Ok... I'm new here. I hope this is the place to start.

I'd love to start collecting old TV sets... 1950's to early 1960's.
I'm not much of a tech.. So
working condition is important.

I watch EBAY... any other places to look?

I'd love "TV COLLECTING 101".

Thanks!

Welcome fluiddrive! There are some things to know when thinking of collecting vintage tv sets.

You will see pricing on ebay that may seem quite rediculous to you. THis is simply bidding wars driving up the price of the item. YOu are best to find sets at thrift stores, at curb sides, or at local estate sales.

Most sets of this age are going to be non-working. Even if they do work for the time being, they will fail soon enough unless attented to. THe capacitors inside the set are what you should worry about, particularly in the power supply and high-voltage sections. These old caps can short out and leak, causing irreversable damage to the set. However even those with limited electronic knoledge and a soldering iron can replace capacitors. Lots of members here wil be able to assist you in finding parts.

I would highly suggest finding a picture tube tester, a tube tester, a digial multimeter, and a good soldering station. These will most definitely aid you in your tv collecting and repair.

WHen cleaning these sets, do not use harsh chemicals or cleaners. These will most likely rub away any silkscreen text, or painted lettering. It can also damage some finishes, especially bakelite.

If you find sets that have sound and no picture, nine times out of ten it is a simple replacement like an HV rectifier, damper, or horizontal output tube. Avoid sets with tripped breakers or blown chassis fuses if you are a noobie to older tv sets. Troubleshooting HV, sweep sections, and power supply can be dangerous,and is not for the beginner. The last thing you want is for your workshop or house to burn from a flaming power supply.

Welcome FluidDrive! (DeSoto, or Chrysler???) :D

I've been collecting TVs for a long time, and I have found that eBay is a great place to buy large consoles that are closeby you, as nobody wants to bid on a $80 TV and pay $500 to ship it. So you can search a local eBay search. Smaller TVs do tend to go into orbit on eBay, so you probably will not get the best deal on eBay with those.

Garage and estate sales are great! Seems that very few people who attend those sales have any knowledge or interest in TVs. If in a big city, it is always good to get on good terms with the local thrift stores. They usually hate TVs, but if you tell them you will buy, they will call you when somebody leaves one behind the shop!

As far as restoring, I agree with Jordan about being careful if you're not a TV tech. I started with restoring small tube radios when I was about 8, then I got a job after school at a TV repair shop when I was 13. That was how I got my background in TV and electronics. You will have headaches if you try to restore a TV cold-turkey, I would think. There are other collectors here on this site, and elsewhere, who can help you with repairs and restorations. Some of them will even do the job for you professionally. And another thing to consider is that many collectors want their TVs for aesthetic purposes only, and don't care to repair them. In fact, some very rare TVs are worth much more in "virgin" condition not working than they would be if restored with new style parts. Personally, I like one or two sets in restored working order, but not all of them. After all.... They will fall in disrepair if unused for years, and it becomes a burden to keep them all operating on a regular schedule.

Charles

Welcome!
There are a number of members on here who have surplus sets for sale/trade/giveaway. Location matters, though; as Charles said you don't want to ship a heavy tv set if you don't have to.

A good start might be a typical bw set from the mid-fifties to mid-sixties. There are a ton of 21" consoles out there that are worth next to nothing but can be pretty exciting for someone just starting out.