If I were to guess, I would guess the 44 was the first machine that started this collector craze.
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.