I was at a friend's house when he spotted a "blonde tv" in the furniture section of craigslist. It was part of an estate sale that was being quickly liquidated. It looked very much like a zenith

Upon calling the number a woman answered and I explained my intentions to look at the set she had listed. She explained that her father had passed and she was clearing out the house to be sold, of which this was one of many things he never got rid of.

It was not more than 10 minutes from me so I drove up to the sale. In the garage sat an absolutely gorgeous space command 400 Deluxe! with remote! It had been moved from the living room where it had still been in use until his recent passing. It didn't work great and has too little HV, but for something of its age - it was still working! The only service tag on it was in 1961 for a local shop in SD that replaced the picture tube with a genuine Rauland as well as a new yoke - which is perfect and not disintegrating. The CRT still tests good.

The price?
60 bucks. This one's a keeper.

Congratulations on a great find!
John

Homina ! Homina ! Homina !....

That is one drop dead gorgeous set!
What a nice find.
That wheat finish is my favorite of the 50's/60's console sets, seldom seen anymore in such fine condition.

Way to go!!!! Those "still in use" estate finds are becoming rarer and rarer. I think now with the economy & housing the way it is, there will be a lot more quickie estate sales. Gone are the times when heirs can "sit" on an inherited house for years, figuring out what they want to do with it. Trouble is, we're on the tail end of estate sales of people who are old enough to have bought new '40s & '50s TVs as adults. Think about it: If you were 25 in 1946, and bought a new TV (and with the cost of TVs, only a career person likely would have bought one then), you'd be 88 today.

Charles

That is a spectacular find!
That finish in that condition is next to impossible, super save! :yes:

Lucky dog. That is a nice find, in great condition. Recapping, and, new electolytics should bring it back up to snuff. Remember to do the remote control amp, also.
Bill Cahill

Anybody know when this set was made roughly? Looks to be mid 50s judging by the chassis - around 56 maybe?

Also, what was the idea behind the strange smoked glass that isn't completely smoked? - especially around the edge where its nearly clear, that gets darker as you get closer to the center...

I would guess 1956, the first year of Space Command?
Not sure why the glass is like that but the other Zeniths of the period are the same way, maybe to even out the brightness which is usually a little higher in the center.

Wow, that's a beautiful find! As others have pointed out, this kind of dream find is increasingly less likely with each passing year (and each passing old person :sigh:). Such finds won't entirely disappear, as some inheritors will also hang on to some old stuff for a while, or some of the collectors currently buying (including some AKers, alas) will grow old or change interests, and then eventually that stuff will re-surface. Some will re-surface again and again, until they reach their eventual demise... but such finds as yours are rare already and will definitely become very rare, indeed, in just a few more years.

I'd say the Karma was sure with you this time! Go buy your friend who spotted it on his computer a "thank you beer" (or burger, or whatever he likes).

I'd say the Karma was sure with you this time! Go buy your friend who spotted it on his computer a "thank you beer" (or burger, or whatever he likes).

I sent him a link for a free, working 50s magnavox 21' set. :D
He likes old TVs too.