TV Treasure Hunt! - Videokarma.org TV - Video

bgadow · #1 01-10-2009, 07:25 PM

Well, a good day. Let me start with some background. (I've told part of this before) One Saturday, maybe a year and a half ago, my wife & I decided to go antiquing. There is a town about the size of ours, about 40 minutes away, and I don't know it too well. Never had much reason to venture over there. I had been to the big antique mall downtown which drew me back. After leaving there I decided to explore as I was certain there was more to see. As I'm driving along I halfway notice a sort of plain looking building that looked almost abandoned. I then spot the painted sign above the door: "Magnavox RCA Whirlpool Zenith" Sad, another relic of the past. I wonder what that sign in the window is. Did it say "Used TV's For Sale"? Better wheel around. It did say that. The sign on the door...it said they were open!

And so it began. A genuine Mom & Pop TV store. I had a good talk with them, explaining my hobby, and learning about them and their business. I sent them a thank you letter, reminding them that if they ever wanted to get rid of some older things to let me know. The call came sooner rather than later; I hauled a bunch of old TV sets out of there-mostly typical 21" black and white consoles-and also gobs of NOS & used TV tubes.

The folks are really getting anxious to retire now, and asked if I could come over and give them a hand. I wasn't sure just what to expect: the dreamer in me wished they would say "back the truck up and take it all, every last bit of it, no charge" but I knew better than that. Actually, what they have asked me to do is help them sell as much of this stuff as I can. Not an easy task, as there is a lot of stuff in that place. I spent about 3 hours taking inventory and snapping photos. A real treasure trove for guys like me-everywhere you look, neat stuff. Examples:
Test equipment, some still in use like a B+K 1472C scope & a Tenma isolation transformer, some that has been gathering dust on the bench for awhile (some Isotaps, a Heathkit audio load, RCA Senior Voltohmyst) and some packed away upstairs (B+K TV Analyst 1077B, Tektronix Type 105 square wave generator, RCA WR-64B color generator)
Parts, NOS, lots of RCA & Zenith, some NAP, newer solid state parts (mostly Philips, some NTE) the usual mixed piles of used stuff
Nice assortments of fuses, phono styluses (good quantity), NOS Mallory filter caps, used knobs, some TV tubes (nothing valuable), bunches of used remote controls (including a few older ones, Zenith & RCA) resistor assortments
An RCA 19" test jig with an outboard convertor box, probably early 70s
A shelf loaded with RCA service binders from the early 70s through the early 80s
A 3' tall stuffed Nipper dog, still in the plastic wrap (must be from the 80s or so)
An Apple IIgs computer/monitor
Old radios including a Radiola 17 with 100A speaker, H-500 Transoceanic, Philco and Silvertone consoles from before WW2 and a Zenith side-by-side from after the war; rougher table model radios; several portable reel-to-reel players
A Hotpoint wringer washing machine.
A bunch of mixed NOS appliance parts and piles of service literature
File cabinets and boxloads of Sams
A couple cheap console stereos
An old Underwood typewriter
Some used globe #26 & 27 tubes and some used ST stuff
A couple boxes of old stock vacuum cleaner bags
Several TV stands
An RCA CED player, apart in a box
A Motorola underdash 8 track player and FM convertor
2 Atwater Kent consoles
A bunch of Weller soldering stations and some RCA test equipment probes
A box filled with legs for consoles
A Zenith tabletop AM/FM/8 track stereo
Several component stereo units, some decent and on the sales floor (Sherwood RX-2010, TEAC dual cassette deck, a laserdisc player)
Signs/displays including a 90s era Zenith wall sign, NIB RCA cardboard display from the early 70s and late 70s System 3 cardboard display, wire display racks for RCA stereos, TV sets, Camden records; and 8 track sales display cabinet
Picture tubes, some appear NIB, others seem suspect. He says they're all good. Examples: RCA 23BQP4, Magnavox 25VCZP22, Zenith CA48ABT51X (???) and maybe a 19v tube, also a used 23v with a note that says "blue gun weak"
2 Motorola works-in-a-drawer chassis
A reel push mower
A new Frigidaire refrigerator with ice maker
Some Web-TV units
Some Magnavox Voice-Programmable remote controls (!)
A Midland weather radio
A VHS-C adapter
An old remote controlled telecaption adapter
Some antenna rotators
Some NOS outdoor antennas, like a Channel Master parabolic UHF only that looks pretty neat
A bunch of TV sets on the floor ranging from a late 60s Bradford "Midget 9" bw portable to a Sylvania E03 chassis steel cabinet table model from '74, a '78 JcPenney (RCA) 19", several 80s table models, consoles from Sharp and Zenith, newer stuff like RCA TruFlat & Toshiba, and some brand new LCD stuff topping out with a Sharp Aquos
Some big-dish satellite boxes (Uniden, Channel Master, Amplica, General Instruments)
Some DVD players
A great lighted, double-sided outdoor sign that reads "RCA Victor/RCA Whirlpool"
The usual assortment of all manner of odds and ends that are in every old TV shop, like hand tools, all sorts of cords and wires and adapters, all kinds of odd service manuals, who knows what else.

So, yeah, I'm a little overwhelmed tonight. I brought home 2 things-the big RCA sign and one picture tube that I am keeping. The box says it's an RCA 21GVP22 but as I suspected that isn't what's inside. It's actually a used Silvertone 21FBP22. Good thing is after warming up for awhile it tested strong on all 3 guns. Really nice to have a spare. I guess I'll try posting some of these things on the classifieds here, on craigslist, and maybe on ETF. One problem is that the owner can't give me much idea on prices. Some of the newer stuff on the floor is priced on the high side but he does seem negotiable. I asked him about one piece of test equipment which I knew I could sell for $30 or so; he said he thought it was worth $50. So, I can tell there is going to be lots of back and forth here. I'm going to do the best I can for him, anyway, because him and his wife are really nice folks, they have been kind to me, and in the case of lots of this older stuff I really want to see somebody save it. Of course, if it is heading for the dump I will grab it, but for now everything is for sale. If there is something you are looking for, let me know. It just might be in there somewhere. (sorry, I've looked the place over really good and there isn't any place he could be hiding a CT100!)

radiotvnut · #2 01-10-2009, 07:49 PM

Sounds like he has the stuff! If you happen to find a tube tester that will test compactrons, please let me know. I may be interested.

nasadowsk · #3 01-10-2009, 08:00 PM

Some of those radios might attract me, actually, let's see pics, I bet a lot of this stuff could get sucked up by folks here....

RobtWB · #4 01-10-2009, 08:28 PM

What a great story. Reminds me of a situation I had.

Back in 2001 an old ham radio operator became a silent key. His family offered me all of his equipment. A 50 year collection. Lots of home brew stuff, test equipment etc... but he did have a gorgeous Halli SX 101 and some vintage Heath and Yaesu gear. They simply would not take any money for any of his gear. The wanted it to go to a good home. I ended up giving most all of the gear to people who appreciated it. I figured if they did not want money for it, neither should I.

Anyhow... If there are any 70's vintage tv stands that are shippable, and would be appropriate for a 1977 ChromaColor II 1988W model, I would pay good money to obtain one. Right now the CCI has to sit on top of a 1967 Zenith console. I simply can not bring myself to poison it by placing it on a cheap particle board and vinyl POS.

RWB

bgadow · #5 01-10-2009, 08:45 PM

Robert, I'll keep an eye on those stands for you. Part of the problem is upstairs there is hardly any light so it's hard to see everything. Here is one stand, with the 1077B sitting on it, along with some more radio pics.

I really enjoy meeting folks like this, hearing their stories. They won't be around forever, you know.

Check out that thing in the last picture. Apparently it was something Zenith had out with a tv camera that would go by your door so that when somebody rang you could see them. This is the store display, missing some parts.

edison64 · #6 01-10-2009, 09:01 PM

I may be interested in the Radiola 17 combo.

*zenithfan1* · #7 01-10-2009, 09:27 PM

You're one lucky dog Bryan, I think all those places are gone around me. The last ones I remember were in the late '90s. When I find places like that or used to rather, I could listen to their stories for hours. Nice finds too, if you don't already have one, you should definitely keep the B&K 1077, those are great, and the Zenith TO. I have both of those and wouldn't part with either. My TO has a Wave Magnet antenna and really DX's.
Very cool Zenith door bell camera, I've never seen one before. You lucky dog you

Findm-Keepm · #8 01-13-2009, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgadow

Check out that thing in the last picture. Apparently it was something Zenith had out with a tv camera that would go by your door so that when somebody rang you could see them. This is the store display, missing some parts.

I've got the Zenith Service package for it - called the Video Sentry or something like that. It consisted of a Zenith B/W monitor(12", IIRC), a camera, cabling, and some intercom items.

Cheers,

AndyMack · #9 01-15-2009, 01:21 PM

There's a couple of shops around here like that. Maybe I should knock on their doors and see what's up with them.

I'd certainly be interested in the CM parabolic UHF antenna, if it's still available.

Sandy G · #10 01-15-2009, 03:10 PM

Yeah, the old Radiola & the T/O kinda look nice...But I have 2 T/Os already, don't need another, & Radiolas aren't all that uncommon.

Sandy G · #11 01-15-2009, 03:16 PM

Hmmmm...Does the "Midget 9" work ?

julianburke · #12 01-15-2009, 06:26 PM

In picture 090, I'd like to have that Motorola chassis. Julian

vectorthom · #13 01-29-2009, 09:17 AM

Do you know if the Apple IIGS is still available and if it boots up? If so, would you ship to Santa Monica, CA?

bgadow · #14 01-29-2009, 01:40 PM

Vector, check your PM.

bgadow · #15 02-07-2009, 10:05 PM

I thought I would update everyone on this ongoing project. First, I'm not saying this to brag, honestly, but this is a load of fun! I've been going over there every Saturday afternoon, spending hours sorting through stuff, and bringing a load home with me. I'm starting to make a dent but have a ways to go yet. I keep thinking I've seen it all but then I'll move a box out of the way and find something else. Some examples:
In a box of "junk" I found 2 RCA 45 rpm phonographs, plus part of a third.
While looking at a pile of NOS appliance parts on a high shelf I spotted something behind them-turned out to be a pair of boxed RCA CED players! 1 is a demonstrator, the other is NOS, had never been opened!
There is a used 10BP4 upstairs, which I have talked to my friend about several times. He said that when he was first starting out, in the late 40s, he built a kit and that crt came from it. He couldn't bear to part with it. Well, today while moving some stuff around I found a TV chassis-yep, it's the one he built! He's keeping it for now but I will make it clear that it should never be thrown away. I'd love to restore that one.

While I'd love to keep most of this, I'm selling the bulk of it for him. Most of the above finds are going to everybody's favorite online auction site.

I keep thinking that I am probably the only thing between this stuff and the dumpster. I'll ask again-have you knocked on all the doors in your neighborhood?