The retired jukebox veteran Glenn Streeter, who sold Rock-Ola in 2019, recently shared that a juke his Antique Apparatus Co. sold to Queen front man Freddie Mercury just sold at auction for nearly $500,000 (406,400 Great British Pounds/~$494,400).
Streeter’s Antique Apparatus Co. had a retail store on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley from which he sold vintage and reproduction golden age-styled jukeboxes and more, drawing many a celebrity buyer.
Streeter told RePlay: “Freddie came in with his drummer, Roger Taylor, and the both bought Wurlitzers I had restored in the back and both signed my apron. I met a lot of celebrities in those days. One of the best compliments I ever received was someone said, ‘Your store looks like a museum with price tags.’”
According to the auction house Sotheby’s, “Freddie Mercury’s 1941 Wurlitzer jukebox found its home in his kitchen at Garden Lodge, a room where he spent so much of his time. All these years later, the jukebox still operates on its original coinage – 25¢, 10¢ and 5¢ – and will spin some of Mercury’s favorite records, including Hallelujah I Love Her So by Ray Charles, Rip It Up by Little Richard and Shake, Rattle and Roll by Bill Haley.”
The juke is a Wurlitzer Model 850 ‘Peacock’ designed by Paul Fuller. When new in the 1940s, Fuller-designed jukeboxes sold for around $800. You can click here to see the listing and get more details on the sale.