An auction of jukeboxes and pinball machines last Saturday in Tilburg has yielded a record amount. They are still not finished entering all bids, but the owner of Dutch Auction Company Richard Singh can already say that the revenue has passed the million euros. “That is big news and exceeds all expectations!”
One of the biggest surprises was the sale of a Wurlitzer One More Time-Jukebox. “It went away for more than 20,000 euros, while they are normally worth between 8,000 and 10,000 euros,” he says. Two bidders really wanted him, and then it goes fast. “That is the power of an auction,” explains Richard.
“The owner ended up in the hospital, the money goes to him.”
According to Richard, Saturday’s auction was the largest auction of jukeboxes and pinball machines in the world. Not only did people use people from Brabant, but also international collectors and museum holders. “We have had bids from China, Scandinavia and even America,” he proudly says.
At the moment they are busy entering all bids in a system referred to for this, a big job for 619 items sold. “Everything is carefully checked, because of course you want the jukebox to go to the one who actually released the highest bid,” says Richard. To be sure that they do not make mistakes, they take up the auction so that they can look back who had already won when in doubt. “We rarely need it, but it’s good, just to be sure.”
The enormous yield from the auction goes to the original collector. “In this case all the jukeboxes and pinball machines from a man from Paris. The owner had a store for forty years, but has been in the hospital for two years now and he had to empty his store.”
“Haming eleven o’clock: it was a marathon.”
That the auction would last a long time was not completely calculated in advance. “We started at 3 p.m. and in the end we were only ready after 2 a.m.
According to Richard, there was a special atmosphere. “It was relaxed and everyone was full of enthusiasm.” Moreover, many people had a smile on their face when they walked outside: “That’s the great thing about an auction: there are people who buy a special item for a large amount, but also people who could take an item for a bargain.”
