8000 tubes - Would you buy...

[DavGoodlin]

The NOS vacuum tube stock of a servicing dealer of RCA and Zenith for sale? I'm going to look later this week but what will I find?

I know that I could use more radio tubes from the 1940s-1960s. A nice selction of TV tubes for early color sets is also welcome. I don't want to be selling the bastard types on e-slay either!

But, I am certain there are a ton of oddballs like the series string tubes used in imports from Sears, Panasonic, Toshiba. I sure as cuss don't need any more of them. I got the contents of a few department store tube testers back in the 1980s and have about 8 caddys full of NOS tubes, almost all for TV!

But if you can't cherry-pick and must take the whole lot, what would you do?

[Electronic M]

That all depends on the effective price per tube, condition (NOS or pulls, etc), and the wheat to chaff ratio of types in the lot...Examine it carefully if it is not dirt cheap with 'what is it worth to me?' in your mind.

[zenith2134]

I've been burned on buying 'lots' of tubes... Most of them end up being crappy used 17JZ8s, with only a few desirable types/brands mixed in..and it's rare that a seller will test any of the tubes on a known-good tester anyway prior to the purchase.

[snelson903]

yup i would buy them if the price is right and most are nos. plus im a tube nut.

[marty59]

It would be good if the lot is not loaded with compactrons! Maybe you can get lucky with some nice audio types and that could offset the price.

[Kamakiri]

Agreed. The last lot of tubes I bought had some NOS RCA 12AX7WA Command tubes along with some Tung Sol 5581s, also NIB, among others. Made some money on that lot

[DavGoodlin]

Thanks Guys, Im going over there tomorrow. Its a 70 year TV-audio business that probably just tossed pulled tubes.
Amen on the compactrons, i got em in spades!
I assume these are NOS and I'll probably be able to tell if it was cherry-picked already.

[Gregb]

If the price is right go for it. I have bought a couple of lots like this and worth it every time.

Gregb

[zeno]

Buy it like any collection. Audio & sweep tubes are worth
money usually . Everything else is along for the free ride.............
We bought up NEW tube stocks in the 70's at 10 cents a tube
brand name only. In the 80's 5 cents only on good lots.
In the 90's only choice numbers at abt 5% list.

73 Zeno

[Electronic M]

There were some compactrons that contained the equivalent internal workings of one or more desirable audio tubes. If you build amps, can source the sockets, and don't mind using odd tube types then compactrons are a cheap solution to paying up the but for the classic audiopervert types. Heck some of those oddball series string compactron sweep tubes probably are cheap and effective enough to make OTLs on the cheap...

Though if all you do is repair, I can see the issue with keeping oddball types.

[DavGoodlin]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

There were some compactrons that contained the equivalent internal workings of one or more desirable audio tubes. If you build amps, can source the sockets, and don't mind using odd tube types then compactrons are a cheap solution to paying up the but for the classic audiopervert types. Heck some of those oddball series string compactron sweep tubes probably are cheap and effective enough to make OTLs on the cheap...

Though if all you do is repair, I can see the issue with keeping oddball types.

Yes indeed! a 6AY11 is a good example of a useful compactron.

[DavGoodlin]

I looked and decided to buy them. They are all NOS, listed and packed in numbered VCR boxes. There are almost no "new oddballs" but many old oddballs!.

The majority are from the 1930s - late 50s. Some very strange radio tubes like 1C5, 1A6, 39, 77. Just about every variant of tuner tube; 2FH5, 3GK5, 4BC8, 6BQ7 (150 of them)

There are excessive numbers of some, like qty 554 of 6AF4 tubes, a UHF oscillator used in nearly all TVs from 1952-64. Harrisburg was a UHF town and this really proves it! There are few sweep tubes for ex; lots of 6BQ6, no 6DQ6

Will pick up the rest on monday and post some pix once I stage some boxes.

[NoPegs]

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

The majority are from the 1930s - late 50s. Some very strange radio tubes like 1C5, 1A6, 39, 77. Just about every variant of tuner tube; 2FH5, 3GK5, 4BC8, 6BQ7 (150 of them)

Are there any... globes?

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

There are excessive numbers of some, like qty 554 of 6AF4 tubes, a UHF oscillator used in nearly all TVs from 1952-64.

I just pulled a data-sheet for 6AF4 and I think it might be useful for more than just heterodyning UHF... I'm going to ponder it and think up something useful to build that uses at least 4 of them. Grid-dip meters and RF gens used them, but the latter is a bit of a dog to home-brew. At ~2 watts a pop maybe if I did a push-pull style with 10 of them, 5 parallel on each side, I could make a bench-top size induction heater.