We acquired this Sears Silvertone last weekend from a deceased relative. I started researching it and came across this forum. I'd appreciate any information about it that anyone can share. Is it rare? Valuable? Worth keeping?

Thank you in advance for any info you can pass along.

Late fifties I would guess, 57-58 maybe? Definitely worth keeping and restoring if the chassis and CRT are in good shape.

1950's consoles aren't rare or valuable in most cases ($25-$100 if you can find someone who wants one) but you don't often see a Silvertone in such good condition, it also has a really unique style so it's probably worth more than your average RCA of the same era.

Thanks for the info!

I ran across this ad from 1956. Looks exactly like it.

So is yours the 21" or 24" model? Diagonal screen measurement will be an inch or so less than these numbers, but should give a clue. A 24" might be more desirable to some collectors.
jr

Unique styling gives it desirability above the common TV's
of this era. Even I would not pass this one up & its not my area of
interest. Probably built by Warwick Electronics. Next step is to
get the Sams service manual for it. A very nice find.
Probably rare but not what I would call valuable, few TV's
are truly valuable. DEFFINATELY keep it intact & pass it to a collector
if you dont want it.

73 Zeno:smoke:

If the CRT's good, it likely can be made to work satisfactorally for another 50-60 years easily enough.

Unique styling gives it desirability above the common TV's
of this era. Even I would not pass this one up & its not my area of
interest. Probably built by Warwick Electronics. Next step is to
get the Sams service manual for it. A very nice find.
Probably rare but not what I would call valuable, few TV's
are truly valuable. DEFFINATELY keep it intact & pass it to a collector
if you dont want it.

73 Zeno:smoke:

I've worked on several of that model. It was a hot chassis, voltage doubler design using a heater transformer, for the parallel heaters. It had keyed AGC and three stages of IF. The horizontal output was a 6CD6, to drive the large CRT.
The biggest problem was the Sarkes-Tarzian tuner, where the tube sockets, would just crumble. :sigh:

Thanks again for all of the input and information. It is a 24" model. I haven't checked it to see if it turns on yet. I'd be open to selling it to a collector, but I also wouldn't mind keeping it either. It's attractive and in really good shape.

If it has not been turned on in over 6 months then it is a bad idea to just plug it in and try to turn it on. If the capacitors have gone south then giving it a hard power up risks damaging tougher to find parts. It would be best to power it up with a variac or dim bulb tester.

Many capacitors in that set have likely gone bad and need to be replaced. Capacitors from that era have a lifetime that is shorted than the age of that set. The tubes are likely still good, tubes last forever if they sit unused for years, however, caps don't age well (some absorb moisture from the air, and they become electronically leaky, messing up the circuits and may cause circuit overloads. Most people in this forum recap their own TV sets, it's too expensive to have a repairman do it, if you could even find one who knows vacuum tube technology.

I've worked on several of that model. It was a hot chassis, voltage doubler design using a heater transformer, for the parallel heaters. It had keyed AGC and three stages of IF. The horizontal output was a 6CD6, to drive the large CRT.
The biggest problem was the Sarkes-Tarzian tuner, where the tube sockets, would just crumble. :sigh:


I agree with you here. I do not like hot chassis either--but I would NOT allow this one to go to the packer trucks !! Not too mention--it has that "vintage dryer" look about the control panel and styling

Many capacitors in that set have likely gone bad and need to be replaced. Capacitors from that era have a lifetime that is shorted than the age of that set. The tubes are likely still good, tubes last forever if they sit unused for years, however, caps don't age well (some absorb moisture from the air, and they become electronically leaky, messing up the circuits and may cause circuit overloads. Most people in this forum recap their own TV sets, it's too expensive to have a repairman do it, if you could even find one who knows vacuum tube technology.
I was replacing capacitors in those sets, 50 years ago!
The first one, that had to be changed was the .01mfd cap in the synchroguide circuit. Then a few in the vertical sweep. Then a few 'lytics. They used those paper tube jobs, instead of the twist-lock cans.
The chassis was mounted above the CRT, like a Setchell Carlson, NOT! :D

Thanks again for all of the input and information. It is a 24" model. I haven't checked it to see if it turns on yet. I'd be open to selling it to a collector, but I also wouldn't mind keeping it either. It's attractive and in really good shape.

Where are you located?

I found one of those at a dumpster up the road a number of years ago. It was covered in Virginia red clay dust (if that makes sense). It cleaned up nicely and much easier than the typical nicotine and mouse urine.

I remember the transformer-less chassis being super easy to remove and of course light in weight. Back then I had never really 'restored' a TV, but I could dismantle one and do a good cleaning of tube sockets, check tubes, jump caps and repair eyeball obvious problems, but not much more. I didn't know that that missing transformer meant a hot chassis, but I never got zapped for some reason and I didn't own an isolation transformer. Still don't have one that I can use!

I have an industrial grade Variac with weird plugs on the input and output and haven't taken the time to find out how it should be wired for home use. Off topic! Anyway, that is certainly one of the more interesting looking and easy to service sets of that period which I think is long overdue to be considered "desirable" or collectible. My God, they can't all be pre and post war "roundies"!!!

Good luck either fixing it or finding someone who will take care of it. Nice find!

Where are you located?

I am located in Kansas City, Mo

A lot of those minimalist chassies were developed for portables, then adapted to drive big jugs in console cabinets.
Especially prevalent in Sears stuff.

From a styling stand point. You either love this set or you hate it.:tresbon::thumbsdn:

-Steve D.

I am actually looking for that set. I wish you were closer to Phoenix, AZ. I'd be all over that in a heartbeat if you were.