How rare or sought after is that 13" zenith BW with digital tuning??

[rca2000]

From time to time....Someone here mentions one of those 13" BW Zenith tv sets from about 1981--82 or so, that had digital tuning. I have seen a couple, never had one, and did not really want one, I KNOW they have a hot chassis and such. But, I never have come across one....


Till now.

NOW, I HAVE ONE. It even has the "Zenith advanced electronic tuning" hang tag with it. Thanks to the "Wyoming spring clean-up". Still in the trunk. I have to go BACK for the "late route' of the clean-up in an hour or so.

If i wanted MODERN tube sets...I could FILL my van at least TWICE tonight...including "flat tube silver sony" sets...but so far...that little Zenith is the only "classic set" I saw.

It WILL be available, for possible trade, and I could bring it to the ETF next weekend, I have another set to bring already.

[AUdubon5425]

I e-mailed someone I *think* was looking for one of those.

[truetone36]

The 13" is not common, but the 19" is the rarest one, IIRC.

[Whirled One]

I'm not really sure how rare they really are. They're certainly not particularly common, and a pretty decent find (especially with the original hang tags!). What's odd is that in the mid-1990's or so I must have encountered them (in both sizes) every few months at thrift stores, yard sales, and the like-- but I never actually bought one. Then it seemed like there were several years where I *never* saw one. Then, suddenly, a few years ago, I found one at a thrift store, and since then I've spotted 4 or 5 more of them. Right now, I think I have three of the 12" ones, and one of the 19" version.

Be sure to power up and check-test the set you found-- a fair number of the ones I used to encounter at thrift stores and such had bad/flaky tuner controllers. When you power up the set, the tuner should be on channel 2. If the two-digit LED display instead shows random segments on power up, and/or the tuner doesn't respond correctly to button presses, the tuner has issues.

In any case, I'm surprised they're even as 'common' as they are-- I can't believe that there'd have been a market for an "upscale" portable B&W TV in that time period! ...especially since the digital tuner in these sets is not actually all that convenient compared with most other TVs