In my years of collecting vintage TV's I only ever sold one, but with money getting tighter I'm now considering selling a couple of my prize pieces. They are two early GE Portacolor sets, one from 1966 (the first year of production) and the other from around 1968. The older one has VHF tuning only, making it an especially unique display piece - I once saw one in a Hellmanns mayonnaise commercial. Both sets work great, or did when I last had them running a few years ago.
What I'm wondering is, just what are Portacolors worth these days? I saw a much later one on Ebay several years ago (went for about $250), but haven't seen any more since. Are they really that scarce, or do people just not bother listing them?
Here are pictures of my two sets:
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk275/packrat79/GE_PC2.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk275/packrat79/Ge_pc3.jpg
I would only consider selling these if I was sure I could get a good price.
Thanks for any advice.

I suspect the VHF only one is a set designed for the Canadian market, as all TV's sold in the USA were to have built in UHF tuners as of 1964.

As far as value, it's hard to say. I guess it all depends on whoever is looking and what they're willing to pay. You could always list them on ebay, either with a reserve or make the starting price the least you'd be willing to take. If your conditions are not met, you still have the TV's and the only thing you'll be out of is the listing fees. I will tell you that just because one of these TV's brought $250 on ebay, does not mean the next one will. I've seen common $10 radios on ebay and two moneybags bidders would drive the prices up to insane levels and then, a month later, there would be an identical model that wouldn't even bring the $10 opening bid.

Back in the '90's, I used to find a lot of Partacolors. Most of them didn't work and the price range was between free and $5. Once fixed, I usually sold them for anywhere between $25-$40. Back then, I was not looking at these sets from a collector standpoint and neither were the people buying them from me. They were just another TV for me to fix and try to make a dollar. The people who were buying them from me were generally the type who didn't want to pay the extra money that I sold solid state sets for.

I don't think I've had, or even seen in person, a tube portacolor since about '97. And, it was one of the later ones from '76.

I think the reason we're not seeing them is because when their owners unearth them, they see them as just another obsolete junk TV and end up tossing them with no effort to sell or give them away. This is not only true of portacolors; but, of most other old tube sets, as well. I'm sure a lot of tube sets get donated to thrift stores; but, most of them don't even hit the sales floor and go to the dumpster because they either don't work or are considered too old to sell.

I recall someone on here saying you can't give these things away...

Considering I had a working one given to me recently, that's probably accurate.

I sold one on ebay about 3-4 years ago, it was a '74 model as I recall. Brought around $35. The VHF only model should stir up some interest. The market is limited, but there are some folks who are looking for them. Best to have it very clean and working. They do still turn up for free/cheap from time to time; the last one I picked up is a bare-bones '66 model, down and dirty but it works and was given to me.

I have been watching them when they come up on ebay and they seem to go for 100+ lately.
List it and put a reserve for the minimum you will take for it. Even if it doesnt see it will give you a good idea what people are willing to bid it up to thus the value.

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How about a "Porta Color II" set?

I still have my porta color that I bought new. It wasn't the best color set but it was the smallest at that time.

A genuine Portacolor II (the early 70s model) should get a lot of interest among collectors. There are some folks out there who specialize in early solid state TV and some of them have deep pockets.

Alternate answer: They are barely worth the cost of shipping. To help you out, my address is...

Dammit, Bryan, I seen it 1st...MY address is 217 Circle Drive, Rogersville, TN, 37857...(grin)

I suspect the VHF only one is a set designed for the Canadian market, as all TV's sold in the USA were to have built in UHF tuners as of 1964.



Agreed, or some sort of special-market version such as hotel/hospital. Sony and Motorola made institutional sets without UHF through the 80s.

Value? Whatever someone will pay. I've bought & sold them in the $40 range in the past 2 or 3 years.

Charles

I remember some of those hospital sets still had the UHF tuner in the set; but, there was a plastic plug covering the hole where the UHF knob would be. On these hospital sets, the UHF position on the dial was the "off" position.

I paid $50 off craigslist in like 2007 for mine a 1966...only because it was very very clean and worked, and was close by. Yes I overpaid but I really wanted one.

I wonder if the OP is ever coming back...

I wonder if the OP is ever coming back...

Good question. I see these kinds of post all the time on ARF. It's usually subjects like, "what's my '70's console stereo worth?" When everyone tells them that they'd be doing good to give it away, you never hear from the OP - no thanks, kiss my butt, or nothing. I think they get PO'ed when everyone does not chime in with excitement, saying, "Oh, that's a rare one of a kind stereo and you could easily get $10,000 for it".

"Lay" people always think if its got Tooobs, it is 1) Ancient, & therefore 2) VERY valuable. That's why you see those 1950s era Zenith radios that they must have made a gazillion of, priced at $50 & up in Antique Stores...

My uncle had a portacolor that he was going to give me back about 5 years ago. I remember that it was an early 70's model and looks like the second picture on the this thread. Actually I think it's identical. It had a hole burned into the top from what he told be an incence burned down and melted it. He put it in the garage, and still to this day cannot find it. He told me to come over and try to see if I can find it up in the attic. After seeing these two portacolors, I might just go up and look for it now. It worked and had a nice bright CRT.

I've always liked the little porta colors and I think I have around 20 or so of them of all years except a 1966 model and I'm still looking for one. Just last Saturday at an estate sale I purchased a early good working SS porta color for $2.50. They also had an Admiral Solar Color console for the same price (25" console) with all the hang tags and owners manual still unopened stapled to the back but I had no room for it. The estate was the owner of House-Hasson Hardware company which was the Admiral distributorship for this area in Tennessee. But he did have this little GE TV!

The porta colors rarely have a bad CRT and you can always fix them.

Here's my PC-II from 1973. Have no idea what wrong with it yet - was found with the hatch off.

Here's my PC-II from 1973. Have no idea what wrong with it yet - was found with the hatch off.

It'll likely need need new safety caps - I see the white ones are still in the set. Lemme know when you get started on the set - I have lots of GE S/S goodies.

Cheers,

I just got a Portacolor II from '73 earlier this week. It's gonna need some work. The horizontal won't lock and the audio is motorboating, so I'm gonna have to change some caps.

I've always loved them and have been saving them for the last 20 years when found in a thrift store, yard sale or in the trash. On day I went to the dump facility and a Goodwill truck came and was dumping fairly good stuff (like they always do) and the guy emptying the truck pulled out a little SS Portacolor and set it down with the rest of the stuff so I sprang into action and put it in my truck. It was a nice one too and later at home found it to be in perfect working condition. Up in Ohio I found two tube sets in one day at different locations! I have quite a pile of them in the warehouse!
BTW, I am still looking for the early one made in 1966.

The 1966 Porta-color had the chassis HB, which was a GE original. Unlike the rest of thier color sets for 1966. The big brother was the CB which had either a 21" round, 23EGP22? or a 25AP22?. My fact'ry manuals refers to this RCA-clone trio as CB-21, CB-23 or CB-25. Does anybody know if a 19" GE color set was made that year?

Edit: D'oh The GE CB chassis was not a clone as pointed out below-thanks. It was GE transitioning to compactron tubes.

BTW- I don't even respond to "vintage TV" any more in CL or EB ads, the term is now applied to anything with a CRT!!!

The 1966 Porta-color had the chassis HB, which was a GE original. Unlike the rest of thier color sets for 1966. The big brother was the CB which had either a 21" round, 23EGP22? or a 25AP22?. My fact'ry manuals refers to this RCA-clone trio as CB-21, CB-23 or CB-25. Does anybody know if a 19" GE color set was made that year?

BTW- I don't even respond to "vintage TV" any more in CL or EB ads, the term is now applied to anything with a CRT!!!
That CB chassis was not an RCA clone. The metal work of the chassis looks simular, but the color circuit is plainly a GE design. In that model the color circuit is in the front, where the AGC, sync, vertical and horizontal osc circuits are located in the RCA clones. Strickly a GE design.:sigh:

I have a little UK market PAL S. Kuba portable set from 1969 in storage. I have never been inside it as it never get used but is in working condition. Even new these things never produced a great picture due to the low res tube and simple PAL decoder.

I have often wondered if it is a Portacolor clone? If it is it will be the only US Colour set to ever reach the UK market!

Must pull it from storage soon and have a look?


http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z380/c0lin4014/kubaportacolor2.jpg

I have a little UK market PAL S. Kuba portable set from 1969 in storage. I have never been inside it as it never get used but is in working condition. Even new these things never produced a great picture due to the low res tube and simple PAL decoder.

I have often wondered if it is a Portacolor clone? If it is it will be the only US Colour set to ever reach the UK market!

Must pull it from storage soon and have a look?


http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z380/c0lin4014/kubaportacolor2.jpg

I think there was pictures of the Kuba portacolor on this web-site sometime last year. It looked like the cabinet, CRT, Yoke and the convergence were GE made. The chassis was pure european design.

The VHF tuner and one control appear to be missing on this set. Is Europe's television system all UHF, with no need for VHF tuning in sets marketed there? Also, which control is missing on this set? Can't be one of the color controls, unless this set had a color-fidelity control like the ones on certain brands of US televisions of the 1960s-'70s.

Edit: I took another look at the set's control panel and saw a legend, "UHF-VHF", above the missing control's mounting hole. Could certain models of this set have had a tuning range switch to select UHF and VHF tuners, for areas that may still have had VHF TV stations? I am thinking that there may have been certain models of this set which had both tuners, for use in areas with stations in both tuning ranges.

However, I also wonder why there would have had to be a manual switch on the front of the set for VHF-UHF tuner switching. American NTSC analog TVs had a switch on the VHF tuner that activated the UHF tuner when the former was set to "UHF" or "U", the position between channels 2 and 13. Did this idea never occur to European TV manufacturers, or was there a law in Europe that for some reason prohibited such an arrangement, meaning of course that a manual range switch on the front of the set was mandatory? :scratch2: If the latter, I can't imagine why such a law would even be necessary. The VHF/UHF tuner switching arrangement on American and Canadian NTSC CRT TVs made more sense, IMO. I'm surprised it did not become a worldwide standard long before Europe and most of the rest of the world switched to DTV.

I think Britain quit using VHF when they discontinued 405 line transmitting. I think that set has a VHF tuner, but they covered it. IIRC, Sony did the same thing with their British KV1200's. This is what keeps this hobby interesting.

Perhaps the location of the "tint" control is covered in this set, as the PAL transmission scheme (which included phase reversal on alternate lines) did not require adjustment of tint.

NTSC receivers have a tint control to perform colour correction manually. If this is not adjusted correctly, the colours may be faulty. The PAL standard automatically cancels hue errors by phase reversal, so a tint control is unnecessary. Chrominance phase errors in the PAL system are cancelled out using a 1H delay line resulting in lower saturation, which is much less noticeable to the eye than NTSC hue errors.

From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAL

jr

Europe standardised on a 625 line UHF / VHF system in the early 60s for colour broadcasts, and that particular Kuba portable was a UK model introduced before full colour switchover in 1969. Before that UK colour and mono sets had to be able to pick up the national channels on VHF at 405 lines. The Kuba was a German set and as in the rest of europe Colour was broadcast at 625 lines on UHF and VHF. The early UK Kuba had a VHF and a UHF tuner and a complicated switch to go between! that also had to change the scan from 625 to 405 lines The UK Kuba was rather funny as in 1969, the UK supplier the rental company, Granada just set the switch to UHF, pulled off the knob and the VHF tuning dial and covered the holes after the switchover!! (that switching was a source of many problems!). That set has a tint control because it used a simplified PAL S decoder where the colour would drift (as in NTSC), From my experience with the Hibrid Kuba it drifted a lot! All larger sets had full PAL decoders and had no colour drift so it really was not acceptable to keep having to operate a tint control!

VHF tuners in the UK also used all 13 channels! London BBC was always on channel 1!

I know all this because my brother was an engineer for Granada! He Hated the Kubas ( as did most of the people who rented them!).

May sound funny, but I'd love to find a nice Portacolor set myself, Just for the fun of owning one.

What is the size of those porta colors?

well, my '66 model has an 11" crt (the 11SP22)

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk275/packrat79/GE_PC2.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk275/packrat79/Ge_pc3.jpg
I would only consider selling these if I was sure I could get a good price.
Thanks for any advice.

How much would you sell for ?

I have many of the porta color sets but I don't seem to have a 1966 model. If anyone has an extra that is not ratty, I would trade a couple of my extras to include the solid state ones for one. Let me know what your needs are. I also have s solid state for parts-no CRT (broken) but body and chassis parts. PM me and I will send you my phone number for a chat. Julian

I don't know what year mine is. Needs a picture tube anyway.

i have myself been trying to find porta color ,or any small color tv esp. with tubes.