Ones that got away?
 

I spotted a Danish-modern-style RCA color set in the trash yesterday.

The bad news is, the trusty '73 Dodge truck I use for TV haulin' is parked behind my... '72 Imperial, '73 Imperial, '70 Dart, & '79 Chrysler 300. This means I would have had to move all 4 cars, and the '72 Imp has a dud battery. I didn't find the TV until about 10PM last night, so jockeying cars just wasn't gonna happen.

The other cars are too nice to try and jam a console TV in the trunk, (by myself) although I would imagine they'd fit if I didn't care about the paint jobs. Captain Moody knows I hauled a washing machine a good 15 miles in my '74 Newport, lol.

My only other car I had available was a beater '90 LeBaron 'vert that I bought to use as a parts car. So I got up early this morning and gave it a shot...

I was able to lift the console up and into the Lebaron's trunk, without harming either one. Bad news is, the only way to do it was with the chassis (weight) hanging out over the bumper. Those trunks just aren't that big, and certainly not made to haul console TVs.

I even tried taking my shirt off and using it to tie the set to the decklid. I suspect that would have lasted about 10 feet before the thing smashed to bits on the street.

So I had to say goodbye as it began to rain, and the garbage truck turned onto the street. It looked very sad :(

For the record, it was a 1972 build-date "Accu-color" 25" set. It looked like to had a big bar as a power button, and controls that tipped out. Cosmetically it was in perfect shape. I would have bet it worked. Would anybody have wanted it?

Share some stories of ones you had to leave behind...

Carmine--

That's really unfortunate.......but a bit comical as well.....

Any photos you could post of the '72 Imp and '70 Dart?

Haven't seen those around in quite a while.....bet you see them in PHX once in a while.

I don't want to derail my own thread, but there are a lot of my car pics in this thread:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=89144

My most recent one would probably be the 26" stereo AWA in a full sized console cabinet that I saw out on the curb side collection earlier this year. It would have to be the biggest console I've seen in ages and was probably their top of the range set at the time. It was probably one of the last sets manufactured in Australia.

My wagon was loaded with other stuff when I saw it and there was no way I could move it by myself. I drove past the next day on the way to pick someone up to help me move it, but the garbage trucks had already been through.

Before that there was a massive quantity of sets that were dumped in the yard behind my workshop. Someone had planned to send a load of sets overseas somewhere and was storing them in full sized shipping container. One day the container was repossessed and the lot were left in the yard. I was slowly picking through them taking a few sets here and there. One day the owners got sick of the mess and brought in an excavator to load them all into a truck. I hadn't made much of a dent in the pile by then. There were some older sets in the middle of the pile, but I didn't get to them in time. I simply didn't have the time or space to get through them all.

The most recent one for me was a 27" Zenith Digital system 3 set a few blocks from my house. I could have had it if the stupid car dealer had bothered to call me when my car was ready on Saturday. Instead I had to wait until Monday and by then the TV was gone. It was annoying because I actually could have used the set at the time.

A few that stick in my mind:

In about 1985, before I was driving, a woman down the street (who had a perpetual yard sale) had a mid-60s Admiral bw console for about $15. I really wanted it but I didn't want to ask my parents to get it for me and it was too far to tote otherwise.

In about 1995 I was on a long daytrip, I think in PA. I was in some big town when I saw a Zenith rectangular screen in danish modern, $ervice $aver era. I could have gone back and got it as I was in my truck but I didn't, and you know it still bothers me!

A few years after that I came across my biggest single find, which I have shared here a time or two. In short, it was an old farm house with maybe 2 dozen tv sets stashed inside, all from the 60s or earlier. I could only really save about 6 or 8 of them. Most were 21" or bigger bw consoles. They were all destroyed.

I try to take my pickup on any trip where I might find something. Last month we decided to go antiquing. I had a bunch of junk in the Dakota so we took my wife's 2dr Civic, over her protests that I might find something big. Well, we stopped in one of our favorite antique malls which is about 45 minutes from home. They were going out of business and one vendor had a great Sunbeam appliances display rack from the 40s for $35. I had to get it. There was no way it would fit in the front of the car-all we could do was wedge the base into the trunk and ride home with it sticking out, some binder twine holding it in place. I got a lot of "I told you so's" that day!

Awesome, thanks......!!
What year is that Imperial with the fins>?

back around 1970 I was in high school, and a neighbor was tossing one of those portable/small RCA B&W TVs from the late 50's. I took it home, but my father saw it as a 13 year old POS and (normally we fixed old TV sets for ourselves) my father didn't want to spend any time or money on a set with such a small screen.... I do remember that the horiz output tube had a cathode to heater short, but I was on the usual starvation level kid allowance, so couldn't afford new tubes or other such stuff at the time....

Back in 1990, I bought some ham stuff from a Silent Key's estate where he fixed TV's for a living. I could have had a Zenith roundie, circa 1962 or so but I passed. I didn't have the space for it plus it would have been tough getting it home. Still, it bugs me since I always liked the old roundies yet I don't have one.

OK, I'm PO'd. An elderly friend of mine called me this morning to tell me there was a very old B&W console TV at one of the county dumpsters. His description sounded like an early to mid '50's set. He said the only thing he saw wrong was that the knobs were missing. He said the cabinet even looked nice. He said he would have gotten it; but, he couldn't get it by himself and no one was there to help him load it. Well, by the time I got there; Someone had busted it all to pieces. All that was left was a busted up cabinet, a busted speaker, and a lot of busted pieces of glass from the CRT and safety glass. Oh, and it appeared to be a Zenith set. I've learned over the years that if I see a TV; I'd better get it NOW because there are a bunch of idiots that do nothing but ride around all day with sledge hammers busting up old TV's, etc. for the copper! I'd love to get my hands on these jerks! That same friend did pick up a mid '80's 13" KTV (worked) and a late '60's Airline console stereo (someone was there to help him load it). I fear these may have suffered the same fate as the Zenith had he not been able to get them.