Anybody collect antique radios? I have a General Electric Stereo Radio. It is a Model T1020A. I think it is from the 60's. Any ideas on value?
Antique Radios
- Thread starter boykinlp
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HCD
Member
dont know about values but old radios are collected i think the ones with most value are made with a certain type of plastic case dont remember the name of it, and of corse if they are tube type i think that adds value, each kind of radio has it's own collectors. AM, Short Wave, CB, SB, then brand names are a group also. i'm sure there are WWW resorces the Kobels (ko-bells) have books on almost every collectable out there.
G.T. Smith
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I have no idea what your radio is worth, but I did collect a few of them in the late '70's. The ones I had, which was prolly 5, were all really old. Most of them had different bands like shortwave, AM, marine, air, police and so on. One of them looked really gothic and worked like new. I had a thing like an oscilloscope to aid in tuning, and it had like a 12 or 15" speaker.
I think I gave about 20 bucks for the most expensive one. I just thought they looked neat in the old 2 story farm house that my wife and I were renting.
Collect on and enjoy.
Peace,
gordon
I think I gave about 20 bucks for the most expensive one. I just thought they looked neat in the old 2 story farm house that my wife and I were renting.
Collect on and enjoy.
Peace,
gordon
You can find plenty of information here that will get you started:
Antique Radios - The Collector's Resource
I'm not sure what vintage your radio is, but if it's stereo, then it must be post 1950's or so. Most older radios need a complete inspection and usually the replacement of a lot of parts - especially capacitors. Just turning one on and hoping for the best can lead to more problems. The great thing about older tube type radios is that they can be serviced fairly easily unlike most of the electronic gear on the market today.
Antique Radios - The Collector's Resource
I'm not sure what vintage your radio is, but if it's stereo, then it must be post 1950's or so. Most older radios need a complete inspection and usually the replacement of a lot of parts - especially capacitors. Just turning one on and hoping for the best can lead to more problems. The great thing about older tube type radios is that they can be serviced fairly easily unlike most of the electronic gear on the market today.
venomballistics
Member
rule of thumb ... about 2X its retail price assuming that its tube fired. some specimens are higher than others.
I wouldnt say that they require " a lot" of replacement parts. the tube era is all about elegant simplicity of design and parts counts are quite low. Tin can and cardboard tube caps usually are the ones to go south with age and despite us living well inside the age of "no user serviceable parts inside", little has changed other than manufacturers arrogance and a recap of a radio is perfectly within the range of most people. match value, voltage and polarity as closely as possible and your home free. If you find yourself curious about more in depth projects after that ... the veteran volt junkies are alive, well, and willing to help.
Between digikey and parts express you can easily find all the parts to not only overhaul such a radio, but build a reproduction as well.
Ive got two old radios and an old USN issue OS8 C/U oscilloscope in my tube love collection apart from the stuff I build in hollow state devices. You should see my guitar amp!!! Its standing proof that tube love is not a bad bug to catch.
I wouldnt say that they require " a lot" of replacement parts. the tube era is all about elegant simplicity of design and parts counts are quite low. Tin can and cardboard tube caps usually are the ones to go south with age and despite us living well inside the age of "no user serviceable parts inside", little has changed other than manufacturers arrogance and a recap of a radio is perfectly within the range of most people. match value, voltage and polarity as closely as possible and your home free. If you find yourself curious about more in depth projects after that ... the veteran volt junkies are alive, well, and willing to help.
Between digikey and parts express you can easily find all the parts to not only overhaul such a radio, but build a reproduction as well.
Ive got two old radios and an old USN issue OS8 C/U oscilloscope in my tube love collection apart from the stuff I build in hollow state devices. You should see my guitar amp!!! Its standing proof that tube love is not a bad bug to catch.
pluspea
Member
My great grandfather had one from at least the fourty's that stood about waist high. What was so comical, was that he would turn down the volume as low as he could, thinking he was saving electricity.
venomballistics
Member
he was ... probably all of 5 watts making room for the 60 watts burned up just heating the tube filaments.
cant help but have a warm spot for them though ... charming devices be they vintage or born last week.
cant help but have a warm spot for them though ... charming devices be they vintage or born last week.
