21axp22a tube
 

Looking in my Allied Radio catalog 1961. I found the 21apx22a "silverama' tube for $137.20 and the "red label" 21apx22 no "a" for $98.40 also the 21cyp22a for $137.20 as well. No listing for the color 15 inch tube . Too bad someone did not stockpile any of these rare boxed tubes.

I'd like to find a catalog with a time machine so I could go back and buy some of those tubes. :D Adjusted for inflation, I think you're in the $900 range.

Same here... But just a word of caution on "new in box" 15GP22s: I know someone who found 4 or 5 of them unopened in Philadelphia, bought them for a "steal of a price", drove home to Los Angeles only to find that every one of them had gone to air. And that was 20 years ago, so chances are even worse today. But perhaps the time machine could have a magic attachment on it that would restore a seal and vacuum at the touch of a button :)

Charles

Being that they were all found at one time, they were all from the same batch and manufactured in the same way hence, all went to air from a defective manufacturing step.

They all went to air because of defective engineering design, not from the manufacturing process.
If the technological expertise and knowledge that exists today would have been available then, there would be a big missing gap in history.

Turns out this happened twice in Philadelphia... the last time a decade or so ago, and not with RCA, but with Sylvania-manufactured 15GP22's. Same thing happened, some went to air. Last I heard from the caretaker was maybe five years ago, and he at that time still had one good NIB tube.

The Op's tube prices reminded me of my old Allied Radio catalogs. These are for B&W kinescopes but oh well:

A 3ap4 was $13.75 in 1941-your last chance to buy before the war tightened up our resources.

a 12ap4 was at the tops in '42, with a tag of $60.00

No 12ap4s in the '50 catalog, but all 12'' kinescopes were $26.00.

Now here is the stinger-and why I'm posting this-a 19'' Dumont 19ap4 was $75.00-and the 20" 20bp4 was on sale for $199.95! That really shot up, didn't it? Can you imagine paying $125.00 more for an extra inch(you were well on your way to buying another set with that kind of money) just to show your friends and neighbors that you had the biggest picture on the block?