Here's a TV museum here in toronto.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordfreak/3748185924/in/set-72157621660892807/

I've heard about them years ago. They had published a very nice book highlighting some of the sets. Very nice collection.

They have been closed for "remodeling" for a couple of years.

I visited the museum about a dozen years ago. Among the other very noteworthy things in the collection was a Predicta Pedestal with FIVE knobs below the channel knob, and in desperate need of a bath (they don't even clean anything there as to preserve its original state.....weird, but whatever).

I asked the curator (not Moses) if the knobs were hooked to anything and what they did. His response, "we don't know, we've never had the back off".

.....

I asked the curator (not Moses) if the knobs were hooked to anything and what they did. His response, "we don't know, we've never had the back off".

They could still research technology, gather history and information etc without touching the set. There's probably some Philco tech bulletin somewhere descibing the set. Even art historians learn about artists, paint, history, political events of the time influencing the artists.

I asked the curator (not Moses) if the knobs were hooked to anything and what they did. His response, "we don't know, we've never had the back off".

They could still research technology, gather history and information etc without touching the set. There's probably some Philco tech bulletin somewhere descibing the set. Even art historians learn about artists, paint, history, political events of the time influencing the artists.
When I went to the Museum Of The Moving Imagine at Astoria Studios in Queens, NY, the vintage TV's were mostly left "as-is". This is common in museums. People often are mistaken when "museum quality" is used to describe something, especially antique cars. It does not mean pristine, it means it's all there and presentable. Close-up it shows wear and defects.

I asked the curator (not Moses) if the knobs were hooked to anything and what they did. His response, "we don't know, we've never had the back off".

They could still research technology, gather history and information etc without touching the set. There's probably some Philco tech bulletin somewhere descibing the set. Even art historians learn about artists, paint, history, political events of the time influencing the artists.

I dunno. Were it me, I'd grab a screwdriver and just pull the back off to see what's inside, even if it was being "preserved". Certainly if it's a Predicta, that back's been off before :)