What's the going rate for an RC 81??

[Seven181]

Gang,

Anyone know a fair price for an RC 81? I have a lead on one, but not sure seems high on the price. The guy wants $11K!!! Says it original.

Brian

[johnieG]

That's what they'd go for restored & I'd darn well would demand to see the inside of the door liner for that kinda money...I'd say if it's a genuine VMC RC81, I'd say $6-8k tops for me.

my two-cents worth anyway.

[Jim]

Condition would play a small part as well...
Is it a nice original or just an 8 on the scale of  1 -10...?
As stated, definitely check thoroughly inside the door liner ! ! !

PS - Did you finally sell the Stoner Mechs...?

[Seven181]

I still have the stoner mechs! Got to find time to get you better pics! I am waiting on pics of the RC 81. Guy says it is original from his grand dad's store. He has had it 25 years. We will see.

[smith]

What will it tell you by looking at the liner? Mike

[Creighton]

You look at the metal of the front door for signs of just welding a RC logo from a cooler.
X-ray would be the only way to tell for sure.
Creighton

[Zach]

XRAY or a die test will show any small signs of welding in a new embossment.

[Cokemachinesandmore]

your first tell tale sign would be if it's painted yellow on the inside, they never spent the money or took the time to paint the inside like the outside of the machine. its usually over spray on the inside of the machine. i would definitely remove the liner to check the backside of the front door.

[loman4ec]

However when I restore a machine i still prime the inside of the door. I could easily grind off the welds and prep and prime the inside and you would never know it was welded in. But most people do not go to this trouble and if you want to be honest that it is a fake I would leave it obvious that it was welded in.

[vintage-air]

Brian, My RC 81 needed a full resto but was all original and pretty clean. With shipping, it cost me around $9k. If you remember, the Penn auction had 3 RC 81's that were original unrestored and they went from 11,500 to 19,000. No need to bother looking at the inside of the door unless you REALLY have to. You've been in this business long enough to tell what's original and what's not. If he's had it for over 25 yrs. and all original, I'd feel comfortable with it. If it was a fully restored machine, with no prior pictures...it would be necessary to document the inside door. Remember people, these machines were taken to the scrap yard and didn't hold much value until recent times. Do what makes you feel comfortable. It's a lot of money for a machine ,yes, but how often do they come up for sale? I know you've always wanted one so just do it already! You won't regret it!

JB