You're right. Bidding only starts at $1500...probably will go for much, much more.:lmao:

Me too, last night. No response yet. Possibly he was offended by my bidding on a wild card remark. :D

Kevin

Gotta watch those engineering samples. They are often shipped to manufacturers for mechanical purposes, not electrical, and may not be 100% functional. I've got GE 13" and 19" Engineering-sample CRTs for their PC-chassis sets. Big ugly purple label on them proclaiming "Engineering Sample - Not UL tested" and wouldn't you know it, a centered 2" plus sign, burned in the Phosphor. The tubes are NEC-made, and were obviously not for production. Good tubes electrically - just unuseable for any display purpose.

Reminds me of the RCA ceramic DIP IC engineering samples I got from a retired avionics engineer - lotsa gold, but no innards. Just a sample of the package, along with engineering drawings and the proposed EIA/JEDEC package drawing. I've got a 1967 Radio Electronics magazine with them in there - old RCA meatball on the ones in the magazine, but mine all have the newer, stylized RCA logo. You see them pop up on fleabay occasionally, usually embedded in acrylic.

Cheers,

Here is a copy of the reply
Mike

Developmental Type C73859. Test # 9. RCA 17-110. Neck length 4-3/16. Silverama Engineering Sample Cathode Ray Tube. Date shipped:
07/09/1958. This tube is in 100% brand new in the box condition.

I got the same response from the seller as Mike did. Sounds like some ordinary B&W tube ....?

I got the same email as well. I doubt it's anything exciting. He should open the box and peek inside. :D

Kevin

Looking at those numbers from the email...I'll bet it's a 17" 110 degree something. :)

Kevin

Possibly an engineering sample of a short necked Predicta Tube?

Did Philco engineer their own tubes at that time or did they sub contract that type of work?

17" 110 degree tubes:

17DAP4
17DQP4
17DRP4

Possibly one of these?

Cheers,

Eric:

Philco OEM CRTs were manufactured in Lansdale and sent to Philadelphia TV assembly in specially built freight cars with internal conveyors. When the freight car arrived at the TV plant, the conveyor was connected directly to the assembly plant conveyor where they were picked and installed in the TVs. By that time TV assembly had consolidated on to the first floor.

Engineering was done in Lansdale and Philadelphia. R & D was done internally as well as outside. Manufacturing Engineering figured out how to make a lot of stuff fast, inexpensively and get it shipped.

Don, you really need to write a book-seriously! I really enjoy information like that.