'49 Gold Commemorative Bendix Deluxe Washer

[gansky1]

This is a commemorative edition of the Bendix Deluxe Automatic Home Laundry that was available to dealers for display in their stores. Celebrating 1,000,000 automatic washers produced, it was a bit of a different machine in that it had a painted top with gold and silver accents and a gold plated door. You can see in the pics that some of the paint has lost it luster over the years, probably from being exposed to sunlight in a store window. The washer has never been installed or even plugged in as far as I can tell.

The man I bought it from said that his grandfather was an appliance dealer in Missouri for many years, which is where he saved this machine from when the store was closed. His wife grew tired of it in the corner of the dining room and he looked for a new home for it. I've had it here for a number of years but need to make some room and don't really have the space to display it properly.

Let me know if you're interested.

 

[goatfarmer]

Beautiful!

 

[tomturbomatic]

John and I first saw this in the Henry Ford Institute and Museum in Dearborn with a lot of other things that we never knew existed. A Filtrator swap was involved, in the trip, too, so that I could make my DCI58 white to match my washer instead of turquoise. I remember the wooden, hand-cranked dishwasher with the wire racks. I felt my life's obsessions were justified when I saw things like the Coffeemaster C-30 in a glass case.

My sister (I think) sent me a copy of the ad featuring the 1,000,000 Bendix Washer. The text states:

"...just think of all the freedom the FIRST MILLION owners enjoy.

This silver and gold Bendix is not to celebrate the work we have done to produce the first million Bendix automatic Washers(sic). (Note that they are now called Automatic Washers instead of the Home Laundry). Instead, it is to celebrate the washday freedom these machines have brought to all of the women who have used them. No other washer in the world has made such mountains of wash come sparkling clean...for so many families...and done it automatically. No other washer has done such a big job so well and been so thrifty with hot water and soap...so gentle with clothes."
BENDIX HOME APPLIANCES, INC., SOUTH BEND 24, INDIANA

At the bottom:
"The 1,000,000th Bendix Washer shown here has been presented to the Edison Institute, Dearborn, Michigan."

The escutcheon around the soap chute is silver as is the surround for the timer. The timer dial surround is gold as is the soap door.

 

[countryford]

I would be interested in it. I'll be driving through that way, the first part of December.