Help with identification of an old Zenith?

[oldzenith]

Hi everyone, my name is Paul and I'm new here.
My mom has an old Zenith TV and I am trying to identify it without much luck. From some Google searches it seems it might be an early to mid 1950s model, but I haven't found an exact match yet. I also could be completely wrong.
It's a Zenith, marked as a Royal "X" Chassis on the back, but I don't really see a model number.
It's black and white, no color, says it has UHF and VHF, and is about 22" x 27" x 36".
It does work, but I can't get the horizontal and vertical adjustments adjustment right so the picture will stay put for more than a few seconds at most. Of course I really don't know what I'm doing either.
I did manage to use a transformer as an adapter and then could even hook up a DVD player to it. It's playing Avatar in the one pic that should be attached.

Can you guys help identify this?
Also, what would be the value, at least roughly? My mom might be willing to sell.
Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[oldzenith]

I just found this: http://www.tvhistory.tv/1955-Zenith-Brochure-2.JPG

Looks very similar to a 1955 T2670 except for mom's says it has the Royal X chassis, not T per the brochure.

[David Roper]

The 2670 is a 24" inch set, whereas your looks to be 21", which was the standard. I have a similar set from the next model year. The model number is stamped to the back of mine. Make note of every number you can see printed on the back. Either model number or chassis number can be used to find service information.

I have to give you the routine strong cautioning against continuing to use the set as is. It is remarkable that it works as well as it does...which would make it all the more tragic if a sudden failure of one component caused a chain reaction that took out a bunch of others. You'd be surprised how quickly that can happen.

Replacement of electrolytic and paper capacitors in your set will make it reliable for frequent use. Using it with the old components in place is asking for trouble.

[RitchieMars]

Yep, that's actually a very nice-looking 1955 Zenith. I wished mine had worked that good when I found it! But certainly, do try and avoid turning it on and running it for very long. It must have been maintained well to work as good as it does, but who knows how long ago that was! Well, actually your mom might know, of course! In any case, it's a really fine example of this make and model and seems to have been handled with care.

Appraising a vintage television isn't like appraising some other antiques and collectables. There aren't that many people who collect them, as say, baseball cards, vinyl records, little trinkets. They take up some space and can be downright dangerous if not repaired properly. That said, the prices can vary greatly and the condition does help those figures considerably. A "working" television is very encouraging, but it doesn't mean there's no work to be done.

There's really no "price guide" to speak of, but if I ran across a set like this on Craigslist and assuming it looked as good in person as it does in the photos, I would consider $75 to $100 to be fairly reasonable. I'd probably pay more, but I've grown a little shy with my investments based on some past experiences. But, that's just me. I prefer 1950's televisions and I trust the Zenith brand name. But, when priced well-above that range, they quickly become unattractive and risky. Some people out there are hoarding antiques and thinking they'll make a killing by selling to a "collector." They don't realize that most of the true collectors are actually quite thrifty, and prefer diverting their hard-earned money towards projects that require much more attention than it takes to review an over-priced listing on Ebay.

Just my 2 cents, so to speak...

[Phil Nelson]

I'll repeat the advice not to turn it on any more. You won't learn anything additional and you may burn up components that cost more than the set's value to replace.

It's a nice looking TV, but the collector value, unfortunately, is minimal. A 1955 black and white set is just new enough to be uninteresting to collectors, who prefer earlier 1940s b/w TVs or the earliest color TVs.

Around here (west coast), I commonly see mid-1950s b/w consoles listed on craigslist for low prices and I believe most of them go unsold. TV collectors aren't interested for the same reasons that a car collector isn't interested in, say, a Ford Taurus. Too new, and hoarding them for the future would be silly.

Every 1950s TV has several dozen capacitors that need to be replaced before it's safe & reliable to play: http://antiqueradio.org/recap.htm .

If you want to keep it and have it restored, this article has some advice about finding a repairman: http://antiqueradio.org/howfix.htm . Unless money is no object, you'll want to find someone within driving distance. I'd go this route only if you want to keep and use the set indefinitely, since the expense of a professional restoration might exceed its reasonable resale value.

Phil Nelson

[marty59]

All good advice that's been posted. Don't get caught up on the "value" of your Zenith..It may have more personal value to "you" if you decide to keep it. The noted price range for your set as previously stated would be about the norm.

I kinda' agree with Phil on the collectability of 50's sets but I don't think of them as not having any value. Sure, there are sets that are more sought out than others but during the fifties sets were designed with much more proven circuitry and stable designs (especially your Zenith) and are still available to find cheap nowadays. This is a good thing for someone starting out in this hobby or looking for that "special" set. Even if you find something that is junk the parts will be worth something to you or others and you can learn along the way if you like.

[Eric H]

Dollar value isn't everything, a mid 50's set is ideal for fixing up and watching old Horror and Sci Fi movies on.

[oldzenith]

Thank you all for the replies. I didn't know running it was a bad idea. Maybe the horizontal and vertical scrolling issues mean it already has a few bad caps or something. I will look into fixing it up someday.

To be honest this TV has been a TV stand for several decades now. The TV we always really watched has been sitting on top of this one. It really has not seen any special care, but sitting in a climate controlled living room is better than being stuck in a garage or basement.

Thanks again everyone,

Paul