All,
Hello. I'm trying to find as much information as I can about a particular Zenith TV from the late 70s. I am a collector of vintage computer equipment, primarily Apple, but also some early TI and Atari consoles. Since most of the early consoles were designed to be hooked up to a television set, I've decided I'd like a working period-correct color TV set for my collection. And, since nostalgia is one of the driving forces behind this hobby, I'm considering going whole hog and finding MY period-correct color TV set, the same model I used with all my vintage consoles back when they were brand new. So...

What I already know:

- It was a 19-20" Zenith color set, white plastic with a tall white pedestal, all one piece. Manual knob tuners.

- It was in my childhood home from 1977(78?)-1984.

- Someone recently sold one on eBay, and I've attached the picture from the eBay auction.


What I'm looking for:

- ideally, a working model, or one that is in good cosmetic and repairable condition

- an idea of rarity and value (The one on eBay sold for $325. That's a fair bit more than I might have expected for a 70s TV. Is this set particularly rare or valuable?)

- a model number or other identifying information that would help in my search (F408 came up a couple times in my search efforts so far, but I've been unable to confirm this is correct)

- some idea of the reliability/repairability of this model. I remember our set never had any trouble, but we didn't have it that long before we replaced it with a TV that had a remote.

I'm in Minnesota, and have traveled throughout the Plains/Midwest to pick up vintage computers.

Thanks for your time. I've been exploring the forums for the last couple of days; this is an amazing resource.

TVB

It reminds me of my Zenith Chroma Color II table set, but mine is in a different cabinet style with black and wood grain cabinet.

Zenith had a few modern cabinet style sets one of the more common ones is the Avante(I prbably mispelled that).

Avanti
good luck with your search

I would say it is a fairly rare model but its value is hard to set. That's true of many/most vintage TV's; the market is erratic due to the difficulty of shipping sets plus the limited number of collectors. I don't know but I suspect there were a few versions of that model, with different chassis'. For your purposes it might not matter which one you find. (in this case, the older the better) These were among the best built TV sets of that era, and perhaps best built ever. Be diligent, one will turn up.

I know of one of these sets only a short 45 minute drive from me. (or I did a couple weeks ago) But its a long way from Minnesota.

Avanti is the name for the 25" console. Odds are the same name was not used on the 19" version.

Those sets are reliable, well-made and deliver a good picture.

I have a 25" version that I would sell. I've used that size on table-tops before, and in this age of super-sized everything, it really doesn't look out of place.

Thanks everyone for the information! I do believe I remember it having a "Chroma Color" logo on the front. I've seen pictures of the 25" Avanti sets, and they are nice, but not exactly what I'm looking for. I'll keep looking for one of these closer to me; if I can't find this exact set, maybe I'll find a tabletop Chroma Color model of the same vintage. My wife would certainly be happier about something that takes up less space. :)

Finding a regular chromacolor 19" set close to you will probably not be much of a problem. However, finding this white pedestal set will likely be much more difficult. In over 20 years, I've never seen the 19" pedestal version and only a couple of the 25" sets.

If you find your self in the Milwaukee area I could be persuaided to let go of my CCII table set (it's the bottom one) for the right price.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN1123.jpg

Here is the one near me, in Canada.

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-electronics-1960s-Zenith-TV-W0QQAdIdZ278096291

No affiliation, I did email and ask if it was still available and it is.

Is this the one you want?

Yes, that's exactly the set. Some sweet pictures on that listing. I wonder if they could just put it on a boat to Duluth.

Hmm, maybe take the wife to Niagara Falls for our anniversary? ;)

Anybody ever tried to ship something this big? Could UPS/FedEx/DHL even handle it, or would I need to arrange freight?

Daave, Minneapolis is beautiful this time of year.

I've seen and worked on several of those, but none seen lately. Definitely you should be able to find one sooner or later on CL or eBay, or even right here. I think that cabinet stile went from 1974-76, or so. It came with remote electronic or non-remote click tuning, and maybe a non-remote electronic single-knob tuner.

Charles

You may be able to have it shipped, I've heard good things about greyhound's freight service.....

Yes, that's exactly the set. Some sweet pictures on that listing. I wonder if they could just put it on a boat to Duluth.

Hmm, maybe take the wife to Niagara Falls for our anniversary? ;)

Anybody ever tried to ship something this big? Could UPS/FedEx/DHL even handle it, or would I need to arrange freight?

Daave, Minneapolis is beautiful this time of year.


Lol, I have gone on road trips for other long distance hard-to-ship items.

I will 2nd the greyhound idea for shipping, we use that to ship frequently and it works well. There is a depot not far from here.

I recommend the Seneca/Niagara Casino on the US side for some good gambling and a to-die-for buffet, there are lots of great Hotels on the Canadian side for good rates this time of year. There is a Keg restaurant in one that is excellent, but its pricey! lol

If you are interested in the set, and the seller doesn't want to get into shipping it, let me know, I can grab it and at least get it here for a few bucks in gas money and we could arrange shipping past that. Its only about 40 minutes away from me. I have no idea what they want for it.