Magnificent machines tempt bidders at Preston Opportunities, Sept. 3

MACON, Ga. – Preston Opportunities will hold a Spectacular Coin-Op and Jukebox Auction on Saturday, September 3 and Sunday, September 4, beginning at 9:30 am Eastern time on both days. Absentee and Internet live bidding for the September 3 session will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Headlining the event will be items gathered during the course of four decades – mostly jukeboxes, speakers, arcade games, slot machines and trade stimulators – from a collector who was a longtime friend of Preston Evans, the owner of Preston Opportunities. Per an agreement between the two made 30 years ago, Evans was able to acquire the collection.

All of it will come up for bid during the Labor Day weekend auction. “A collection of this caliber could have only originated from an avid collector,” Evans said. “The owner acquired these fine pieces, one by one, resulting in one of the most superb collections in the country. These beautiful and elegant machines speak for themselves. This sale, over 600 lots, is truly a connoisseur’s dream.”

The lineup contains 13 vintage Wurlitzer jukeboxes, all playing 78 rpm records, all beautiful and all in excellent condition. They include two Peacock 850 models, a 950, an 800, a 1015, a 750, a 1080, a 780, an 1100 and a 1943 Victory jukebox. Wurlitzers that play 45 rpm discs will include a One More Time jukebox.

Rare speakers can be more valuable than the jukeboxes that power them. Up for bid at Preston Opportunities will be a 41 model in excellent condition; a 61 model; a 4009 model that is one of only 1,000 produced; a wall-hanging 4008 model; a 4031 model similar to one that sold for $40,000 in one of Evans’s prior auctions; and some small speakers that are now all the rage.

The slot machines in the auction are absolutely magnificent. Examples include two Mills 10-cent Black Cherry machines; a Jennings Little Duke slot; a Golden Nugget slot; and machines by Pace and Sphinx. Some are called jukeboxes because they pay out money; others, such as Caille’s The Tourist, pay out in prizes. The cigarette machine slots pay out in cigarettes.

A total of 18 gorgeous 1930s-era Catalan tube radios appear in the auction, including a Skyscraper model that requires the radio to be played behind the scenes by an operator. The toys category includes collectible cast-iron banks and a U-Turn Caterpillar bulldozer. Other items offered in groups include lawn jockeys, car and train collectibles, drugstore items and aluminum canisters.

In addition, Evans was fortunate enough to procure some items from the now-defunct Enrico Caruso Museum in Brooklyn, New York, thanks to his friendship with the former owner. These include sheet music, records and music boxes (“anything to do with Caruso, this sale has,” he said). Also, the auction lineup will include a very early coin-operated Edison phonograph called a hexaphone.

“I realize I’m taking a bit of a risk holding this sale when I am, with inflation soaring and the economy the way it is right now,” Evans said, “but I believe people should do with their money what they love best. Many of the items in this auction are investments as art, and I am describing them that way. These investment-quality pieces of art will stand the test of time.”

To learn more about the Preston Opportunities auction house, please visit www.prestonopportunities.com. To inquire about purchasing a brochure or to ask about any other matters, phone 478-461-4931 or email presto434343@yahoo.com or kdbraswell01@yahoo.com.

 

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