Holy cow, it looks mint and it has the original 19" tube.

This will be fun to watch, shall we start a pool as to how much it'll go for?

http://cgi.ebay.com/EARLY-COLOR-TV-Motorola-1950s-Television-model-19CT1_W0QQitemZ390064066267QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item5ad1a14edb&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A10|66%3A2|39%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

It's definately a beauty! These NEVER show up in original condition. This should go for a small fortune. May ETF might bite on it. It definately will be an auction to watch.
-Tony

Wowie, that thing is "minty"! The picture of the dude with the set is funny to me for some reason. :D

Cool!

Wowie, that thing is "minty"! The picture of the dude with the set is funny to me for some reason. :D

Cool!

He'll be laughing all the way to the bank. :D:yes:

Ooo-la-la! My hands are full, and it's too far away, but mighty fun to look at.

I think the picture with the guy is a good idea. He looks totally honest and hardworking. Just the kind of person you'd like to buy from. Not sure what those gizmos are in the background -- spare parts for Eniac?

And check out the dolly, which is just the right size for this TV. I built a similar one for my CTC-11 last week, when I finally got sick of dragging it around, but he uses better materials!

Phil Nelson

Dollar to a donut says it'll break $1K...Wonder if the CRT is still any good ? Myself, I'd take the legs off & let it sit on that dolly...It looks kinda precarious as it is...And yeah, I'd say you could almost count the number of survivors on both hands...Prolly more rare than CT-100s...

WOW! That's like the one I saw in an antique store as a kid! That was the last one I saw "in the wild" I bet it goes for over $1500 easy.
EDIT: I agree Sandy, it's awful close to the edge of that cart. He should carpet that thing for grip AND take the legs off.

I've never seen one without the 21" conversion! If I were still an avid collector, I'd probably go get it.... All the way from SoCal.

Charles

I agree that he could have left the legs off, but at least he seems knowledgeable
enough not to have turned it on to 'see if it worked'. And this is a true auction
with a realistic starting price!

Wow, it shot up over 500 bucks since last night. (!!) I didn't realize how rare this set was. What a find, eh? I wish . . .

OT: Check out his other items, those ribbon mic's are insane!

That thing is not only super-rare, but it is BEAUTIFUL! Definitely should bring a premium penny, and deservedly so. After all, if you want one and you don't get this one, when and where will you find another like it?

I'm also intrigued by some of the gear BEHIND the set and the guy in the picture he is in. I think this guy is a serious collector of more than just television sets! I'd love a tour of his place, with the ability to choose and buy!

It'll be interesting to see how high that set goes, for sure!

I say it will top $1000, maybe $2000. Mainly because of the 19VP22.

Charles

:drool::drool::drool:

The set is gorgeous. I'm guessing $2,500. Couple of years back it might have fetched even more. That's got to be the best surviving example around today.

It's almost a grand now at $965, was 4 something just a little while ago.
I just bid for fun, now its at $1,005:D

i remember this set from more than a few years ago.down around the wilmington area.set was in a bedroom and for all intents and purposes was never used.it was a working set 5-6 years ago! i went down to get a zenith roundie and they told me about this set.i talked to owner on the phone and he was very happy to show it to me but not for sale.pictures look very good.i think crt was rebuilt in the 70s?i didn t go see it,but i should have!love to have it but i would use it as a daily watcher.got to pass on this one.i have an expensive piece i am guarding right now and i cant have another.beautiful set and i hope this one goes to one of the audiokarma guys!

It's almost a grand now at $965, was 4 something just a little while ago.
I just bid for fun, now its at $1,005:D

As of now you still have the top bid!

Hay-Zoos !! Just checked at about five after eight on Friday nite, damthing's at $1514 !! An' it's STILL got almost a week to go... I'll say somewhere between $5k-7500 now...

Over 2K now. What I don't understand is, why is everyone bidding so high now? We all know to wait until the very end.

Not only does it still have its 19" tube, but a blonde finish cabinet. That only adds to the rarity. The ETF has the mahogany version 19CT1 with a 19" tube. This one would make a nice companion piece. Looks, tho, like it will be a budget buster.. Hope it stays in the states.

-Steve D.

$2125.00 now, WOW!

For what it's worth, the seller, Tom Wilson is a very reputable antiques dealer. I've bought from him several times and he's sold to many others in the movie collecting circles i'm part of. He's also very knowledgeable in crating and shipping fragile antiques. He would likely have no problem removing the crt and shipping it separately if the winning bidder requested. I'm not affiliated with him personally or business but wanted to relay this information as a satisfied customer.

This is quite an impressive set. Does anyone have photos of what the rest of the chassis looks like in this model? Does it use dual 5U4 LV rectifiers?

I really don't understand why everyone is bidding so high in the middle of the auction. Its all the better for the seller, but it makes no sense for the bidder. They are experienced ebayers as they have a good number of feedbacks, so I don't get why they are constantly bidding up so early. I look every day and its up another $500. The whole concept is to bid at the last second using your best judgement as far as what your proxy bid should be. I'd be willing to bet this TV will leave the states and we'll never hear about it again.

that whole thing seems odd to me too.i think this one will leave the states also.i am sitting on a classic myself and though i have kept it a secret,i have been frequent getting responses from italy and belgium.i bought this set from an estate specificly to keep it in the usa.although the thought of a 7x profit is enticing,i have to say no.i dont know how much i can resist though.a couple really trustworthy people on this site know about this.how did these overseas people find out about these things?i never advertised and the transaction was confidential between me and the seller.just want america to know that this gem is in storage-(climate controlled)and as long as i am alive,will never leave our shores.hope the same is true for this motorola!

Not only does it still have its 19" tube, but a blonde finish cabinet. That only adds to the rarity. The ETF has the mahogany version 19CT1 with a 19" tube. This one would make a nice companion piece. Looks, tho, like it will be a budget buster.. Hope it stays in the states.

-Steve D.

Steve, let's get the "Three Steves" together and buy this thing before it flies away. It can live in Southern California..

Holy Merde !! Right B4 midnite on Sat, 4 July, its up to $2557...Somebody w/some SERIOUS Long Green is after that Bad Boy....

Steve, let's get the "Three Steves" together and buy this thing before it flies away.

I would give $250 to the ETF if Steve McVoy wants this set for the museum. Who will join me in supporting ETF for catching this beauty?

P.S.: send Steve a private email if you would support ETF for catching this set!

Kind regards,
Eckhard

The ETM already have three motorolas, let others haven them too.

It's on it's way to orbit!

The ETM already have three motorolas, let others haven them too.

Believe me; the market will flood with 19CT1s as soon as this one sells. It happens every time..... A CT-100 won't show up for awhile, then one does, and it goes for $4000 or something, then next week 3 more show up. There are collectors out there who have rare sets, and really don't want to sell. But seeing a ridiculous 300% eBay sale, they get off the fence and list their set too. Even if I wanted a 3rd 19CT1 myself, I'd wait this one out.

Charles

Pinch me.

Sorry, no 5U4s in the Motorola 19CT1 (Ts-902 chassis), just some big 'ol selenium rectifiers. It does, however have a nice Victoreen corotron HV regulator tube, which was, I believe, machined from a solid block of unobtanium. Might have even come from the same quarry where they mined the 19VP22. :D

I would give $250 to the ETF if Steve McVoy wants this set for the museum. Who will join me in supporting ETF for catching this beauty?

P.S.: send Steve a private email if you would support ETF for catching this set!

Kind regards,
Eckhard

I have mixed feelings. It would help if Steve McVoy would express a position publicly.

In looking at the 30 day bid history for the bidders it looks like the highest bidder is in the US and the second highest bidder might be in Germany.

If I were bidding on a set I would be upset if I lost it due to a concerted effort to have it go to the museum. But I can also understand the desire to protect a rare piece of history.

I guess I'm willing to contribute, but I suspect there are some pretty deep pockets bidding on this.

John

I'm guessing around 10,000.

I have mixed feelings. It would help if Steve McVoy would express a position publicly.

In looking at the 30 day bid history for the bidders it looks like the highest bidder is in the US and the second highest bidder might be in Germany.

If I were bidding on a set I would be upset if I lost it due to a concerted effort to have it go to the museum. But I can also understand the desire to protect a rare piece of history.

I guess I'm willing to contribute, but I suspect there are some pretty deep pockets bidding on this.

John

It might be yagosaga (he's from Germany and he posted a message there).

John Folsom: Just out of curiosity, did anybody ever come up with a substitute circuit for the Victoreen tube, something that might have employed a 6BD4 or ? I had one of these (with the 21" conversion) with a bad Victoreen, gave up on it, and donated the chassis and O.E.M. 21AXP to ETF. I still have the cabinet (rough), glass front and escutcheon. if anybody has a good use for it let me know.

Reeferman, I am not aware of anyone who has made that conversion, but what you suggest is exactly what I would do. Find an unobtrusive way to mount a 6BD4/6BK4 along with the required resistor divider network and adjustment pot to replace the Victoreen. Should work just fine. When the day comes to restore my Motorola TS-902 chassis, I may have to do just that, as those corotrons seem to have a high failure rate. I have not tested mine yet, but I am nervous. Anybody got any 22-25KV corotrons? :-)

John,

I removed the Victoreen and horizontally mounted a 6BK4 in its place. I bet I tried every combination I could think of, and tried all 6BK4 circuits I could find in the different Sams. Still couldn't find the right combination. Though the monster cranked out about 30Kv, it gave a decent picture. (By the way, I love the way Motorola took the focus voltage straight off the 2nd anode)

After 35 years of it sitting, I decided I would never get back to it so I donated it to the museum.

Good luck with yours. If I ever find that mine you mentioned, I'll let you know.

Phil

John,

I removed the Victoreen and horizontally mounted a 6BK4 in its place. I bet I tried every combination I could think of, and tried all 6BK4 circuits I could find in the different Sams. Still couldn't find the right combination. Though the monster cranked out about 30Kv, it gave a decent picture. (By the way, I love the way Motorola took the focus voltage straight off the 2nd anode)

After 35 years of it sitting, I decided I would never get back to it so I donated it to the museum.

Good luck with yours. If I ever find that mine you mentioned, I'll let you know.

Phil

John,

I removed the Victoreen and horizontally mounted a 6BK4 in its place. I bet I tried every combination I could think of, and tried all 6BK4 circuits I could find in the different Sams. Still couldn't find the right combination. Though the monster cranked out about 30Kv, it gave a decent picture. (By the way, I love the way Motorola took the focus voltage straight off the 2nd anode)

After 35 years of it sitting, I decided I would never get back to it so I donated it to the museum.

Good luck with yours. If I ever find that mine you mentioned, I'll let you know.

Phil

I hate computers

As much as I appreciate Yagosaga's gesture, I am not going to pursue the set. We have a very nice 19CT1, never sold, in our collection. I think there are better uses for our money.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/motorola_19ct1.html

Phil, not sure why your attempts with the 6BK4 were not successful, it really should work. Hopefully, when my tie comes, my Victoreen corotron will be OK, and I will not have to fight that battle! :-)

Slightly off topic, but are there substitute victoreen spark gaps available anywhere or a stash of them available for sale? Mine in a xenon arc projector lamp is bad and I'm having a hard time locating any kind of spark gap tube I can swap in.

The talk about the Corotron tube got me curious...evidently there are substitutes available: http://www.logwell.com/products/Codatron_Corotron.html
Just don't know if they're rated for the voltage needed.

a quick scan of the website shows no NOS 6505 tubes:pity:

I talked to the owner of this company some time back. Unfortunately they don't make a product which would operate at the voltage or current requirements for a color TV shunt regulator.

Both of my Motorolas had good high voltage... I guess I was lucky! If space is a problem, I bet it could be engineered to use a 1970s vintage solid state tripler block, which should accept the RF output from the flyback directly; replacing the whole Motorola rectifier and HV regulator. If the set is converted to a metal tube, you'd still need a 40Kv doorknob cap from the anode to ground, though. There's also a focus tap on those blocks if needed. See the schematic on a Zenith 19EC45 chassis, etc.

Charles

The nailbiting is underway: 12 hours to go, and it's sitting at $2660. I'm betting it gets sniped at right around 4K.

The nailbiting is underway: 12 hours to go, and it's sitting at $2660. I'm betting it gets sniped at right around 4K.

I think you're right. I was thinking $4,600.

John

My guess is well above $5k

Get the Heinekins and hamburgers started! It'll be fun to watch this one! I say $3500.00

I am with Steve McVoy.

I think there are some very well healed collectors out there that will stop at nothing to get this set in their collection. They are hanging in and waiting to slap a "skys the limit" bid at the last second. This is like a game of chicken, to see who is going to blink first and who is going to place the ultimate supreme high bid at the last second.

I think there will be a lot of suprised AK'rs when the ebay clock expires on this one.

I will be very surprised if someone gets this for less than $5k. But then it takes more than one person to play chicken and maybe there will only be one person with the balls to go "ALL IN" in which case he will get a bargain.

Wish I had the kind of cash it will take to get this one. but I am not delusional.

What I would like to see is for Motorola to buy this TV back and put it into their museum at the home offices in Schaumburg, IL. Thats where it belongs. Its practically the only surviving name in consumer electronics thats still in existance as an American company, and I think it would be proper for this set to be "Back home".

Wish I had some spare cash,, well alot of spare cash. I hope it gets a good home.

I agree Doug, but I bet it leaves our shores forever. Sadly.........Just over an hour to go.

What I would like to see is for Motorola to buy this TV back and put it into their museum at the home offices in Schaumburg, IL. Thats where it belongs. Its practically the only surviving name in consumer electronics thats still in existance as an American company, and I think it would be proper for this set to be "Back home".


Let's get real here. MOT lost 4.3 BILLION dollars last year, and this year will be even worse. They have more improtant things to worry about than acquiring an old color tv set for the museum. If they dont get their act together pretty soon they will be doing the same dance as GM.

MOT is poorly managed, just like many other US corporations. Big guys at the top getting a huge bonus for incompetant management. Sad to see, but it's just the way things are. Semi-conductor division GONE.... Set top box division.. Barely hanging in there and the Cell Phone division....Floundering because they were slow to give up on their old divested semi -conductor division and buy the best of breed chips from Qualcomm. That is about to change now that Sanjay Jah is heading up the Cellular division, but it may be too little too late to save MOT.

FINAL PRICE $9377

Man, went up more than $400 in the last 20 minutes.... 20 to go, currently sitting @ $3,222! wow.

$4161 w/2.5 minutes to go...

Holy shit!!!!!!!!!9,377!!!!!

Ho-LEE CHIT !!! $9377 was what it finished....

It nearly hit 10k, I was expecting it to jump up at the end, maybe over 5k, but not more than double.

$9,377.00.....
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Just goes to show if you want to play in the big league with the heavy hiters, you gotta go "all in" at the very end and be prepared to pay BIG BUCKS. My guess is that the winning bidder was well north of 10K as an insurance policy. Price was no object. He wanted it and nobody at any price was going to prevent him from getting it.

I wonder who the winning bidder was?

In-feckin'-credible...Wonder how many of them Bad Boyz is left out there ? Wonder if the CRT is good ? Wish I could stumble on an old warehouse somewheres that had 15-20 of 'em in it...

It certainly wasn't me Bob:D

Hey yoda,

I know that was never going to happen. You don't need to tell me to get real, friend. Call it wishful thinking in a not perfect world.

Im sure the seller is quite pleased. He probably picked it up at the estate sale for $20. Now we wait to find out which country it gets sent off to....

Now...I wonder what the guy paid for the TV at the estate sale where he bought it from...$100 maybe? Unreal it went for $9300+.

Gilbert

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just wondering, is this a record price for a post-war set?

No I don't think so. Seems to me that someone bought a CT100 a couple years ago that went north of 10K. It went to Europe.

No I don't think so. Seems to me that someone bought a CT100 a couple years ago that went north of 10K. It went to Europe.

Hmm, I though the CT-100 only went for about $6000, my recollection may very well be incorrect though.

I had to inquire about this TV after the auction ended. I asked the seller if the high bidder was in the USA, I wasn't asking for any personal information.

The seller responded promptly indicating that the high bidder was from Italy and he "mistakenly placed a bid of $70000 and only intended to input $7000". That being said, the seller as of now has to offer it to the next bidder. He is tempted to relist it he told me.

This is all true, I'm not making any of it up as a prank. We've all heard the "I accidentally typed in the wrong amount" far to often when an auction goes way high. Why does this happen? Is it the bidder realizing what he did after his adrenaline rush goes away? Reality kicks in and he knows he can't afford it, so he lies to the seller with the "wrong bid amount" scam?

Is it the bidder realizing what he did after his adrenaline rush goes away? Reality kicks in and he knows he can't afford it, so he lies to the seller with the "wrong bid amount" scam?

Went past the $4k I put on it in less than 5 minutes. :sigh:
Knew it would, though. I can say 'I was there'. :banana:

Off I go to bid on Mark's Zenith....
What, didn't think I'd notice? lol

The guy has several recent bid retractions too.

I was the highest bidder and I did make the mistake putting a 0 too many. I got up in the middle of the night just to see the end of the auction. When I realized I had a "0" too many it was too late for a bid retract. I really wanted the set in my collection since I already have lots of roundies including a working CT 100.

Well the other bidder might be located in the US. This for sure will make some people happy.

Although I live in Italy, I've always liked the american sets and have quite a lot of roundies in a "good home" (at least one of each from the CT100 to the CTC16 and some other brands). This is costing me a lot especially in shipping and I do not have deep pockets, just a mad TV collector. I think it is better to have them saved here instead of having them thrown away in a dumb in the states. I hope you all agree with that.

Just for clarifications, I do not have several bid retractions. I had one for 12 dollars two weeks ago because of a shipping issue.

I had to inquire about this TV after the auction ended. I asked the seller if the high bidder was in the USA, I wasn't asking for any personal information.

The seller responded promptly indicating that the high bidder was from Italy and he "mistakenly placed a bid of $70000 and only intended to input $7000". That being said, the seller as of now has to offer it to the next bidder. He is tempted to relist it he told me.

This is all true, I'm not making any of it up as a prank. We've all heard the "I accidentally typed in the wrong amount" far to often when an auction goes way high. Why does this happen? Is it the bidder realizing what he did after his adrenaline rush goes away? Reality kicks in and he knows he can't afford it, so he lies to the seller with the "wrong bid amount" scam?

Except that other bid retractions indicate something other than an accident, it is quite possible. When people snipe without using software to do it, it's easy to miss that you typed an extra zero.

John

Wow; I paid $150 for my console, and $100 for the table model with legs (as the one in the auction)... Shoulda kept 'em!


NOW the fun begins.... I predict that dozens of early color TVs will flood eBay by tonight.

Charles

My guess was pretty close.

NOW the fun begins.... I predict that dozens of early color TVs will flood eBay by tonight.

Charles

Yep, with people thinking their CTC16 is worth several grand :stupid:

I asked the seller if he planed to relist the set, and he said no, he had mad a deal with the 2nd bidder, who was located in the US. Wonder who it was...???

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just wondering, is this a record price for a post-war set?

A RCA Model 5 color prototype sold for over $10k a couple of years ago. Some Kuba Komets have approached this figure, and the Emerson Telejuke we have was above $10k:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/telejuke.html

I asked the seller if he planed to relist the set, and he said no, he had mad a deal with the 2nd bidder, who was located in the US. Wonder who it was...???

I think that was wise of both of them. Re-listing could be fraught with problems since people would now know what they were willing to bid. Then there are the just plain evil individuals who would bid just to jack the price up for those who are serious bidders believing that they'd be safe by knowing how to underbid.

Then if if the guy who bid $70K was forbidden to bid, or decided to refrain, and the bidding followed the same pattern it would have gone for ~$5,100 since that was the next lower maximum bid.

John

Wait so it went for 5,000?
How does that work.

I think this is how it would work. The 2nd highest bid was $9,277, the 3rd was $5,200. So if no one bid $70k, then it would have gone to the 2nd highest guy for $100 over $5,200 = $5,300. But I don't think that the seller and the 2nd highest bidder would now have to necessarily agree on that exact price.

I think this is how it would work. The 2nd highest bid was $9,277, the 3rd was $5,200. So if no one bid $70k, then it would have gone to the 2nd highest guy for $100 over $5,200 = $5,300. But I don't think that the seller and the 2nd highest bidder would now have to necessarily agree on that exact price.

Right, I wasn't implying that it went for $5,300. I was just trying to point out what a mess the $70k bid made of things and that relisting might not be the best of ideas and that a compromise might be best for both the seller and the bidder.

John

A RCA Model 5 color prototype sold for over $10k a couple of years ago. Some Kuba Komets have approached this figure, and the Emerson Telejuke we have was above $10k:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/telejuke.html

In addition to the above, the record price for a CT-100 on eBay is $9,623.00 set in the summer of 2007.

Pete