Estate Sale Finds in 2010! - Page 8 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

Sandy G · #**106** 03-21-2010, 07:30 AM

Great finds, Doug...But that pic of y'all standin' outside in the blizzard made me shudder...72 & GORGEOUS here ystrday...

captainmoody · #**107** 03-21-2010, 07:53 AM

Nice finds Doug! You saved that hybrid from the jaws of death!

AUdubon5425 · #**108** 03-21-2010, 08:34 AM

Oh yeah, I would have had to buy the sofa behind the TV

sampson159 · #**109** 03-21-2010, 09:24 AM

when i worked for billy back in the day,we sold tons of those hybrid zeniths.they were customers choice over the solid state rcas,maggies,etc.the picture quality was superb.i remember once when a gentleman came in and asked for a 19 inch set for his bedroom.must be solid state!dont want any tube junk!walks into a used tv shop and asks for the latest set.we had several 1-2 year old sets on display.in the corner was a zenith hybrid.he glanced at the newer stuff and then meandered over to the zenith.this is a good picture,he said.no,this is the best picture.how old?billy told him and he couldnt believe it.it has tubes.so he walked away.looked at something,but kept going back to the zenith.he left the store.one hour later he comes rushing in.did you sell that tv?is it too late?he bought the tube junk zenith.picture quality alone was the selling point.we got another one in and he bought that one too plus a zenith flat chassis for the living room.that was in 1979-80.but,alas,these zeniths are gone here in central ohio.

joemama99 · #**110** 03-21-2010, 04:45 PM

Hey Doug.That looks like a "microtouch" turntable.They used to have a tv commercial where they showed the arm being pushed across and dropped on the record without
scratching it.

drh4683 · #**111** 03-27-2010, 08:27 PM

Eight estate sales on todays route, two of them turned up good stuff. First sale was at 1100 N 15th ave in Melrose Park, IL. In the living room was a nice clean 1966 RCA Victor CTC-25 combo unit. As soon as I walked in the lady at the door said that prices were negotiable on EVERYTHING and when I asked about the price of the combo a few minutes later, I was told its half priced so $50.00. I asked if they'd take $40 and I get jumped on: "we just told you it was $50.00, and thats a good deal". Apparently they forgot that they told me ALL PRICES WERE NEGOTIABLE so I to remind them of what they told me as soon as I walked in the door. So they decided to let it go for no less than $45.00. Now Im not that much of a cheap skate, but when you tell someone prices are negotiable and then you don't honor your word, thats pretty unprofessional considering an estate sale company was running the sale. The TV didn't work and the radio phono didn't work either. Typical solid state RCA radio chassis, it has that 60hz hum with the worst filter cap in electronics history in there. I've never seen a good one. Its a cardboard cap with the wax in the end and the leads coming out of it. Very high values like 2000uF@35v.

TV has no HV. Who knows, the fly could be toast or perhaps an open rectifier.

Yay, the model number tag got ripped off too. At least there is slight evidence of what it once was.

The fun wasn't over yet....I had to have someone help me move the TV and I normally give the person who helps me a few dollars. Well this guy at the sale offered to help me. I offered him a few bucks to do so. Ironically, he also bought a TV too and he asked if I could help him out. His was an early 90's zenith (and yes it still worked!). I helped him load it in his van and then he helped me load the combo in my truck. It was an easy move, just out the front door, down the steps and into the truck.
I told him I'd "Give him a few bucks for helping me out as I really appriciated the help otherwise I would have been SOL" so I gave him $5 as thats all I had left in cash. The guy gets all pissed off "hey, c'mon man, whats this? I just saved your ass moving this thing, c'mon five bucks thats it?" I couldn't believe he said that, I never had anyone complain about a tip. I threw it back at him "Didn't I just help you out?" Another idiot who doesn't remember...I helped move his TV ALSO! But I guess because mine was so big and heavy that me helping him move a smaller 25" TV doesn't count. What a jerk.

The next sale was at 815 N Elmhurst Rd in Mount Prospect. I found a 1969 Zenith console stereo. A very nice danish modern cabinet. It only works with one dead channel which seems to be so common on these. It seems like 75% of the Zenith stereos I find have a dead channel of some sort. That was an easy move though, people that are running the sale are there to help you move stuff most of the time and it goes really well.

radiotvnut · #**112** 03-27-2010, 10:30 PM

Nice finds! I really like that RCA combo! I wonder if that Zenith is old enough to still be handwired. I've ran into a lot of SS stereo's from the '60's with a dead/weak channel and it's almost always those horrible electrolytic caps that they used back then. It just so happens that I took in a '66 SS RCA console stereo for repair just today and it had a defective filter cap. After that was replaced, one channel was very weak. Upon looking at the main chassis, it is full of those horrible black cased and silver cased electrolytic caps.

Concerning the jerk, the actions of some people never cease to amaze me. One day, people like this guy are going to need a helping hand and no one is going to be there for them. I was brought up to help others in need and not expect anything for it.

AUdubon5425 · #**113** 03-28-2010, 01:04 AM

WHo made that changer in the '65 combo? I know I've seen them before.

sampson159 · #**114** 03-28-2010, 09:52 AM

what a day you had ,doug.all prices are negotiable and then wouldnt honor it?
and the guy who helped with the combo scoffing at a 5 dollar tip?wasnt your day.i dont know how many times me and my son had helped someone carry a big item and not expect anything.josh would never take money for it.i wouldnt either.what a jerk!i dont think i would have wanted that combo that bad.she could have sat on it for awhile.sorry you had to go through that.zenith stereo is nice though!

andy · #**115** 03-28-2010, 10:13 AM

...

leadlike · #**116** 03-28-2010, 10:56 AM

Maybe they thought they had negotiated the price down on the combo, as the original price was $100. Were they trying to sell it as "vintage", because at that price that is a might bit steep considering that none of it was being sold in working condition.

I was surprised by the asking price for the Zenith combo, too. Around here, when they have auctions for estates, this stuff usually is pushed out to the junk pile before they even start the sale.

jstout66 · #**117** 03-28-2010, 01:24 PM

Love that combo Doug! That cabinet style is really neat! It's got one of my favorite changers as well. AUdubon5425, I think that is an RCA built changer. I could be wrong, but I think there was a few models they made that were't farmed out to BSR or another company.
As for the 25 chassis in that set, pretty good except for that damn tuner which I think was a 1 chassis design for RCA. Probably wouldn't be an issue now that one would use a VCR or converter box, but in the day of 3 or 4 local stations, you were always having to fine-tune them. The design on it is that you have to push in the channel selector knob to fine tune.

Carmine · #**118** 03-28-2010, 03:52 PM

As usual, let me know if you are interested. I can't keep these and they will be parted-out if there are no takers! It was me or the dumpster boys, so don't hate!

Cabinets are in good shape, just dusty. Non-smoker, no-kid house.

Surprise, surprise... it's a Zenith B&W set that hasn't been powered on in decades and it works fine. (No antenna) They were in a very nice, dry garage covered with an insane amount of dust.

Here we have a very similar cabinet (all the furniture was this style!)

and, no surprise here... It more/less worked. I was really surprised at the sharpness (just a low-power Canadian station using a UHF loop)

Grey scale needs touch up, but green gun does work, drive control is dirty.

As usual, let me know if you are interested. I can't keep these and they will be parted-out if there are no takers! It was me or the dumpster boys, so don't hate!

drh4683 · #**119** 03-28-2010, 06:05 PM

Nice finds Chris,

Save the color console please. Its a 12A12C52 chassis, my favorite one. I have a good VHF knob for it too. I'll have tons and tons of room soon......

Jeffhs · #**120** 03-28-2010, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AUdubon5425

WHo made that changer in the '65 combo? I know I've seen them before.

I don't know about that particular changer, but in the '80s the smaller integrated Zenith stereo systems (I had one for 17 years that was built like a tank, much better than my current Aiwa system) had BSR three-speed ones. I knew someone back then who had a very low opinion of BSR record changers. I won't repeat his comment here.

BSR was a respected British manufacturer of record changers, so why my acquaintance's opinion of them was so disparaging I don't know. Maybe he had problems with such a changer in his own stereo system, maybe he was trying to make a (very bad) joke....who knows?

I wonder if BSR is still in business. If they are, I'll bet they are making CD players and changers these days.