OMG, a pristine Motorola 19CT1 on eBay
 

Holy cow, it looks mint and it has the original 19" tube.

This will be fun to watch, shall we start a pool as to how much it'll go for?

http://cgi.ebay.com/EARLY-COLOR-TV-M...3%3A1|294%3A50

It's definately a beauty! These NEVER show up in original condition. This should go for a small fortune. May ETF might bite on it. It definately will be an auction to watch.
-Tony

Wowie, that thing is "minty"! The picture of the dude with the set is funny to me for some reason. :D

Cool!

He'll be laughing all the way to the bank. :D:yes:

Ooo-la-la! My hands are full, and it's too far away, but mighty fun to look at.

I think the picture with the guy is a good idea. He looks totally honest and hardworking. Just the kind of person you'd like to buy from. Not sure what those gizmos are in the background -- spare parts for Eniac?

And check out the dolly, which is just the right size for this TV. I built a similar one for my CTC-11 last week, when I finally got sick of dragging it around, but he uses better materials!

Phil Nelson

Dollar to a donut says it'll break $1K...Wonder if the CRT is still any good ? Myself, I'd take the legs off & let it sit on that dolly...It looks kinda precarious as it is...And yeah, I'd say you could almost count the number of survivors on both hands...Prolly more rare than CT-100s...

WOW! That's like the one I saw in an antique store as a kid! That was the last one I saw "in the wild" I bet it goes for over $1500 easy.
EDIT: I agree Sandy, it's awful close to the edge of that cart. He should carpet that thing for grip AND take the legs off.

I've never seen one without the 21" conversion! If I were still an avid collector, I'd probably go get it.... All the way from SoCal.

Charles

I agree that he could have left the legs off, but at least he seems knowledgeable
enough not to have turned it on to 'see if it worked'. And this is a true auction
with a realistic starting price!

Wow, it shot up over 500 bucks since last night. (!!) I didn't realize how rare this set was. What a find, eh? I wish . . .

OT: Check out his other items, those ribbon mic's are insane!

That thing is not only super-rare, but it is BEAUTIFUL! Definitely should bring a premium penny, and deservedly so. After all, if you want one and you don't get this one, when and where will you find another like it?

I'm also intrigued by some of the gear BEHIND the set and the guy in the picture he is in. I think this guy is a serious collector of more than just television sets! I'd love a tour of his place, with the ability to choose and buy!

It'll be interesting to see how high that set goes, for sure!

I say it will top $1000, maybe $2000. Mainly because of the 19VP22.

Charles

:drool::drool::drool:

The set is gorgeous. I'm guessing $2,500. Couple of years back it might have fetched even more. That's got to be the best surviving example around today.

It's almost a grand now at $965, was 4 something just a little while ago.
I just bid for fun, now its at $1,005:D

i remember this set from more than a few years ago.down around the wilmington area.set was in a bedroom and for all intents and purposes was never used.it was a working set 5-6 years ago! i went down to get a zenith roundie and they told me about this set.i talked to owner on the phone and he was very happy to show it to me but not for sale.pictures look very good.i think crt was rebuilt in the 70s?i didn t go see it,but i should have!love to have it but i would use it as a daily watcher.got to pass on this one.i have an expensive piece i am guarding right now and i cant have another.beautiful set and i hope this one goes to one of the audiokarma guys!

As of now you still have the top bid!

Hay-Zoos !! Just checked at about five after eight on Friday nite, damthing's at $1514 !! An' it's STILL got almost a week to go... I'll say somewhere between $5k-7500 now...

Over 2K now. What I don't understand is, why is everyone bidding so high now? We all know to wait until the very end.

Not only does it still have its 19" tube, but a blonde finish cabinet. That only adds to the rarity. The ETF has the mahogany version 19CT1 with a 19" tube. This one would make a nice companion piece. Looks, tho, like it will be a budget buster.. Hope it stays in the states.

-Steve D.

$2125.00 now, WOW!

For what it's worth, the seller, Tom Wilson is a very reputable antiques dealer. I've bought from him several times and he's sold to many others in the movie collecting circles i'm part of. He's also very knowledgeable in crating and shipping fragile antiques. He would likely have no problem removing the crt and shipping it separately if the winning bidder requested. I'm not affiliated with him personally or business but wanted to relay this information as a satisfied customer.

This is quite an impressive set. Does anyone have photos of what the rest of the chassis looks like in this model? Does it use dual 5U4 LV rectifiers?

I really don't understand why everyone is bidding so high in the middle of the auction. Its all the better for the seller, but it makes no sense for the bidder. They are experienced ebayers as they have a good number of feedbacks, so I don't get why they are constantly bidding up so early. I look every day and its up another $500. The whole concept is to bid at the last second using your best judgement as far as what your proxy bid should be. I'd be willing to bet this TV will leave the states and we'll never hear about it again.

that whole thing seems odd to me too.i think this one will leave the states also.i am sitting on a classic myself and though i have kept it a secret,i have been frequent getting responses from italy and belgium.i bought this set from an estate specificly to keep it in the usa.although the thought of a 7x profit is enticing,i have to say no.i dont know how much i can resist though.a couple really trustworthy people on this site know about this.how did these overseas people find out about these things?i never advertised and the transaction was confidential between me and the seller.just want america to know that this gem is in storage-(climate controlled)and as long as i am alive,will never leave our shores.hope the same is true for this motorola!

Steve, let's get the "Three Steves" together and buy this thing before it flies away. It can live in Southern California..

Holy Merde !! Right B4 midnite on Sat, 4 July, its up to $2557...Somebody w/some SERIOUS Long Green is after that Bad Boy....

I would give $250 to the ETF if Steve McVoy wants this set for the museum. Who will join me in supporting ETF for catching this beauty?

P.S.: send Steve a private email if you would support ETF for catching this set!

Kind regards,
Eckhard

The ETM already have three motorolas, let others haven them too.

It's on it's way to orbit!

Believe me; the market will flood with 19CT1s as soon as this one sells. It happens every time..... A CT-100 won't show up for awhile, then one does, and it goes for $4000 or something, then next week 3 more show up. There are collectors out there who have rare sets, and really don't want to sell. But seeing a ridiculous 300% eBay sale, they get off the fence and list their set too. Even if I wanted a 3rd 19CT1 myself, I'd wait this one out.

Charles

Pinch me.

Sorry, no 5U4s in the Motorola 19CT1 (Ts-902 chassis), just some big 'ol selenium rectifiers. It does, however have a nice Victoreen corotron HV regulator tube, which was, I believe, machined from a solid block of unobtanium. Might have even come from the same quarry where they mined the 19VP22. :D

I have mixed feelings. It would help if Steve McVoy would express a position publicly.

In looking at the 30 day bid history for the bidders it looks like the highest bidder is in the US and the second highest bidder might be in Germany.

If I were bidding on a set I would be upset if I lost it due to a concerted effort to have it go to the museum. But I can also understand the desire to protect a rare piece of history.

I guess I'm willing to contribute, but I suspect there are some pretty deep pockets bidding on this.

John

I'm guessing around 10,000.

It might be yagosaga (he's from Germany and he posted a message there).

John Folsom: Just out of curiosity, did anybody ever come up with a substitute circuit for the Victoreen tube, something that might have employed a 6BD4 or ? I had one of these (with the 21" conversion) with a bad Victoreen, gave up on it, and donated the chassis and O.E.M. 21AXP to ETF. I still have the cabinet (rough), glass front and escutcheon. if anybody has a good use for it let me know.

Reeferman, I am not aware of anyone who has made that conversion, but what you suggest is exactly what I would do. Find an unobtrusive way to mount a 6BD4/6BK4 along with the required resistor divider network and adjustment pot to replace the Victoreen. Should work just fine. When the day comes to restore my Motorola TS-902 chassis, I may have to do just that, as those corotrons seem to have a high failure rate. I have not tested mine yet, but I am nervous. Anybody got any 22-25KV corotrons? :-)

John,

I removed the Victoreen and horizontally mounted a 6BK4 in its place. I bet I tried every combination I could think of, and tried all 6BK4 circuits I could find in the different Sams. Still couldn't find the right combination. Though the monster cranked out about 30Kv, it gave a decent picture. (By the way, I love the way Motorola took the focus voltage straight off the 2nd anode)

After 35 years of it sitting, I decided I would never get back to it so I donated it to the museum.

Good luck with yours. If I ever find that mine you mentioned, I'll let you know.

Phil

John,

I removed the Victoreen and horizontally mounted a 6BK4 in its place. I bet I tried every combination I could think of, and tried all 6BK4 circuits I could find in the different Sams. Still couldn't find the right combination. Though the monster cranked out about 30Kv, it gave a decent picture. (By the way, I love the way Motorola took the focus voltage straight off the 2nd anode)

After 35 years of it sitting, I decided I would never get back to it so I donated it to the museum.

Good luck with yours. If I ever find that mine you mentioned, I'll let you know.

Phil

John,

I removed the Victoreen and horizontally mounted a 6BK4 in its place. I bet I tried every combination I could think of, and tried all 6BK4 circuits I could find in the different Sams. Still couldn't find the right combination. Though the monster cranked out about 30Kv, it gave a decent picture. (By the way, I love the way Motorola took the focus voltage straight off the 2nd anode)

After 35 years of it sitting, I decided I would never get back to it so I donated it to the museum.

Good luck with yours. If I ever find that mine you mentioned, I'll let you know.

Phil

I hate computers

As much as I appreciate Yagosaga's gesture, I am not going to pursue the set. We have a very nice 19CT1, never sold, in our collection. I think there are better uses for our money.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/motorola_19ct1.html