There are some differences between the Canadian Vendo 44 and the USA version of the 44 machines. I have not figured them all out yet, but I thought I would pass some information along today, and show a recent restoration of one we did for a nice customer in Quebec. The number 44 refers to how bottles it held. But we suggest converting it to use with cans due to issues with the bottles.
It is common to think that all 44 machines must be the same. But there is a USA version of the Vendo 44, there is a USA version of a similar VMC 44, and there is a Canadian Vendo 44.
The most noticeable difference between a USA Vendo 44 and the VMC 44 is the coin entry bezel. The VMC does not have a chrome coin entry bezel. There are other differences in the lock bar, lock size, etc. But if you are just looking at 44 and it does not have a chrome coin bezel, it is a VMC model. Vendo and VMC merged in 1956 into Vendo. But for a while, they were different companies with similar machines. Value-wise, the Vendo is worth about 15-20% more on the American market than the VMC.
Then there is the Canadian version of the 44. These can have a different coin mechanism altogether, made for Canadian coins. Some of the Vendo 44s have a VMC locking bar and lock on them, others do not. One expert told me that there is no rhyme or reason. It is like they grabbed parts from both a Vendo and VMC and interchanged them. This does not mean they are not quality, but that there is just no consistency in the Canadian Vendo 44 or VMC 44 parts. Typically the Canadian version is worth a little less in the American market.
Before the Restoration
This brings us to the Canadian restoration we are highlighting today. This machine was in good condition, but it was missing the bottle stack completely. Luckily the customer was able to find one for sale in Canada before he shipped us the machine. We have had issues with an American bottle stack not working with the Canadian coin mech, so this find was huge.
But the clutch was broken. Likely this is why they were ‘lucky’ in finding it for sale. No one wanted a broken one! Upon taking it apart, we found the clutch was fiddled with at some point in the past. It took about 12 hours of work to repair the clutch, but we finally got it right!
