The rare 1950s Bal-AMi jukebox, serial no 1502, was ‘in very poor condition in need of complete restoration’. It was pitched at £300-500 at the July 29 auction in Corsham but sold to the specialist gaming and music trade at £3400.
During the rock ’n’ rolling mid-fifties to the early sixties BAL-AMi was Britain’s biggest maker. According to a jukebox enthusiast and expert ATG spoke to, this was a 1958 model I200M.
At the time the Ilford firm used the latest US designs and some imported parts but met government restrictions that dictated manufactured goods be at least 53% made in Britain.
An example of a fully restored BAL-AMi jukebox (photo courtesy of John Johnson; bal-ami.com).
While this model might cost £10,000-12,000 when fully restored and in working order, the restoration costs (including rechroming all the parts) could be as much as £5000.
