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Author Topic: AUSTRALIAN Coke Vendo 56 Square-Top Machine  (Read 4386 times)
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kdog
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« on: August 31, 2018, 03:25:43 am »

Gday from Down Under.

So I have an Australian (yes that's a thing) Coke Vendo 56 Square-Top machine (7 shelf).  While Coke machines are a lot more common in the states, here in Australia when Coke decommissioned these machines, they were usually either scrapped, or converted into standard shelve fridges with welded over vending doors and everything removed from the coin mech area, along with the coin door.

The only American Vendo 56 square-tops I've seen here in Australia were straight imports.  These look like Vendorlators, and I'm guessing that Coke dumped them here here in Australia badged as Vendo.  Some here in Australia have confused them with Vendo 63's, as apart from the different bezel, they looked almost identical when they had the same color scheme.

It took me 6 years to find one in this state that was fully working with all pieces present.

Can anyone give me a opinion on how much this is worth? 


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mygoose101
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« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2018, 07:01:35 pm »

Glad you found one, looks almost the same as the ones here. If that was an American version here in the States would be worth about $200-$250, can't speak for what yours might be worth there.
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kdog
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« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2018, 11:27:17 pm »

Glad you found one, looks almost the same as the ones here. If that was an American version here in the States would be worth about $200-$250, can't speak for what yours might be worth there.

I never saw a 56 here with a light panel.  All the bottle machines I saw as a kid had this same red pain scheme with a white door and variations between the "enjoy Coke" and the coca-cola ribbon painted onto a metal panel instead of a light panel, and one of cokes various slogans pained on the sides/ribbon.

The ID badges on the machines were always Vendo, and they either had V56 on them or HA56 etc.  I actually met a fridge technician from Coca-Cola Amatil here in Australia working on a modern display fridge in a supermarket.  He had been with the company almost 40 years, and had worked on these very machines when they were in service.  He told me that these machines were built specifically for the Australian market.  There are a few differences I will go into in the appropriate discussion area.

As to the value of this machine, $250 USD is $347 Australian, but I paid $1700 AUD ($1222.49 USD).  Now some of you may go WTF, but keep in mind you guys in the states have a lot more of these types machines than we ever did and currently do.  While stores and companies would buy these machines over there, here these machines were mostly owned and operated by Coke.   When the time came for Coke to switch to Plastic 600ml bottles over here, these machines ended up getting taken away by Coke and either being completely scrapped, or gutted and converted into standard fridges by Coke employees, and sold, given away, or used at Coke in their breakrooms.  Essentially Coke did not want working vending machines they did not control used by others to sell coke or competitors products.  Even if the shelves and bottle rack were left in the machine, the coin mechanisms were removed to ensure that it couldn't be used in a retail setting.

However, some of these machines fully working internals were saved by Coke employees and taken home unofficially.  Over the years, people would find an ex-Coke employee selling one of these machines much cheaper, either in working on non-working condition depending on how it was used/stored etc.  Its usually the 2nd or 3rd owner who jacks up the prices, especially since the History Channel showed us here in Australia what old vending machines could be.  Frankly, I got sick of people offering me a rusted out machines, with no shelves or bottle rack or coin mech, and asking $2000 for it.  Or ones that had been repainted with housepaint....  veryangry

A few weeks before I found mine, someone sold an identical machine for $400, but that one had cosmetic issues, and was sold as non-working, even though it had all the internals.  While I tried t buy that, I am glad I didn't get it as buying a non-working machine over here is a crap shoot.  You don't know if you can get it working again, or find someone who can fix it even if it can.
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MoonDawg
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« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2018, 12:15:44 pm »


 Welcome to the group Dog.

        It's hard to identify your panel as being a light up, here they have a frame holding in a plexi-glass panel.

        The main difference I notice with your machine is the module next to the coin mechanism with the coin tubes in it. Do you know it's function yet?
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Glen
kdog
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« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2018, 02:51:46 am »

Welcome to the group Dog.

        It's hard to identify your panel as being a light up, here they have a frame holding in a plexi-glass panel.

        The main difference I notice with your machine is the module next to the coin mechanism with the coin tubes in it. Do you know it's function yet?

Like I said, the Panel at the top front is metal with painted logo.  I've never seen V56's here in Australia with a light up panel.  Have seen V63's with light panels though.

Yes I do know the tubes function..  That was one of the main differences I was going to go into in the appropriate section, as this is the estimated values section.  Quickly though, its a change giver.  The coin mech has a cable this change giver plugs into via its own cable, and it dispenses 1 cent, 2 cent, and 5 cent pieces back when Cokes cost 20-50 cents etc.  I think they stopped using it before these models were pulled out of service, and they set it it become exact change machines.  None of the American machines have never had anything like it.

Oh, here is something else that may affect the value of my machine.  Apparently Coca Cola Amatil here in Australia never sell any of their old machines.  Just use them for spare parts and scrap the rest. I know however that Coke employees used the shells to make standard shelve fridges for their work rooms or for others, and that some of these machines were taken home by employees instead of them being junked, and many of both these types have been sold later on.

It seems Coke will sometimes check sites like Ebay and Gumtree to see if any Coke machines listed online (either more modern machines or vintage) are one of their old ones.  More modern machines can be checked via their serial numbers to see if it was a Coke owned or Operator owned (sold direct from manufacturer like Dixie Narco to someone other than Coke to run it).  Vintage machines are checked to see if they have Red interiors.  If they do, then it was a Coke owned machine.  If its black, blue, white or any other color, then it was operator owned.

Coke will then tell the owner of a ex-coke machine that they still own the machine, and that they have to surrender it, or they will take legal action.  Again, I know damn well most of the vintage glass bottle AUSTRALIAN machines still found in partial or complete form all came from current or ex/retired Coke employees originally.  The first I heard about this was last night on a forum here in Australia.  This is why so few of these machines still exist, either partially or completely.

Frankly, plenty of Australian machines have been sold online over the years, but Coke only seem to check online listings rarely.  The machine I bought had been listed online on Gumtree.com.au for about 5 years, and no one said boo to the previous owner.  I am not sure if Coke would go after a machine this old, as it seems its also about preventing private operators from competing with CokeVending by siting can machines in places like offices or sports clubs etc, and deprive coke of full vending sale prices by having the operator stock it from a supermarket


EDIT:  Oh, and thanks for the welcome.  Nice to talk with people who know the area better than I do  hopefull
« Last Edit: September 02, 2018, 03:31:16 am by kdog » Logged
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