Cinemeccanica Victoria 9 projector

[Peter Wellington]

Hi There Everyone,

First time poster here... hopefully this is the right forum, it seems to be!

I'm based in London (west) I work for a church based in Notting Hill - Our offices are in Hanger lane. We used to own and run a cinema from 2004 - 2014 in Notting Hill - The Coronet - Previously also called The Gaumont in the 30s. When we sold the cinema, we kept the projector, for reasons i'm still not entirely sure about - I wasn't on staff at the time so I can't be sure, and memories are hazy from back then.

I've been in touch with the Projected Picture Trust and one of the chaps there has given me quite alot of good information on it. I've managed to take a bunch of photos, not particularly great ones (i'm just recovering from a broken wrist, so I'm advised to not lift anything, and everything in the pictures is pretty heavy lol!)

My question for the group - is there much of an appetite for this kinda stuff? is there much of a resale value? - i'd imagine not unless you find the right person of course. I'm planning to put it on eBay at some point soon - we are in the process of selling our office building, and relocating, space will be a major problem in the new place, so hence I need to get rid of this behemoth. Or is there another site/service that people recommend for vintage projectors? I've also been in touch with an auctioneer of vintage equipment, but haven't heard back from them.

I've included some photos for people to peruse. As I understand it from the PPT this is Cinemeccanica Victoria 9 projector (stripped down) with Cinemeccanica Lamphouse and Irem Rectifier, theres also a kinoton platter & makeup table.

Let me know if you have any further questions, i don't know how much help i'll be, but can try!

Many thanks,

Pete

[Ryan Gallagher]

There is still a market, albeit small for stuff like this. Are there two Vic9s or just the one and the platter? Pairs are gonna sell better to the folks looking to re-add 35mm capacity. The platter combo will be more appealing to a home cinema enthusiast or someone who just needs another Vic9 to make a pair or for parts.

Outside of the whole lot, I'd say the IREM rectifiers will be the easiest to sell at a good price. If they were stateside already I'd be considering them (although I assume there is only one available).

I'd recommend getting a comprehensive product list together and posting it in the "Equipment and Supplies For Sale" section, be sure to state location and if you will or won't ship etc. Let that posting simmer for a few months before resorting to ebay? If you don't care about making any money and just need to move them, reach out to some local cinemas that still have 35mm capacity, their projectionists may have local contacts that are in the market for something (at the free price). Film Clubs, etc etc.

I've seen people on here looking for a MUT recently, but probably need a buyer on the continent unless they are desperate and willing to pay crazy shipping.

PPT is a great resource.

[Ryan Gallagher]

PS if you do list them on ebay sooner for timing reasons, do some pricing research and set a reasonable BIN or starting bid, the market is so small for this stuff that there won't be enough competition to bid up a lower entry bid price, and you may end up practically giving it away and still have to fight with shipping costs.

For the same reason I'd recommend a LONG bidding widow (like a month), unless you list them BIN/OBO. Time for the very few people interested to encounter the listing.

[Dave Macaulay]

There's maybe more of a market now than just after the digital transformation and retirement of thousands of projectors where the value was just in scrap metal. Don't get your hopes too high about finding a buyer. There's approximately zero commercial demand, maybe a rep cinema needs parts to keep their 35s running though.
It's a bit sad to see them binned but I guess it was the same for a lot of things made obsolete over the years. I have a few smallish interesting mechanical parts like a V5 intermittent, Simplex compensator, and Century CC shutter gearbox, but they'll be thrown away some day.
If nobody wants the kit...
The rectifier I believe has copper windings so that could be worth a few bucks (pounds?). A few had aluminum windings but not Irem as far as I recall (aluminium?)
The rest is mostly aluminum alloy with some steel, and around here scrap companies would pay a bit if a projector was delivered to their yard but one had to pay them to have one picked up. We scrapped a classic 70mm Imax system a few years ago - probably at least a ton of steel, they were made strong - and the site had to pay over its value for the removal by a scrapyard after we cut it into manageable chunks.

[Peter Wellington]

Thanks both for your advice.

It is appreciated. I think we've only got a month of so, and theres a skip waiting outside sooo....

I suspect we will try to get some ££ for it, but if it doesnt go, then i'll have to force the issue.

When we leave the building, we are supposed to leave it totally unoccupied and clear, hence trying to get rid.

If i have any further questions, i'll come back on this post!

Many thanks again!

Pete