Expert: David Burritt - 1/2/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have a cigarette trade stimulator someone said made by Duval?? It is red and black and have packs of cigarettes on the reels. It has a gumball dispenser and a key to open it up. I can send a picture if you would like to see the condition of it. I think it is very good but I do not know what to look for. It has a square bottom as if it rested in a store counter top or something??

ANSWER: I would recommend going to www.AntiqueSlotMachinePriceGuide.com and searching for Duval machines. You will probably see examples of your machine and what it has recently sold for.

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QUESTION: I went to the site you referred em to and they want $39.95 for access to pricing. All I want is appx pricing on this item. I want to sell it....but do not know if it is worth 400 or 500 or 1000 or more dollars. can you help me out?

Answer
Pricing is very subjective. I don't collect these type of machines (I mainly collect machines that pay out in coins)so I really don't have a good idea of what it is worth.

The price guide is good in that it gives you data for exactly what similar items have sold for in the recent past. However, just like printed price guides, the information is not free. It takes a lot of time and effort to keep the guide up to date.

If you don't want to pay for the price guide just contact a dealer and hope they offer you a fair price.

Just like any area of collecting, there are honest dealers out there and there are others who want to buy stuff for 10 cents on the dollar.

You can also put it on eBay and hope for the best.