Auction Finds: 1953 Atomic Itallian Espresso Machine

A few days ago I told you about a recent auction I visited where I picked up two different espresso machines. Today I'll show you the second of the two. Upon first glance it looks like some space aged coffee maker from the 50's. Turns out it is a somewhat rare and highly collectible piece.

 After posting it on eBay I started receiving inquiries about it. Usually when that happens I know I have stumbled upon something good. I was receiving some very odd request though. Instead of getting questions about the machine itself, I was getting questions about the leaflet / manual that was with it. 

Two different people in particular kept asking me to take good pictures of it and send it to them for their collection. This seemed like a very odd request and I thought, "If they want it bad enough they can just buy it." So I ignored their emails and kept the auction going. 

After 5-10 more emails from these people and an unsuccessful first eBay auction for the item, I decided I would take a picture or two and send over to them. After doing so I got a very nice email in return. In the email the individual put a link to a blog that they have been writing for the past several years.

This person is on a quest to hunt down every Atomic Espresso machien that was ever made and to learn all about the history of these machines and their makers. Its a very cool story. If you have some extra time go on over to his blog (http://tinyurl.com/3akdatt) and read a little bit.

Anyways, like I said, the first time through at auction it did not sell. So, I decided instead of lowering my auction price down, I would put it in our store and make it a 'Buy it Now' item with a "Best Offer" option. Normally I would not do this, but since there seems to a community of collectors out there I will wait a few weeks and see if I get any bites on it.

Curious what it will sell for? Here is the completed listings report:

 

  

Based on these numbers and digging into a little more than normal research I have estimated we can get around $350 on eBay. Here is the rest of the breakdown on this cool vintage coffee machine.

We Paid: $150

Estimated Sell Price: $350

Margin: 57%