23" B&W RCA Console
 

Not a common set.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1960...item2567df00ce

I saw one very similar to this at a TV shop which had a huge amount of old sets stored up. It didn't have the lighted channel numbers but was otherwise the same. The owner was selling the sets at $10 each and I had already loaded the van with some round color sets and didn't have room for this one.

Later they had an auction of the shop but I only found out after it had started through an ad in the newspaper. It was about 2 hours away and even had I left right then I wouldn't have made it. I wish I would have made more of an effort to try and get the RCA B/W console. I do have a B/W Lyceum TV which is very similar but really wanted the console.

That's a nice set. Since it has the RCA block logo, it's no older than '69 and could easily be from the early '70's.

It's in New Jersey :( I would give it a good home otherwise.

He's not kidding about RCA styling them to look like the color sets then - the channel selector panel looks like many a CTC-38 or 40.

That Helvetica face on the back got my attention - I don't think this is the original back for this set.

Do you mean the "A Product of RCA" text? That is the same font all of my sets use for this text on the back which have the RCA block letter logo...I would think it is original.

Yes, that would be original. That set is an odd duck! Probably a very poor value when it was new. I wonder how nice a color table model you could have bought for the same price?

Every RCA b/w set i've run across of this vintage and styling always seemed to have a weak crt. They must have been used until they quit.

I don't know how much this set cost when new; but, I have a '78 22" Sylvania solid state B&W console that was obtained from a closed TV shop. Another VK member got an identical set from the same shop that still had the $399.99 price sticker on it. It would have taken someone who really wanted a B&W console to shell out that much money for one, since one could have bought an entry level 19" color set for around the same price or a 19" B&W for around $150. From what the shop owner told us, they had some customers who wanted no part of color and they kept these larger B&W sets in stock for as long as they could get them.

Thanks for the info.

The CTC-38 I grew up with (GL759WK, IIRC) must have been among the last without Helvetica font on the back.

Wow, that is a unique one for sure. Never seen anything like it. Too bad the model tag is missing, my guess its about a 1970? The flat back cover is also unusual. Hopefully one of us caretakers can save it.

They shoulda made it color...Imagine a Roundie bein' able to do that..