Philco 123 Color TV Found On Craigslist

[Philco123]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging feedback. The sheer proportions on this TV are massive. It is tall, deep and wide not to mention weighing a ton. The people who purchased this TV in 1955 had to be the envy of the street!

Next step is to try and locate the missing knobs which seem to be identical to knobs found on Philco B/W sets of this vintage.

I will check back with periodic updates.

Jeff

[Steve D.]

Beautiful example of this set Jeff. A good 21AX & flyback are a great start. Perhaps, in the past, the chassis was removed and the knobs and knob cover were misplaced. Did you inquire if the previous owner had a clue about this? The ETF has a Philco 123 in it's collection. Maybe Steve McVoy can take some close up pics of the knobs w/the cover removed as well as the cover itself.

-Steve D.

[Steve McVoy]

I will do that.

[Philco123]

Thanks Steve. Great assist. I have tried (and am continuing to try) to get the seller to look around the house for thes missing items. I'm convinced the missing bits are lying around the house somewhere. The seller is elderly and, although full of reassurances he'll look for the items, lacks the motivation to do so. I may have to get on a plane and go visit him to move the needle.

[Philco123]

Steve- Many thanks. Appreciate any close up pictures you can offer. In the end, I may need to fabricate the vertical metal strip that floats above the controls.

Jeff

[Don Lindsly]

The set does not have the factory mod's. That accounts for the good CRT. Without the mod's the TV would not play long enough to wear out a CRT.

[Electronic M]

What a find!

Given that Zenith did not sell NTSC color sets until late in the game, and that Philco and Zenith are my two best represented brands of radio, and TV respectively I'm surprised it only now has dawned on me that I like this set better than the RCA and clone sets of the era.

How is the cutoff on the CRT? Is is smooth and healthy, or abrupt and overpowering?
I ask because the AXP22 in my CTC-4 tested fine and still has getther, but the cutoff control which is supposed to deflect the needle 2 divisions on my B&K 667(IIRC) CRT tester when adjusting the proper knobs would do nothing then instantly peg the needle with nothing achievable in between...The cause excessive gas in the tube (unusably so), but not enough to whiten the getther. In a dark room there was a lot of purple glow between the electrodes when testing it.
I hope your 21AXP22 is better than mine, but you can never be too cautious in evaluating one.

[Username1]

Looks like another candidate for "deal of the decade!"

Good luck with it.... Com-on crank it up already... Lets see some pictures of it on....

.

[hi_volt]

Wow! Me likey.

[dtvmcdonald]

I'd love to see a schematic. The stuff at ETF lacks one.

[Paul Knaack]

That set is a beauty. I dont have it but it should be Photofact SAMS (Set 349 Folder 9).

[oldtvman]

That is one of the most attractive sets in early color. The cabinet design is excellent.

[Pete Deksnis]

Welcome to the club Jeff and good luck with obtaining the missing knobs.

The Philco-branded Sylvania 21AXP22 in my set is also original, but dated 5604 to your 5608, which may suggest that your set is the newest of the ten-or-so sets known.

If you would like to share the data from your set, an attached photo shows a number of things: the red crayon '776' may be a technician's ID, the 'RUN 2' may be their final TV 123 run, and the 11-digit number contains what has been accepted to be the actual sequential serial number -- the sixth, seventh, and eighth digits of the 11-digit stamping. My set has serial number: 356. Since your CRT is newer, perhaps your s/n is higher.

Pete

[Sandy G]

Well, I'M in Love...Or Serious Lust, anyhow... (grin)

[Don Lindsly]

Philco serial numbers were a silver sticker with black numbers. Usually One or two letters followed by 5 numbers.