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Old 11-11-2010, 03:56 AM
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RitchieMars RitchieMars is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Fountain Inn, South Carolina
Posts: 244
I know exactly what you mean, and I have thought the same thing. I have noticed that when it comes to early color sets, it's always a RCA CT-something-or-another. Given that RCA dominated the field from the very beginning, the earliest of which are still next-to-impossible to find, they just naturally reign supreme with most enthusiasts. I can only imagine how frustrating that might be when you're looking for advice on something that's outside of the RCA circle. I personally haven't ran across an early color set, and I doubt I'll find one anytime soon. But, I have noticed similar trends with b&w sets.

For instance, the RCA 630-TS you mentioned, has brought nearly $3,000 in some recent auctions. Those early post-war tabletop sets really command some premium prices and I'm always interested in learning more about them. However, would I personally pay $3,000 for such a television? Not on your life! When I set out to acquire an vintage set, the idea of a television from the 1940's didn't so much as cross my mind. I was hooked on anything 1950's. I'm just a 50's junkie, whether it be music, clothes, cars, I'm there. Now some are calling things from this decadent era "mid-century" which not only makes it seem way longer ago than it actually was, but it's a word that's typically in use in your average Ebay auction/consignment shop atmosphere. In other words, people who stand to make a lot of money off something they found at a yard sale.

The set I finally found ( and believe me, in this neck of the woods I won't likely find another ) was a '53 Zenith for $25. It's a modest set, even by 1953 standards, and for the vision I had in mind, it fits perfectly. But, if I was to put up my Zenith for sale tomorrow, even as it sits with $150 worth of new parts in it, I probably couldn't come close to a quarter of that figure. Honestly, since I love sets of this vintage, I'm not complaining in the least that they don't command the same interest as the earlier sets. That just keeps the prices down, but of course, since I already scored mine for $25 it's not like I'm out shopping for another.

Still, I understand exactly what you mean. It does seem like there's a lot more vintage sets out there that would be "more interesting" to some of us than what seems to be hot in the hobby at the moment. Just as with car collectors, the rare gems will naturally be first priorities. I think that with time, some of the lesser-appreciated sets will get their due.

After-all, at one time, 4-door '57 Bel-Air's got the cold shoulder, too... just because they had a couple extra doors.
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