Help! Good price for Seeburg 100C ?

I'm looking for some advice for my mother. She's been offered a trade
for her Seeburg juke box: $600 in home repair services, + the guy will
come and get the juke box out of her basement (located in SE Mass. USA)
and take it to his home. Is this a good deal?

The good thing: it's a known "buyer," who'll take it now, as opposed
to it sitting for another many years in her basement waiting for
another buyer... And the guy will move it, too. It gets it out of the
cluttered house.

The bad thing: we don't know the actual worth on it... Skimming
through archived newsgroup postings, and looking at some units on eBay,
based on the condition of her unit, I think it's fair deal, but I want
to get a gut-check from some people who are in-the-know.

The juke box is a Seeburg. The plate on the back says it's a Model
100C, Serial # 22185. The top cover says "Seeburg 100 Select-O-Matic".
It holds 50 45rpm records, so a total of 100 songs (1 on each side).
She thinks it's a 1957, but she says she could be off a year or two.

It has a plate on it saying that "nickels will be returned." It takes
quarters. Originally it would play 3 songs for a quarter, but it
decided on its own to switch to 2 songs for a quarter...

My mother says that the juke box shown during the opening of the TV
show "Happy Days" looks like her juke box, but whenever they'd show the
juke box in the diner in the show, it was a different model...

The last record changeout was done around 1972. I've taken one of the
records for my own music collection, but the remaining 49 records are
still in there, and their dust jackets are stored inside...

It is known to need a 5 Amp fuse.

It had a cover over the mechanism, but that is currently AWOL (hiding
somewhere else in the basement...)

It powers on, some bulbs/buttons light up but others do not (like
"select"). The turntable rotates (it probably thinks it is in the
middle of playing a record), but the mechanism which goes side to side
to pick up the records is not moving.

The juke box, since it has been sitting unused in the basement so long,
has enough dirt/dust on it that "you could plant potatoes on it" (as my
mother puts it).

The known history on the unit: In 1969 my father was holding a New
Year's Eve party at a hall, but he couldn't get a live band, so he
bought this juke box second-hand for $75. 3 songs for a quarter. He
and some friends rigged it to return the quarter to you, so it would
essentially play for free (perpetually use the same quarter), and it is
still set up this way.

After the party it lived for a few years on a screened porch. My
mother thinks that the temperature it was subjected to caused
"inflation" as the juke box changed on its own from 3 plays/quarter to
2 plays/quarter.

Around 1980 (give or take a few years), my parents built onto the
house, and created a basement, where the juke box was moved to, and
still resides...

I know that as a kid in the '80s I used to play the juke box often, it
was fun. But I don't think it's been in working order since the
'90s...

Please let me know over the weekend (May 13-15, 2005), if at all
possible, if the $600+handling for the Seeburg jukebox is a good deal.

Without pictures it's VERY hard to say if this is a good deal for your
mother or not.
Seeburg 100C jukes are fairly desirable. Being that it lived for several
years on a screened in porch it might have some significant cabinet damage
that would make the $600.00 amount a fair price. If the cabinet is nice it's
probably too low of a price.
The mechanism, amplifier, and other mechanical parts are easy to fix. It's
the cabinet that is the hard part to restore.
I have purchased several Seeburg 100C's in the last few years. I gave
$500.00 for one that was really rough. Basically the cabinet fell apart as I
moved it. The others I gave over $1,000.00 for (each).
Can you email me some pics?
I would guess that you can probably get some good advice from someone local
to you. Maybe someone from this newsgroup will but it for more than the
$600.00 and then your mom will end up with some extra cash after paying for
the repair. Or they might tell you that she should take the guy's offer.



wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm looking for some advice for my mother. She's been offered a trade
for her Seeburg juke box: $600 in home repair services, + the guy will
come and get the juke box out of her basement (located in SE Mass. USA)
and take it to his home. Is this a good deal?

The good thing: it's a known "buyer," who'll take it now, as opposed
to it sitting for another many years in her basement waiting for
another buyer... And the guy will move it, too. It gets it out of the
cluttered house.

The bad thing: we don't know the actual worth on it... Skimming
through archived newsgroup postings, and looking at some units on eBay,
based on the condition of her unit, I think it's fair deal, but I want
to get a gut-check from some people who are in-the-know.

The juke box is a Seeburg. The plate on the back says it's a Model
100C, Serial # 22185. The top cover says "Seeburg 100 Select-O-Matic".
It holds 50 45rpm records, so a total of 100 songs (1 on each side).
She thinks it's a 1957, but she says she could be off a year or two.

It has a plate on it saying that "nickels will be returned." It takes
quarters. Originally it would play 3 songs for a quarter, but it
decided on its own to switch to 2 songs for a quarter...

My mother says that the juke box shown during the opening of the TV
show "Happy Days" looks like her juke box, but whenever they'd show the
juke box in the diner in the show, it was a different model...

The last record changeout was done around 1972. I've taken one of the
records for my own music collection, but the remaining 49 records are
still in there, and their dust jackets are stored inside...

It is known to need a 5 Amp fuse.

It had a cover over the mechanism, but that is currently AWOL (hiding
somewhere else in the basement...)

It powers on, some bulbs/buttons light up but others do not (like
"select"). The turntable rotates (it probably thinks it is in the
middle of playing a record), but the mechanism which goes side to side
to pick up the records is not moving.

The juke box, since it has been sitting unused in the basement so long,
has enough dirt/dust on it that "you could plant potatoes on it" (as my
mother puts it).

The known history on the unit: In 1969 my father was holding a New
Year's Eve party at a hall, but he couldn't get a live band, so he
bought this juke box second-hand for $75. 3 songs for a quarter. He
and some friends rigged it to return the quarter to you, so it would
essentially play for free (perpetually use the same quarter), and it is
still set up this way.

After the party it lived for a few years on a screened porch. My
mother thinks that the temperature it was subjected to caused
"inflation" as the juke box changed on its own from 3 plays/quarter to
2 plays/quarter.

Around 1980 (give or take a few years), my parents built onto the
house, and created a basement, where the juke box was moved to, and
still resides...

I know that as a kid in the '80s I used to play the juke box often, it
was fun. But I don't think it's been in working order since the
'90s...

Please let me know over the weekend (May 13-15, 2005), if at all
possible, if the $600+handling for the Seeburg jukebox is a good deal.




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It also depends upon what this guy considers $600 worth of home repair
services to be. He could be honest and do quality work worth the money... or
he might consider moving the jukebox out of the basement to be his $600
worth of work. Does your mother know him and his reputation? If not, I'd be
weary...

wrote in message
oups.com...

I'm looking for some advice for my mother. She's been offered a trade
for her Seeburg juke box: $600 in home repair services, + the guy will
come and get the juke box out of her basement (located in SE Mass. USA)
and take it to his home. Is this a good deal?

The handyman/carpenter was referred by my aunt (her sister) after a
bathroom redo. He's already re-doing an entire room for my mother, and
he's been OK so far. A new project has come up, and the guy asked if
she would part with the jukebox he saw buried in the basement for the
cost of his labor for the new project (he would pick it up himself).
She asked how much the labor would be otherwise, and he figured it was
a $600 job.

Don't do it until you have someone else check it out or until you send us
some pictures of it!
It might be a $1,500.00 jukebox.
Wouldn't it be worth shooting a few digital pictures and sending them to me
or someone else here on the group if it means more money for your mom?
You said yourself that it's been sitting there for years.

wrote in message
ups.com...
The handyman/carpenter was referred by my aunt (her sister) after a
bathroom redo. He's already re-doing an entire room for my mother, and
he's been OK so far. A new project has come up, and the guy asked if
she would part with the jukebox he saw buried in the basement for the
cost of his labor for the new project (he would pick it up himself).
She asked how much the labor would be otherwise, and he figured it was
a $600 job.




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http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
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When the machine was new the pricing was one for a nickel, two for a dime,
six for a quarter. This machine is from the very early 50s (1952?).
Tough to put a price on it since just paying someone to move it can cost a
couple hundred dollars. If the cartridge has been upgraded to play stereo
records without chewing them up, it's worth a couple of hundred more than if
it has the original mono redhead cartridge.
Yes, this machine is shown in the opening credits of Happy Days. The
machine at Arnold's drive-in is a couple of years newer (100G).

Ken D.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm looking for some advice for my mother. She's been offered a trade
for her Seeburg juke box: $600 in home repair services, + the guy will
come and get the juke box out of her basement (located in SE Mass. USA)
and take it to his home. Is this a good deal?

The good thing: it's a known "buyer," who'll take it now, as opposed
to it sitting for another many years in her basement waiting for
another buyer... And the guy will move it, too. It gets it out of the
cluttered house.

The bad thing: we don't know the actual worth on it... Skimming
through archived newsgroup postings, and looking at some units on eBay,
based on the condition of her unit, I think it's fair deal, but I want
to get a gut-check from some people who are in-the-know.

The juke box is a Seeburg. The plate on the back says it's a Model
100C, Serial # 22185. The top cover says "Seeburg 100 Select-O-Matic".
It holds 50 45rpm records, so a total of 100 songs (1 on each side).
She thinks it's a 1957, but she says she could be off a year or two.

It has a plate on it saying that "nickels will be returned." It takes
quarters. Originally it would play 3 songs for a quarter, but it
decided on its own to switch to 2 songs for a quarter...

My mother says that the juke box shown during the opening of the TV
show "Happy Days" looks like her juke box, but whenever they'd show the
juke box in the diner in the show, it was a different model...

The last record changeout was done around 1972. I've taken one of the
records for my own music collection, but the remaining 49 records are
still in there, and their dust jackets are stored inside...

It is known to need a 5 Amp fuse.

It had a cover over the mechanism, but that is currently AWOL (hiding
somewhere else in the basement...)

It powers on, some bulbs/buttons light up but others do not (like
"select"). The turntable rotates (it probably thinks it is in the
middle of playing a record), but the mechanism which goes side to side
to pick up the records is not moving.

The juke box, since it has been sitting unused in the basement so long,
has enough dirt/dust on it that "you could plant potatoes on it" (as my
mother puts it).

The known history on the unit: In 1969 my father was holding a New
Year's Eve party at a hall, but he couldn't get a live band, so he
bought this juke box second-hand for $75. 3 songs for a quarter. He
and some friends rigged it to return the quarter to you, so it would
essentially play for free (perpetually use the same quarter), and it is
still set up this way.

After the party it lived for a few years on a screened porch. My
mother thinks that the temperature it was subjected to caused
"inflation" as the juke box changed on its own from 3 plays/quarter to
2 plays/quarter.

Around 1980 (give or take a few years), my parents built onto the
house, and created a basement, where the juke box was moved to, and
still resides...

I know that as a kid in the '80s I used to play the juke box often, it
was fun. But I don't think it's been in working order since the
'90s...

Please let me know over the weekend (May 13-15, 2005), if at all
possible, if the $600+handling for the Seeburg jukebox is a good deal.

Ken Doyle wrote:
When the machine was new the pricing was one for a nickel, two for a
dime,
six for a quarter. This machine is from the very early 50s (1952?).
Tough to put a price on it since just paying someone to move it can
cost a
couple hundred dollars. If the cartridge has been upgraded to play
stereo
records without chewing them up, it's worth a couple of hundred more
than if
it has the original mono redhead cartridge.
Yes, this machine is shown in the opening credits of Happy Days. The
machine at Arnold's drive-in is a couple of years newer (100G).


A couple of years newer??? I'm pretty sure the "G" came out the next
year (after the "C"), along with the "W"......both were 1953 models;
and the "C" (as you said) was a 1952 model. I hope this helps. Rob








message
oups.com...
I'm looking for some advice for my mother. She's been offered a
trade
for her Seeburg juke box: $600 in home repair services, + the guy
will
come and get the juke box out of her basement (located in SE Mass.
USA)
and take it to his home. Is this a good deal?

The good thing: it's a known "buyer," who'll take it now, as
opposed
to it sitting for another many years in her basement waiting for
another buyer... And the guy will move it, too. It gets it out of
the
cluttered house.

The bad thing: we don't know the actual worth on it... Skimming
through archived newsgroup postings, and looking at some units on
eBay,
based on the condition of her unit, I think it's fair deal, but I
want
to get a gut-check from some people who are in-the-know.

The juke box is a Seeburg. The plate on the back says it's a Model
100C, Serial # 22185. The top cover says "Seeburg 100
Select-O-Matic".
It holds 50 45rpm records, so a total of 100 songs (1 on each
side).
She thinks it's a 1957, but she says she could be off a year or
two.

It has a plate on it saying that "nickels will be returned." It
takes
quarters. Originally it would play 3 songs for a quarter, but it
decided on its own to switch to 2 songs for a quarter...

My mother says that the juke box shown during the opening of the TV
show "Happy Days" looks like her juke box, but whenever they'd show
the
juke box in the diner in the show, it was a different model...

The last record changeout was done around 1972. I've taken one of
the
records for my own music collection, but the remaining 49 records
are
still in there, and their dust jackets are stored inside...

It is known to need a 5 Amp fuse.

It had a cover over the mechanism, but that is currently AWOL
(hiding
somewhere else in the basement...)

It powers on, some bulbs/buttons light up but others do not (like
"select"). The turntable rotates (it probably thinks it is in the
middle of playing a record), but the mechanism which goes side to
side
to pick up the records is not moving.

The juke box, since it has been sitting unused in the basement so
long,
has enough dirt/dust on it that "you could plant potatoes on it"
(as my
mother puts it).

The known history on the unit: In 1969 my father was holding a New
Year's Eve party at a hall, but he couldn't get a live band, so he
bought this juke box second-hand for $75. 3 songs for a quarter.
He
and some friends rigged it to return the quarter to you, so it
would
essentially play for free (perpetually use the same quarter), and
it is
still set up this way.

After the party it lived for a few years on a screened porch. My
mother thinks that the temperature it was subjected to caused
"inflation" as the juke box changed on its own from 3 plays/quarter
to
2 plays/quarter.

Around 1980 (give or take a few years), my parents built onto the
house, and created a basement, where the juke box was moved to, and
still resides...

I know that as a kid in the '80s I used to play the juke box often,
it
was fun. But I don't think it's been in working order since the
'90s...

Please let me know over the weekend (May 13-15, 2005), if at all
possible, if the $600+handling for the Seeburg jukebox is a good
deal.

I've been forwarding on your responses to my mother. Thanks for all
the good thoughts! We'll probably let the guy know on Monday our
decision.

Here's what she has to say:
"The cabinet is only dirty and probably a bulb burned out, otherwise,
no
broken, damp or damaged places that I can see. When it was on the
screen
porch, it wasn't there for too long and you'd never know it ever was on
a
screened porch. It also was carefully covered at that time. I'll go
downstairs again in the morning and double check it's condition but I
think that it's only mega-dirty. As for pics, I don't have a digital
camera."

I do have a digital camera, but it's packed somewhere (I just moved)...
I'll try and find it and drive down to see her and get some photos of
it today or tomorrow. At least my mother has shooed away all the
surrounding spiders/spiderwebs around the jukebox for now!

My mother is in a major cleaning/upkeep phase right now. My father had
trouble throwing anything away...

wrote in message

My father had
trouble throwing anything away...

Nobody here has THAT problem. ;-0
600.00 sounds very cheap......

Bruce

On 5/14/05 1:16 PM, in article , "Bruce
Mercer" wrote:


wrote in message

My father had
trouble throwing anything away...

Nobody here has THAT problem. ;-0
600.00 sounds very cheap......

Bruce

The OP mentioned a missing mechanism cover. This can have a substantial
impact on the value and should be found if possible.