Old TV finds circa 2009

[bgadow]

In the early 90s I was dragging home tube tv's by the truckload. The key was that those sets were still worth something. Not much, mind you, but you could set up a table at the flea market or haul a load to the auction and somebody would buy them. Every ramshackle used furniture store could be counted on to have one or two in the back. As the prices dropped on new sets the old stuff rapidly went worthless. And the point is well taken: if we think they are "worthless" now, just wait a couple years. There is going to be an avalanche of 80s/90s sets-and newer. This is an era that doesn't interest me-yet. Someday I'll probably wish I had some of that 80s stuff. As for older gear, there is going to be less and less of it coming out of the woodwork. Very, very few people could be left out there using a tube set as a daily driver. Most of the stuff still around exists because it is too much trouble to throw out. I suspect when the deadline gets here local governments will have large electronics recycling drives. Colortraks and System 3's will be hauled away by the tractor trailer load, never to be seen again.

[andy]

Originally Posted by bgadow

In the early 90s I was dragging home tube tv's by the truckload. ...

I wonder what happened to all the 60's color portables that used to be EVERYWHERE. These days I see more roundies, and 50's B/W portables. Even 50's color sets show up on ebay pretty often. I've seen several 40's sets (that were too big for my apartment) at estate sales since I moved to CA, but not a single 60's RCA color portable that used to be so common. When I was a kid in the 80's and early 90's, that was pretty much all I found at yard sales and the side of the road. I'm hoping to find a few nice examples of these before they're all gone (if they aren't already).

[drh4683]

my thoughts exactly andy. The roundies are much more common to find now as far as vintage color sets go.

Those color portables and table models do not appeal to anyone. The consoles are still around as their owners liked the cabinets so much and couldnt throw them away. Thats why I find them from time to time. Besides, the portable/table sets were easy to throw away as they were easy to move and they didnt mean anything to the owner as it had no other function other than being a TV. I think we might be the only people who could still appriciate a broken table TV and justify keeping it around!

Heres a perfect example, last weekend I was at estate sales and found a zenith 4 tube hybrid. It was NOT found at an estate sale though! I found it in a dumpster a few doors down from the house. Someone basically cleared out the entire contents of the home into a large dumpster in front of the house. Amazingly the set was at the top of the dumpster, thats how I spotted it. I could not belive it! that set could have easily been at the bottom of the dumpster and never known it and would have been gone forever. If I wasnt there to save it last saterday, that would have been yet another smashed and gone table TV. It did suffer dumpster damage though, the antennas and antenna mounts broke off the cabinet as it was tossed in and the set landed on its back against some wood chairs. It was also out in the rain but dry when found it as it was very hot last saterday. If the darn guy would have had an estate sale instead, it would have been a nice undamaged find. I get very angry when I see people basically throw everything in a home into a dumpster. So much nice stuff is junked. Its a shame. Go figure though, Zenith 4 tuber still works!

[radiotvnut]

Originally Posted by drh4683

my thoughts exactly andy. The roundies are much more common to find now as far as vintage color sets go.

Those color portables and table models do not appeal to anyone. The consoles are still around as their owners liked the cabinets so much and couldnt throw them away. Thats why I find them from time to time. Besides, the portable/table sets were easy to throw away as they were easy to move and they didnt mean anything to the owner as it had no other function other than being a TV. I think we might be the only people who could still appriciate a broken table TV and justify keeping it around!

Heres a perfect example, last weekend I was at estate sales and found a zenith 4 tube hybrid. It was NOT found at an estate sale though! I found it in a dumpster a few doors down from the house. Someone basically cleared out the entire contents of the home into a large dumpster in front of the house. Amazingly the set was at the top of the dumpster, thats how I spotted it. I could not belive it! that set could have easily been at the bottom of the dumpster and never known it and would have been gone forever. If I wasnt there to save it last saterday, that would have been yet another smashed and gone table TV. It did suffer dumpster damage though, the antennas and antenna mounts broke off the cabinet as it was tossed in and the set landed on its back against some wood chairs. It was also out in the rain but dry when found it as it was very hot last saterday. If the darn guy would have had an estate sale instead, it would have been a nice undamaged find. I get very angry when I see people basically throw everything in a home into a dumpster. So much nice stuff is junked. Its a shame. Go figure though, Zenith 4 tuber still works!

The last 4-tube hybrid I saw around here was at the dump. The sad part was that the "sledge hammer crew" had already gotten to it before I did. They busted the back in, smashed the tube, and robbed the yoke. There are a group of idiots that go around busting up discarded TV's for the copper. That Zenith probably worked before they got to it. I would have given them more money for the set had they left it alone than the few cents the copper would have brought. Makes me so mad I could just cuss...