Source for RCA 621TS repro backs?
 

So I won a 621TS on eBay, and Crist Rigotti has been very kind in offering to pick it up and help me get it, to Detroit eventually. I now have a spare chassis for parts, and one complete set to work with. Assuming the CRT in the set in Dallas is any good, I should be all set for a restoration.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/EMcAA...~55/s-l500.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/o8QAA...~pk/s-l500.jpg

Anyway, does anyone know if John Horvath is still having reproduction backs made? I tried to get in contact with him some deal of time ago about his CRT boxes. I can't imagine anyone turning away business, so I'm going to have to assume it was a technical glitch or that I had out-of-date contact information.

I also have a question regarding the set itself: does that look more like mahogany or walnut? I have a hell of a time telling finishes apart from photographs, and even in person if the characteristic red hue isn't present in a particular cut of mahogany veneer. Any ideas?

You have to be careful now when using ebay links to past auctions. Ebay is redirecting them to things that are similar (?) to the ended listings. Your link brought up the following for me:

(Image removed, no longer needed)

.

Well that's unfortunate. I've simply removed the link. I've come to loathe eBay, but sadly it is a necessary evil...

I've been researching the RCA 621TS for many years and my opinion is you have the walnut version which, for some reason, was known to be slightly more desirable than the mahogany version. The dark center area on yours seems unusually light. It makes me wonder if it's been fully or partially refinished.

$220 for a 621 is not a bad price. I picked one up from the same site a few years ago. I got a mint one with back and a strong crt for $300.

John Horvath supplied my back last year.

How do you feel it's justified that the 621TS that sold for nearly $1K 20 years ago, then was going up to $2K about 10 or so years ago is worth less now than an excellent working Pilot TV-37 for which there is a zillion of them around? I don't get that an early art-deco historic TV with a cabinet designed by a prominent Industrial designer, John Vassos, is valued so low. I'm perplexed how this set fell from grace.

I don't think the set has "fallen from grace". I know a collector who just spent $600 on one, and another one sold on an auction for $550 or so recently.

I just happened to nab this one for $220 (well, $298 after taxes and the buyer's premium) because the eBay live auctions feature was glitchy. The ONLY reason I won it for that price is because I had bid well in advance, otherwise I would have missed out on it too.

Now why aren't they bringing pre-2008 levels anymore? Well, it's 2018! It will be a long, long time before you see the really high levels of decades past. The market for collectibles is still very sluggish.

The other, larger reason, is that the 621TS just isn't a rare set. There were 17,000 built by most estimates. Imagine that only 0.5% of all 621TS sets built survive today. That's 85 sets. Now imagine a more realistic number, say 4% of all sets built. That's 680 sets floating around out there. There are enough of these sets around for any collector that seriously wants one to have one. Supply and demand has to count for something...

No doubt eBay has revealed the true availability of antiques of all kinds which typically has devalued many once pricey items. All in all, a clean and complete 621TS is still not terribly easy to find though. In that light it's hard to understand why say a nice, complete, and working Pilot Radio TV-37 will bring $350+ when there's typically one or more available on the Net on any given day. Heck, even Zenith "Waltons" and Sparton "Bluebirds" seem plentiful, but still get well into four figures very easily.

Ben,

I assume you have checked John Horvath's site: http://www.amptechsystems.com Click on parts & accessories and scroll down to "backs."

-Steve D.

[QUOTE=benman94;3200820]I don't think the set has "fallen from grace". I know a collector who just spent $600 on one, and another one sold on an auction for $550 or so recently. QUOTE]

One sold for $1125 on May 19, granted it was the same guy who got $800 for a Motorola suitcase but whatever, an exceptionally nice example can still command a decent price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-194...p2047675.l2557

[QUOTE=Eric H;3200872]I often preach that an auction setting is not the place to get a true value of an item, but I myself often forget that. There are a lot of variables in that situation.
Wow, $800 for that Hallicrafters! It's about double it's value, but it just may sell for that - then the next one won't get $200. That's auctions for you!

Ben, I have one that has a seriously decrepit "mouse pee" chassis. I think it needs a power transformer (at least) so keep me in mind after you pick what you need off your parts chassis. In fact, I'm wondering if it might be easier for me to transfer any missing parts from mine onto your chassis. Tim, what do you think?

Dave,

I don't have the RCA from Houston yet, but when I do, I plan to recap it quickly, and pull any parts I may need. When I'm done with it, I'll give you the parts chassis. I think I also have a box of random 621TS parts around here as well.

I'm not anticipating having to pull anything; the flybacks on the 621 chassis aren't failure prone, and all of the other parts aren't terribly failure prone either, with the possible exception of the yoke and vertical output transformer.