No connection - just wondering how this was actually used. Seller says the round cutout is for the CRT cap, but putting it behind the set that way would hide most of the lower graphics (which looks intended to complement the Chinese style cabinet).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/311701401160?ul_noapp=true

Yes, that's the "bell knocker" - the sign could be hung or stand mounted behind the sets. There's a thread over on ARF about it.

I've seen one very similar, but with white trees, probably from the same year. Somewhere on it, in 1/32nd-inch numbers, is the display part number or "piece" number - telling of the year with a price guide. Some displays were for multiple years ( generic Zenith sign, for example, or a logoed clock..) and were reused in the showroom setup.

Independent dealers didn't necessarily have huge showrooms, so Zenith (and others, especially RCA) had displays that snugged up to the TVs or radios. RCA had a little TV/Clock/Radio that sat on a countertop display - one of the same displays sold last fall on eBay. The clueless seller though it was for VCRs 'til I showed them RCA campaign sheet for that year, 1978 IIRC. Every year til '95, we'd get the Campaign binder from in the mail, with model sheets, ad copy, cassettes for sales instruction ("AccuColor improves on the already superior color these televisions can display.."), and big fold outs with the whole line of TVs and accessories - you'd need ~50 square feet to hang it. I still have the binders, the contents were disposed of years ago.

RCA charged for their displays, unless you bought several hundred sets. TV toppers, hang tags, and the Silk RCA wall badge were free if you talked nice to the distributor. TV toppers were for displaying portables atop consoles, and protected the console cabinet. They could be funny, stylish, or utilitarian. My favorite was "Oh no, someone bought the RCA XL100 that once sat here - don't worry, we can get more!" Somewhere in my attic is one of the utilitarian Nipper and RCA logoed toppers, made of wool. No real value - mine was used heavily.

BTW, no one except maybe Admiral made their displays - all done by Madison Avenue and subcontractors - one was in Ball, Indiana, I remember.

Thanks - all very interesting.

TV toppers were for displaying portables atop consoles, and protected the console cabinet. They could be funny, stylish, or utilitarian. My favorite was "Oh no, someone bought the RCA XL100 that once sat here - don't worry, we can get more!"


:lmao: