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Did anyone else see the Vendo 81 C on craigslist for sale. It was posted for $395.00. I called the guy and he said he sold it for $500.00 and had three other people behind this guy. I knew it was a C but did not tell him this. Six hours later he calls me and tells me he found out it was a rare Vendo 81 C and wanted me to tell him what it was worth. I told him it was worth whatever he was comfortable getting out of it. Then he told me that he might just keep it and restore it himself. I was thinking to myself "" Oh boy I feel sorry for the guy that thinks he bought it for $500.00 "". The guy that had the Coke machine restores old gas pumps and has never messed with Coke machines. He told me he got it straight out of a barn. The Vendo 81 C does exist. It was an all red machine with a green medallion in the door, and the wording Coca-Cola was centered in the door, and had no chrome trim. It would have been a great machine to have gotten and restored it. So I wonder if he sold it to the guy for $500 or if he kept it?

They are out there, a few years ago a few popped up for sale all across the country in a 3 month time frame. One was in Maine, another in Maryland, and the third Mr Carl Coates had. I made a good run for the one in MD but got outbid.

Joey

         Listed it for $395 and sold it for $500 huh? He had 3 other guys besides you waiting?
And some JERK told him it was an 81C? :darn:

        Is the CL listing still posted?

There was a C at the Chicago show a few years back.  I still like the B's the best.

What's unusual is, typically, letter designations would came in sequential order with time and age; meaning, you would think a V-81b would be manufactured before a V-81c... If this were the case, it seems odd that the V-81b is a "white top" which coincides with Coca-Cola's "New Look" theme at the time and then comes a V-81c with no chrome and an "all red" look... The timing is off or it would seem the V-81c was manufactured first and for some reason when Coca-Cola went to the "White Top" Styling they choose to use the "B" version for some reason...
Just thinking out loud...

Unless Coke ordered some all red machines for some markets or venders that didn't want the white. Maybe it would be distracting in an office and they only wanted one color or something like that?????

You both have some really good points.

So since I am new and don't want to miss out, are the Vendo 81C's the only 81s that came in all red?  So if its all red and the wording on the medallion is in green, check the Vendo tag for a type to be sure or just offer to trade a vital organ???  Thanks for the knowledge, RED

The 81A is all red with a smaller embossing off-center and a green medallion. The 81B is two-tone with the larger embossing more centered and a white medallion. The 81C would be all red with a green medallion and the larger embossing more centered. The 81D is two-tone with larger centered embossing, a white medallion and a large coin door (the A, B & C are all small door models).

Yes. Yes, not sure about trading a vital organ, Unless the seller is a collector and knows what he has, you could prolly pick one up for market value.
Personally, i don't care about having one of all four models,  and the all red just doesn't look right, maybe from the years of seeing  the two tone. Your opinion may vary

I partly ask as I recently got a VMC 81 Transitional 7UP machine from a guy who also had a Vendo 81.  He or someone had tried to repaint it at some point and it was two toned but I could see where the graphics had been painted over on the side.  I noticed it had a green medallion though.  I could go into the story about the half tail job that he was planning on doing to restore it.  I gave him the fun-tronics website and told him since he had an 81 that those were pretty collectable it would be worth it in the long run to restore it right.  Also I told him to call me when he decided to get rid of it, but I am now curious to find out what he has.  Probably nothing extra special but, I think it had a green medallion as that caught my eye.  Haven't been around any 81's before and being a newbie I didn't know all the little details.  Plus I was there to get a different one and was more concerned on getting it loaded.  Thanks for the info.  Please feel free to pass along any knowledge you got. 

I agree with Jim, I really don't get the "order" that they came out , and Josh as far as some vendors didn't want the white, I have a hard time believing that Coke would Change their marketing message just for a "Special Few" that said it clashed with there office or business decor? so not sure what that is all about?

Personally like the two toned b's and D's the best too... I've even two toned an A once or twice via a Customer request...

My idea was just a thought. It could have also been during the transition to white top machines. They could have already made the white topped B model and while testing the new color scheme they made the C with the current colors to test the market?? These are all just ideas. It does make sense that it could have been a market study to which machines caught the eye better and the B model won?

Josh  makes a valid point, when were the c's  built, during or after the decision to go two tone was invoked?