Black Knob Stemac on TradeMe

You don't see 'em very often, but a Stemac Robbiati model has been offered on New Zealand's TradeMe site with a black steamer knob. The machine looks a little bit tired around the badge, but otherwise very tidy, and the relative rarity of the knob should make it interesting for a collector.

At a rough guess, I would say that 98% of all Atomics that change hands have the classical deep red steamer knob. Early Sassoon models often had light blue or light red knobs (these were slightly smaller in diameter than the "standard" model). The American La Sorrentina (the original ones!) sometimes had an emerald green, but these are fairly rare. Black knobs and yellow knobs are also out there, also fairly rare.

A little bit of New Zealand Atomic history...

It seems that most of the Atomics brought into New Zealand arrived in the late 1980s. About 150 were brought in by R L Bowden Ltd, most of them in three shipments, sourced partly direct from Robbiati in Europe and partly from Bon Trading in Sydney. Spares were purchased as necessary. The machines were sold to Robert Harris coffee shops, Belaroma, and other boutique establishments over a three-year period. The retail price then was around $70. The folks from Robert Harris were still selling the machines as late as 1992 - I have an invoice from that era for an "Atomic body, clamp handle, basket and strainer", for a total of $92; no mention of a jug! Undoubtedly a few machines have also made their way to NZ with private owners, just as some have migrated back to Australia and the USA as interest in them has grown.