You could rock the state's old jukebox
Apr. 3—The state of New Hampshire is auctioning off a vintage jukebox, complete with about 200 45-rpm singles from bygone days — a nifty bit of nostalgia that might leave you yearning for a simpler time.
The 1982 AMI/ROWE R86 jukebox may look a bit worse for wear, but it's still in working order. It lights up when it plays — and it sounds great.
The singles inside the jukebox offer a true blast from the past: "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets," "Mr. Sandman" from the Chordettes, Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and Patsy Cline's "Crazy" are there, along with a few more recent tunes: "Sara Smiles" from Hall and Oates, "What a Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers, and "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John.
Amy Farnum, administrator at White Farm in Concord, the former dairy farm where the state's Department of Administrative Services sells and auctions off surplus equipment, said its mission is finding new homes for such items. "It's really about the life cycle of things and making sure we're maximizing their value," she said.
In-person auctions at White Farm, held every May and October, draw big crowds, but the state also sells items through online auction vendors.
And that's where the jukebox showed up, on municibid.com.
Late Friday, the bids were up to $435 on that site.
How unusual is the jukebox? "I wouldn't say it's unusual, because we get a lot of unusual things," Farnum said. "I would say it's up there on the cool factor."
"People love it," she said. "People that have seen it here in person have just been mesmerized by it. It's really cool."
The jukebox came from the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton, where it entertained residents for decades, according to Sarah Stanley, the home's public information officer.
"Our veterans definitely enjoyed it back in the day," she said. "It is a wonderful piece of nostalgia, it really is."
The Tilton home now has another jukebox that plays CDs, so they decided to give this one up, Stanley said. The home also has a "music and memory" program, creating customized playlists that residents can listen to on headphones.
Stanley said the jukebox was maintained over the years, but it was time to let it go. "We just knew it would be given greater life with a new family, so to speak, that could give it more time and attention than we could provide it," she said.
It's hard to assess the jukebox's value.
What appears to be an identical item is featured on the website of a Utah "fine art and antiques" dealer for $3,750.
But a guy in New Jersey has one for sale online for $295 — cash. "It is a beast though, and you will need 3 men and a boy to get this thing out of my house and into your truck," he wrote. "Heavy as hell.
"I will not be helping move it again."
White Farm's Farnum said she hopes the jukebox will end up with someone who appreciates its history. "That is our objective, to make sure that things have a home," she said.
Stanley from the veterans home also has high hopes for the jukebox. "It had a wonderful life here, and we do hope somebody derives as much joy from it as our residents did," she said. "It definitely deserves to be well loved and well utilized."
The last chance to see the jukebox in person is Monday, when the surplus store at 144 Clinton St. in Concord is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The online auction closes at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
To view the jukebox and bid online, go to: https://bit.ly/3NEftmv