View Single Post
  #1  
Old 03-06-2018, 09:34 AM
AlanInSitges's Avatar
AlanInSitges AlanInSitges is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Sitges, Catalonia, Spain
Posts: 446
American TVs overseas

Back in the 50s and 60s, some American manufacturers evidently either exported, or manufactured in joint venture, sets in Europe. I'm in Spain and looking at picking up and restoring some interesting sets from this era (I don't know anything about the European sets which are mostly Philips and German brands, so looking for the American stuff I'm familiar with) so I've been searching around online and have come across a few familiar brands for sale locally:

Here is a GE that looks pretty familiar branded "Spanish General Electric":


And a Sylvania that most definitely does not look familiar:


An Emerson that looks suspiciously like that GE:


How about a Sylvania B&W console with a cataract?


Or a Zenith console with no legs?


And here's another Emerson that looks like it's probably not of US origin:


Does anyone know anything about sets like this? I'd be interested to know if they did this all over the world or if Spain was a unique market for them.

I tracked down some info on Zenith and it appears they had a joint venture with a company called Televesa that built a factory and actually made $ervice$aver-era sets here in Barcelona, though they are hard to find for sale today.

I also found a copy of an old ad from the early 60s featuring a line drawing of one of those bug-eyed Sylvanias calling it "Sylvania EXPORT" and boasting the best American technology. But those are just so bizarre-looking I can't imagine Batavia had anything to do with it.

I may buy one or two of these; some have been for sale for years and it doesn't seem like there is a lot available in the Spanish market. It's worth noting that most of these sellers have evidently been smoking crack for years, convinced that they have priceless antiques. That legless Zenith up there is priced at "firm" 500€. :O

I just missed out on a late-50's Admiral that went for a relative song just up the road. I'll keep searching for interesting sets here, and I wonder if US makes were similarly sold in other nearby countries. I may need to go to France or Italy or Germany to find a better selection.
Reply With Quote