rust buck in the back 40 without an engine/transmission and interior is work $50K. The sad part is someone WILL pay them for it. I guess it's good for the seller, but your right it kills the collectors and the guys that do this for fun.

[jholmgren]

Those shows got me into and hooked on the hobby. First I became interested in Coke machines. Now I'd like some other coin op machines like a candy or cig machine. For me, the shows introduced me to 1950s stuff. But I do get the point you're making.... I guess there is good and bad...

I have to admit, I'm in the same boat as Matt.  I'd always wanted to own a Coke machine (or 3..4..6) but actually seeing them on American Restoration really renewed my interest in collecting.   I agree that there is a major bump in cost and it is most likely due to popularity of the show.  As mentioned, sooner or later (3-4 years probably) the popularity will die down and prices will recover somewhat. 

Just think about where prices would be if the show was on TV when the economy was booming about 10 years ago!

[bcharlton]

I have said this before.  If you are in the business of making money on this hobby, these shows will help your business.  If you are just a junker collector (like me and others), it has made your hobby less enjoyable.  I am done trying to explain why rough shape Vendo 39s are not worth $3000 because they bring on $8000 when restored.

I am glad I have been collecting this stuff for 15 years and have amassed a few items.  I would be very hard pressed to start this hobby now.  Its too damn hard.



BC

[globalcompressors]

Cry Babies...  

Isn't it about the "thrill" of the hunt? These shows have helped renew the hobby. Ask anyone who is into repairing or restoring
these machines for customers. Business is good. Funny, 3 years ago, no tv shows, bad economy, and I almost lost my
company. Today, I still have a job....Thanks Rick!  

[MaineT]

Simple economics, when you have people restoring 81D's all day long, buying them for $1000 or less, and flipping them making a killing, others will enter the market. The reality is that the machines are selling for that price and therefore they are worth the price that they sell for. Otherwise the professionals, and semi pro's, on this sight would not be making a profit and it would be just a hobby and you would LOSE MONEY SELLING IT. Have you ever sold anything for a profit?

ANYTIME you get interest in something, the value will rise. Its called a correcting in the market based on supply and demand!!! What you are feeling is the prices rising with the value. I feel your frustration, and I too am only looking for the deals, but in the long run renewed interest in the hobby will do nothing but make the market stronger.

Remember:
If your materials do not go up in price, the cost of restoration has not gone up and you will make extra profit on the other end.

If your not selling them and you have 15 restored machines sitting around your house and they all double in price, then WHY is it bad???

If you are a professional or doing this for profit and your machine to restore doubles in price but the selling price restored triple, then WHY is it bad???

I understand where you are coming from, and understand that the rising value may make it to pricey for some to play, but I can't afford $20,000 for scrimshaw, $75,000 for highboys, $130,000 for that Hemi Cuda, and I don't have a $2,000,000 ocean view from my living-room. (and there isn't any Victor Kooler-Grill in my basement- why, cause even if I found one I couldn't afford it anyway!!)

AND GUESS WHAT.... Its only going to get worse!! every 81D that gets restored is one less unrestored one for you to pass on for someone else to buy.

This message board seems to be people, including myself, wanting machines for deals and steals, (and helping each other fix them) This board is not about paying fair market value.. Ebay is for that!! Stuff is worth what you can get for it.

[SIGNGUY]

I agree with both sides as am really on both.. First I am a collector, that is what got me into it... but also I am a restorer and yes business has BOOMED over the last few years.. I'm still booked up with restorations for well into next year... and the phone keeps ringing..

SO for the collectors.. go look at every machine you can if it's close to you, if the guy is at 3,000 for unrestored V81.. leave an offer on paper with your phone number... soon they'll realize your a serious buyer and maybe you'll get that call a month or so later..

like was said, this too will fade, and prices will continue to cycle up and down , just as with most things...

Like Eric Said, the Hunt is half the fun... don't let it get you down...  

[halehouse]

Seems like I've read this before.

[globalcompressors]

Tim...

You didn't get a $2 million dollar ocean view for $29.95?

Thanks for the economics lesson, Professor! Very well put.

Everyone else, DON'T let anyone tell you, "that's what these go for"

NOTHING goes for ANYTHING.... unless it sells! I've been beating this
drum for a while now. You can ask whatever you want...but until it's
sold, the item didn't go for "jack squat"....

Now excuse me.... I have a Vend V-90 to restore... for $8500. Thanks again Rick!  

[Larry]

P.S.  The hunt sucks.

[dodge2500]

The hunt has become a wild goose chase.

Just to clarify, I was venting here because if I did to my wife she wouldn't understand.

The cost of red paint, chrome, zinc, parts, keeps going up because they are in such demand now. So yes the cost of restoring a machine has gone up to those of you who think it hasn't. That doesn't mean the value of the machine has gone up though, just the cost of restoration.

http://orlando.craigslist.org/clt/3023593482.html

Just because people are asking $3000 for a square top machine doesn't mean it is worth that. It just means they will never sell it. My whole point is that before these shows, when I went on eBay, Craigslist, etc.. I didn't have to sift through 40 ads on craigslist only to find one round top machine. I didn't have to drive 200 miles to talk to someone who thought they were an expert because they saw an episode on TV, where a 39 is worth $7000 and transforms into a 72. My favorite line when I am looking at a machine is, "You could restore this machine for $1000 and when your done it will be worth $5000." Everytime, it never fails. How does someone know how much it cost to restore a machine without every having done one themselves??? Because they saw it on T.V. Back before the shows everything was smooth and to the point. Before when someone would have me restore a machine, they would drop it off, and pick it up, and be happy. Now people ask me the process of how I restore a machine and tell me how they would do it. 

Also since I wrote this post last night, the guy I drove out to see has called me 5 times now. I guess he came back from mars and now wants to make a deal. He probably told his wife what I offered him... I wasted $108 in fuel plus time going out there the first time. I am going to let him sweat a little and will let you all know what goes down. I really don't care about the machine anymore and don't want to drive there again.

[MaineT]

P.S.  The hunt sucks.

I love the hunt, don't mine the restoring, hate reselling anything outside of ebay where common folk will pay what something is worth. (not ask the moon!!) This goes for machines, or anything else I come across.

And if someone wants $3000 for a square top Westinghouse and you waste your time and gas looking at it and making an offer, that is not their fault.

[Kilroy]

I believe it to be a Vendo 81  Dave drove out to see.

when the buyers and sellers become more knowledgeable or research  more than looking at an Ebay ad, or  not blinking  for an overcharged quote it will stabilize

[dodge2500]

You couldn't pay me to take a square top machine. That was an example. It made me laugh for a good 10 minutes.

[BONOVOX]

Well, I'll put my 10 cents in.....

What I see that these shows have done, other than get people interested and/or raise the prices because of supply and demand, is that people who have a half decent or even great oringinal 81, or 44, or 39 etc..  are "restoring" the machines themselves and passing them off as restored, when in reality what they have done is devalued the machine.  A car, or pop machine, signs etc are only original once.

THe way I see it is these shows have sped up the process of the original condition machines becoming low or non existent.  Sure, on the flip side these shows have saved a few machines, where Billy Bob the farmer might of had a 81 sitting outside rusting away until his grandson told him he could sell it for $$$ before it becomes rusted out.

If only these shows showed the benifits of keeping some machines original.  It just seems like everyone wants it restored.
I own restored and original machcines, and with the restored ones, they look awesome, I wont lie, but with the originals, they have character, and I look at the nicks and dings and wonder how they happened or who did them, and where are they now etc.....

So, will this hobby have it's ups and downs with regards to price?  Sure it will, like everything else.
YET, unlike other things, they dont make 81 RT's anymore.  They still make Dodge Chargers.

 

[globalcompressors]

And if someone wants $3000 for a square top Westinghouse and you waste your time and gas looking at it and making an offer, that is not their fault.

Exactly! 

Well, I'll put my 10 cents in.....

If only these shows showed the benifits of keeping some machines original.  It just seems like everyone wants it restored.
I own restored and original machcines, and with the restored ones, they look awesome, I wont lie, but with the originals, they have character, and I look at the nicks and dings and wonder how they happened or who did them, and where are they now etc.....

 

and I 100% agree with this also. Personally, I like the original machines. They've "earned" every scratch and bump on them. But,
there are some who want "new" and shiny. That's why they make chocolate and vanilla. 

[MaineT]

Tim...

You didn't get a $2 million dollar ocean view for $29.95?

No, but someone got the important part for some beads and trinkets!!!! Class dismissed!!

If only these shows showed the benifits of keeping some machines original.  It just seems like everyone wants it restored.
I own restored and original machcines, and with the restored ones, they look awesome, I wont lie, but with the originals, they have character, and I look at the nicks and dings and wonder how they happened or who did them, and where are they now etc.....

That show is American Pickers!!! Everything they buy is a rusty original piece of.... Rust!  And they are bringing the same attention to the sign market and old bicycles so I bet those message boards are making the same complaints... people like our hobby and are making my stuff worth more!!! Those b@stards!!!

[BONOVOX]

For me though it's not a question of worth more or worth less.... it's just a question of what we leave behind for others to enjoy. 
As an example, and yes I'm bored at home lol, at the rate that we are digging up dinosaur bones, and learning about them, there will be NO bones to discover 100, 200, etc years from now for or next generations, when there will be better tech, or science etc. to learn about where they lie, why they died blah blah blah.

So, at the rate these machines are being dug up from old barns, there will be no pciks for American Pickers left to pick from, unless you count my or your basement lol.

Just my 6 cents (nickle and a penny please)

 

[BrianS]

I'll throw in a couple thoughts - first, I like the shows.  The knowledge I have gained from this board makes it easy to spot the flaws in them, but they still show interesting items that I enjoy seeing, so I take them for what they are worth and just enjoy them for the items they show.  They are made for entertaining the masses who don' t look any farther than a shiny coat of paint.  And while some people may now think their Vendo Decorator is worth big bucks, they never actually sell for the asking price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-Coke-Machine-Vendo-56A-Meditteranean-/140785615617?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c77a0301

So I say, let them ask.  Ignore the ads and move on to the next one.  There may be square tops popping up all over, but I think the shows also bring out the guys who have the RT 81 out in the barn that hasn't run for 20 years.  Let them ask 5k for it, the higher the better.  It won't sell either.  The average Joe that would love to have a vintage machine in their rec room, and that is most guys out there, will look at it and back off from dropping that kind a cash for a machine that needs major work before it looks like the shiny one they saw on TV.  So follow John's (Signguy) advice and leave a written offer for what you would pay.  When nobody shows up willing to drop big bucks, the seller may actually come chasing you rather than you chasing him. 

I would be interested on one thing though.  My teenage son has taken an interest in collecting 1960s bobbleheads.  One thing he has heard in researching them is that quality examples are only becoming harder and harder to find.  As the internet makes them easy to sell to the masses, the nicer examples are being added to collections and are essentially off the market for the lifetime of the collector.  There are not as many old machines out there as bobbleheads, any thoughts on the longevity of finding quality original machines or machines that are at least restorable? 

I think Dave already has the majority of the midwest examples already hidden in his girlfriends garage.

[Creighton]

>>There are not as many old machines out there as bobbleheads, any thoughts on the longevity of finding quality original machines or machines that are at least restorable?

Around here (NE WA) machines still turn up. Most are out of some old guys shop who is either selling everything to go RV'ing or off to the old folks home. I think there will be finds for another ten years from second generation owners. Then you have my sorry arse that will selling my collection in 20 years. Don't think supply of good machines will dry up anytime soon.
Creighton
 

[Eric]

Sell while you can... these shows will die off... And for buyers there will always be a machine deal out there...
I've found a few in the past couple years... Just hang in there your time will come...
Best not to bad mouth the shows... too many Rick Lovers out there... ignore the bad acting,
staged deals and poor restorations. Once people realize their machine isn't worth 3 grand they'll
come down on price... Leaving your name and number is good advice. At least it's getting people
ready to let loose of the machines..