About 20 years ago, I had an avocado set.

I know where they went. My dad had a rental house at the time, and they went over there. I don't know if they survive there today or not.

It would be neat to see sales figures for these machines model by model and year by year, My guess from working with Maytag from 1971-1977 is the A806 probably out sold the A906 by at least 10 to1 if not 20 or 30 to 1.

When this all push-button washer came out around 1959 as a model A160 there was a lot of advertising promoting high end all push-button washer and dryers by nearly all manufactures. Most of these high end machines that were released around the end of the 50s did not sell all that well as the country was in the Eisenhower recession. It was not until the mid 60s after Kennedy had been elected that the economy really took off that these higher end appliances really started to sell in greater numbers. In 1961 the all PB washer was an A900 or A900S for the Suds-Saver version.

The A900 was probably the best selling version of this washer.

But this all PB washer was never going to sell well, the cost was a little higher and even though Mts were always expensive most buyers justified the cost because of Mts reputation for durability and practicality, this model was neither. 

The biggest problem was a severe lack of versatility that anyone that had ever used a washer could see, I suspect that these all PB models mainly sold on styling and a little snob appeal and most sales were driven by men that did not use the machine.

When I started working for the Maytag Home Appliance Center we had a coppertone 906 pair hooked up on the showroom floor. After these were sold we replaced them with a pair of 806s. The 906s were discontinued by MT around 1974 due to poor sales from the failing Nixon economy and oil price hikes that were making Americans be much more careful with what money they would spend.

So yes they are fairly rare which makes it a fun set to try and find, We have a Coppertone A900 pair that I restored about 8 years ago at the museum, I would love to find a 1966 906 pair in turquoise that would get my attention.

John L.

That is a pretty set.  Those white 906's in Jason's pic were mine, that's my basement.  They have made the rounds from here to St. Charles, IL and now reside in Minnesota with Don (jetaction). 

I think it's just the picture, Ken, both had the blue on the lower panel.  Discontinued in '74, I don't think they made it into the gold-paint era.

I spotted that set in the window of my local Launderall/Kelvinator dealer, brought them home in 1999.  They were a pick-up at a house not far from mine, rarely used.  

Might be a bad connection in one of the sockets.

IIRC, someone snagged a Coppertone 906 set years ago. They ended up in the possession of Red Carpet Drew.

and an old thread

Maytag's earliest electronic control dryers had the four pushbuttons on the left with a mock "center dial" in the middle.  Hence earliest Hillbillies sets was all pushbutton  washer and dryer that "looked" like a center dial dryer.  After Maytag offered an all pushbutton dryer to match their 160 washer, then that original electronic control dryer style was relegated to the "highlander" series.  Friends got a used "highlander" electronic control dryer after their 1957 Control Tower dryer bit the dust.