1940 Gabel Kuro jukebox hits $120,750 at Hal Hunt sale An extremely rare 1940 Gabel Kuro jukebox, one of only six known, sold for $120,750 (a new world record for a jukebox at auction) at an estate sale held Oct. 3 by Hal Hunt Auctions in Northport, Ala.
News-Antique.com - Oct 14,2009 - (NORTHPORT, Ala.) – An extremely rare 1940 Gabel Kuro jukebox – nicknamed “the last jukebox” and one of only six known – sold for $120,750 at the sale of the world-famous jukebox and advertising collection of the late John Gurrech of Houston, Tex., held Oct. 3 by Hal Hunt Auctions. It was a new world record price for a jukebox at auction and the top earner in a sale that featured 550 lots.
The Gabel Kuro had been lovingly and painstakingly restored over a period of several years by Mr. Gurrech, who personally restored nearly every jukebox offered that day. The machine, which plays 78 rpm records, is in the Art Deco style – exactly what the buyer, a gentleman from South Carolina, was looking for. He purchased the jukebox to install in his multi-million dollar, Art Deco-themed residence.
Another auction record was also set at the sale – the highest price paid to date for a Wurlitzer jukebox. It was an unrestored 1936 Model 35, a prototype of a jukebox that never even went into production and one of only three known. Mr. Gurrech passed away before he could work his magic on it but the example still sold for $77,625, a new auction record. The buyer was a gentleman from Austria.
Other Wurlitzers that also did well included a Model 950, made in 1942 ($48,875); Model 850 Peacock, made in 1941 ($41,400); a Model 800, made in 1940 ($14,375); a Model 1015, made in 1946 and probably the most recognized of all the early Wurlitzers ($14,950); and a Model 71 table-top jukebox ($12,075).
“I guess when you make two new world auction records in the same day, you’d have to say the sale was a success,” said Hal Hunt of Hal Hunt Auctions. “But beside that, I must say this was one of the most exciting sales I’ve done in my twenty-five years in the business. The excitement in the room was palpable. It was one of those sales where you just didn’t know from lot to lot what an item would bring.”
Mr. Hunt said Mr. Gurrech’s keen eye for the best jukeboxes in the world, plus his uncanny ability to take a machine in poor condition and restore it to “Mercedes Benz showroom like-new condition, inside and out,” contributed to the sale’s success. “Usually when you see old examples like this, they’re in deplorable condition,” he said, “plus there are only a few truly good restorers out there.”
About 350 people packed the Hal Hunt Auctions showroom, located at 5925 Highway 43 in Northport. They poured in literally from around the world, from countries like Belgium, Austria, France and Canada. Mr. Hunt also estimated about half the fifty states in the country were represented. “The audience was full of energy and excitement for the entire duration of the sale, all seven hours,” he said.
Additional highlights from the sale follow. All prices quoted include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
