50's RCA roundie spotted in Glen Ellyn IL
 

Went to an estate sale last weekend in Downer Groove. Couldn't pass on a couple of Sony betas (an SL-5400 and a SL-5010) for $2.50 each. Perhaps more on those later. They mentioned an upcoming sale in Glen Ellyn. My wife just found the pictures for it. The link is below. There is clearly a color RCA from the 50's.

I'm interested in it but just about out of space and don’t have a convenient way to move it. Besides, I started the year with no color roundies, and now have two. I figure it is worth getting the word out so that someone can save it. There are several other vintage B/W sets that I’m going to check out.


http://www.estatesales.net/estate-sales/79278.aspx

That is a CTC-5 Whitby...I have one in Mahoghany, neat to see a blonde! Nice set, Deluxe chassis. Somebody must grab it.

I added that website to my favorites, I wasn't aware of it until now. Will have to check it regularly.

Yep. I'm picking that up for a friend. It's safe.

Whew...I'd about give my EYETEETH for one of those...You NEVER see them down here.

I found this set yesterday on Chicago Craigslist, and am picking it up for $100! Looks like I will be driving up there later this week to get it, and a couple other items, then visit Doug. From what the seller told me, it's in excellent cosmetic condition and still shows a white raster. At least the CRT and fly are still good!

Tell me about it. If I could take the IL winters, I'd be moving there. There's not much made before 1970 in the Austin area.

Sometimes I swear that an RCA CTC-38 sold in Detroit in December, 1969 was the first color TV to be sold outside of Illinois!

Does anyone know why there are so many early color TVs in certain places, and not in others? Is it because only a few cities had color stations on the air? Is it just because certain places like to hoard their junk more than others?

LOL - I figured some of you guys would notice it. Glad it's in good hands.
I wonder if any of the other TVs or radios are left from that estate sale ?

In the case of Chicago, it may have been the combination of pioneering efforts in color TV (e.g. the all-color local studio of WNBQ in 1956) and the fact that so many television manufacturers were based in (and actually assembled the sets in) Chicago.

Even considering those factors, the number of color roundies mentioned on this forum being in or from Chicago is wildly disproportional.

Color roundies seem to be pretty common all over the country, but not pre-1960 sets. I've only ever seen one 50's color set in person, and that was in the hands of another collector.

Interesting. The people running the sale say that they cannot sell things before the estate sale and that it is still there. I think the CL ad is fishy. I have been aware of the set since 10/21 and a friend contacted me to get it for him. I still plan on doing just that.

Sorry Dwight, glad you didn't waste your gas and time. Who knows, they might have robbed or shot you.
Quote:
"Mark
That is a scam on Craigslist the TV is not sold and the price is actually higher than that I have reported it. I have no clue who has done that. Be assured it will be there on Thursday morning.
Gina"

Wow! Thanks for telling me Mark! I also have contacted the estate sale company and plan on being there Thursday, as I have some business in Berwyn.

Thanks for the info Mark.

I supposed that CL ad might have been a ploy to gauge the interest for the estate sale, but who'd go to that much effort :dunno:

Anyhow, maybe I'll swing by on Thursday too.

...

I showed my true colors showed huh?

Lets consider how this was handled

First off, that TV was no less 10 miles from me. Never once did you ever ask me to pick up a TV for you that you wanted at an estate sale. It was always a sneak attack approach on your end to come "snatch" it away at the very beginning of the sale. I ask why? Numerous times nice sets get brought up on the forums that are in the Chicago area. If you were my friend, you could say "hey Doug, can you pick that up for me". Guess what I would say? "No problem, its yours". Its all about being courteous. You know where I live, you know I go to so many estate sales and you I AM ALSO A TV COLLECTOR!

Whats even more dissapointing is how people think they stake their claim to things on these forums when someone posts a "look what I found on ebay, or estate sale" thread by being the first guy to respond to the post with this reply of "I want that, I already saw it". This is rediculous.

Also, when we met up in the driveway, we both knew why we were there. I just happened to be there first. I specifically told you that I was going after that set if it was under $500. You heard it in my own words just that simply and you knew I had every right to buy it. I was number 11 in line, you were 18. Is it my fault they called numbers 1-15 first? So what would have happened if you were within the 1-15? I guess its best not to think about that.

Now, when I walked into the house I saw that set. Not 2 minutes after I was checking it over, a called yelled down the stairs from Gina. "Did anyone buy that TV yet? I've got a guy on the phone right now who wants it" The guy downstairs looked at me and I said "Yeah, Sold" and it was relayed back up the stairs where i heard Gina say it was already sold. You think I'm full of it, you call Gina right now and ask her yourself to see if thats a true story. That TV was in demand by people all over the fricken place, you heard it yourself.

Talk about it like men? You said you had $500 cash for it, if you needed more than you were going to call your friend for a CC number. Later in the sale, you told me you had a $400 money order from your friend to buy it. So which one was it? If the above was true, you essentially had $900 which means you probably wouldnt need to call your friend for a CC number.
I guess its normal to lie to your friends face like that. Unfortunately I have a good memory.

Its also so nice of you to just degrade that TV after you found out I bought it. You just picked it apart calling out every little imperfection trying to make yourself feel better. Then, If Im not mistaken you said "yeah, This TV has too many problems, my friend wouldnt want it either" and you continued to slam it.

I showed my true colors? Heres a few other things to consider that I want the rest of the collection community to know: Im the guy who gave you AN INSTANT TV COLLECTION FOR FREE REMEMBER? How many MINT TVS did you get from me for FREE all at ONE SHOT when you first came out to see me? Oh, If Im not mistaken, you had to drive out my way to get a trailer load of sets you bought from Dwight that I kindly picked up for you and brought back. Help me remember, did I do that for free too so I could help out a fellow collector? You didn't even offer to give me a few bucks for gas but thats OK. As for the boat load of sets you got from me that day, I seem to recall you telling me how GREAT EVERY SINGLE ONE of those sets were too. How many times have you come down to my house after that and I continued to give you MORE FREE TVS, Radios and other electronic gear? I can't remember, was I passing off junk equipment to you? Nah, it was just me showing my true colors by giving you more nice stuff that I could have otherwise sold on ebay but figured a friend might enjoy having it.

How about some of the TV's you HAD TO HAVE of mine? I think you got those too.......That 18" Admiral comes to mind....Did I try to rip you off on the sets you bought from me? I don't think so.

Yes, you've bought sets from me too. If Im not mistaken, there were times money was tight and if Im not mistaken, I think I just decided you could HAVE THEM FOR FREE. You would leave here with a truck load of mint stuff EVERY TIME and how many times have you been down here? 3-5 times maybe?


Oh yeah, one last thing, family does come first. You have one that you've started on your own. Consider that before dropping everything else to go get a TV, "roundie snatcher".

Boy, Im just one selfish guy arn't I? Yeah, i showed my true colors alright. I think we need to put this in perspective for the other views. YOU showed YOUR true colors as when you don't get your way, you lash out against everyone else. I'm glad you thought this was worth burning a bridge over. Best of luck to you.

Note: For those who are curious, this is in reply to zenithfans vindictive post (post #16) which he now has deleted/edited.

I didn't lie about a thing. I had 400 on me with permission from him for more if needed and some in my bank account for an emergency. I never said I had that much on me, just available. And yes, I have asked you to pick a set up for me. It turned into a disaster, remember? You also decided to keep the radio I wanted from that sale too. And the "instant tv collection" had 5 good tvs out of like 35. the rest had bad CRTs and cabinets. I lost money trying to get rid of the stuff. That's not even what this about anyway. You stopped emailing me after I stopped taking sets you didn't want. You've ignored some emails too. Yeah, the sets we traded and whatever are nice but jesus christ. If you want them back, take them, I need room for my kids. I'll give you gas money to come get 'em. You guys approached me with that deal anyways. I think I'm just done with this stupid tv stuff for a while. It's getting in the way of a normal life. If you want to talk later, you know my number. I also didn't mention any names here either, I was blowing off some steam. Also, my family suggested and supported the idea of helping the guy out. If I went in first, I would have waited for you and just said yeah I'll take it to buy time knowing you'll be in in 5 min. Then we could have decided what was best. You know how fucking far I drove, 70 miles not no 10, that's for sure. I would have thought of that right away if it were the other way around but I guess I think differently that everybody else. Either way, I'm just done for a while. Later.

relax gentlemen.at least this set was saved and has a good home now.we all want the roundies but as long as it wasnt destroyed or shipped overseas,be happy.
like the cincinnati debacle i got into.240 mile drive (round trip),up two flights of stairs and the sets were sabotaged.crts broken and the ctc9 was scavanged.tubes were pulled,knobs gone and even the front glass missing.
same for the 6ts41.deep scratches on the set tops.after all this,i still took them at a lower price.as per our agreement,mark it is in my garage until spring.i covered it up,although,it couldnt get trashed any more!i think that from now on there should be no "first dibs" on anything.as long as a collector gets it we should be happy for them.great save doug.there will be another one somewhere.
who knows mark-maybe you might get my secret set!

Thanks Sampson, I agree with you on all counts. I've also relaxed too.

I knew there was going to be trouble with this one. Well, I knew this would happen sooner or later anyway. Just too many loyal "VK'ers" who wanted this set, including the guy zenithfan1 was helping out. Hopefully this doesn't happen on a regular basis.

Ok, everyone, lets ALL CHILL OUT HERE!!
 

I see that this set caused a firestorm on AK. I TOO wanted the set--and put a reserve on it last WEEK, with Gina. For some dumb reason, I did not think many people would be interested in the set--and I have LONG, LONG wanted a 5, since I wasted one when I was 11 years old. But...I see that MANY wanted it more. SO be it.

Nonetheless..Let us ALL rememeber what it is...An OLD, OUTDATED, TV SET. Sure to us...it means a lot, and we know it is a "bit more". This is why MANY of us, myself included were more than ready for a "road trip" to come after the set--if I won it. Someone else wanted it more--and could afford it much more too. That is the way it goes. At least it will be saved and most likely--restored...and not get the "Heil treatment", as SO MANY of our vintage items have for a long time.

BUT--it IS still an old tv set...and as such...it is NOT worth ANY of us destroying friendships with, with painful words that are NOT easy to take back. NO TV, be it a 5, CT-100, or even an RR-359 is worth a true friendship!! A good friendship is NOT an easy thing to get anymore--and CANNOT be "bought", it must be earned.

Case in point. I have several garages of old things, like many here. It has taken a LONG time for me to get them all. A LOT of them I got only to "save the", and would gladly pass them to someone else who wanted them more. Some of course mean more to me, like my 2 2000's and my CTC-44, and my 29JC20 roundie, and my GE model 801. I would NOT likely part with them.

BUT--I would NOT lose a friendship over ANY of them--even one of the 2000's!! I have a VERY good friend, whom I have spoken about a bit over the last few years. There is NOTHING I own--or even desire--that I would trade for that friendship with Laurie. In fact...neither I , nor my mom or sister-- consider Laurie to be a friend anymore at ALL...she is FAMILY now, to ALL of us. A couple of months ago,--- when I lost my job...she was there for me SO much, and and was so comforting to me--standing behind me and being so kind to me, and her friendship was instrumental in me getting back to my "sleep pattern", after not being able to sleep much for nearly a MONTH after I lost my job, and being cheated out of OVER 7500 by my employer--, and being demeaned and threatened by my former boss-- along with unemployment. Not too mention--Laurie even was willing to fight for me against my boss--and try to help me "get what was due me". However--since I am now working again some...I am not going to "go any farther" and meet my psycho boss in court...even though Laurie WAS MORE than willing to be there with me.

But as I said--there is NOTHING I would not do--short of something "wrong' to keep that wonderful friendship. NOTHING I own-even my Olds Trofeo--would stand in the way of her friendship--if it came down to that!!

And that is what we ALL need to remember. I wanted that set too, but was NOT willing to "hurt someone" to get it. Once someone loses a friendship--over something DUMB like this--it is often VERY hard to get back.

SO--lets all just "chill out" and try to "get along" and NOT allow "things" to get in the way of FRIENDSHIPS.

Well said. I'm sorry that those who felt so strongly about the set found it challenging to come to terms with who got it, but there will always be another TV set, radio, clock, you name it material desirable item.

Having said that, I hope that this event doesn't put so much of a bad taste in everyone's mouth to keep the buyer from posting updates and progress on this set. The CTC-5 seems to be the 2nd most popular old color set on these forums and each set's history and status is almost as important as the Merrills out there. I hope to see screenshots soon. Right now owning a 50's color set is but a dream of mine. All my energies are into my 35/70mm home cinema and film collection. I only have room for one big hobby which I've built up over 15 years and I need to leave my wife SOME room in the house for her interests. All of you folks who write about saving old sets, showing restoration updates and proudly demonstrating your collection are an excellent substitute for people like me. These posts allow me to live vicariously through all of your vintage TV's without actually having one and for that I am grateful to all of your for your efforts.

Please enjoy your TV's for me and I'll run a reel of film for all of you.

I certainly didn't mean to start anything when I started this thread and posted the link. I just wanted to inform, so the set could find a good home. I didn't want to see it late in the sale Sunday, and not be able to get someone to help me move it to save it! As we all well know, most people don't want these things. Regardless, it certainly isn't worth losing a friendship over. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail. I'm going to the sale this weekend, is there anything interesting left? And how about the set, what condition is the CRT?

I was there Thursday morning and finally got to meet zenithfan1 and drh4683 in person :)

I walked away with nothing. There were two B&W TVs - a Motorola and Admiral tabletop from about 52-53 I think. They were asking $80 each. Way too much IMO, but they may have lowered prices since then and you could always make an offer.

That Silvertone console may still be there too. Nice big round dial with an eye tube.
All the other radios were snatched up I believe. Mostly clothes, dishes and furniture left probably. Some interesting old tools, sleds, skateboards etc. in the garage too.

Oh, and just for the record - I wasn't there for the color TV :) I'm only collecting B&W.

I would have been more interested in that German table radio...

The guy that snagged it seemed very happy.

Estate sales are, All is fair in love and war. Most of the time when I go to them the set I would want is sold.
Antique dealers get to them first and buy the sets to turn them over for a profit. Also I am sure other collectors grab them too.
That is how life is and not worth destroying a friendship over it.
Like others said, at least it was not turned into a fish tank or trashed. :yes:
Ed

sorry, first come, first serve, that is the rule of the land

YEEEOOWWWSA!!! Well this made for an interesting read!

I'm generally only upset when the stuff gets trashed. I had a chance at a local, blonde CTC-5 pretty recently...Meh. I passed the info along to a friend who posts on here occasionally. I guess it's a good thing I'm not much of an RCA collector.

I can understand being upset about underhanded practices. Then it's no longer about "stuff", but character. I'm don't believe in being materialistic, but no one should be a pushover. :mad:

I will say that although I've missed out on things, karma does seem to go around... For every roundie that I've missed out on, I've also found them unwanted on the last day of a sale. Just when I never think I'll find that certain something, it manages to pop-up.

Yeah, guys, come on...This is STUFF...It comes & it goes. It is basically inconsequential, at least when compared to friendships. Things happen for a reason, too-Maybe next weekend there'll be 2 or 3 estate sales around yr areas w/'50s color sets...I'd be miffed, too, if I lost out on one, but it ain't worth losin' a friend over...

That is always tempting to say, but it sounds like more to do with human behavior.

Remember that some on here have bought CTC-5's within the last year or so for, what, $50? Might have been a free one somebody picked up? Not on every street corner, but they do show up.

Picked up mine years ago at a local antique mall. If I found another one locally, and the price was right, I would buy it just to save it...then find someone on here to give it a home. Now, if it were, say, a 4 or 7 (models I don't have) it might have to stay here!

[QUOTE

I will say that although I've missed out on things, karma does seem to go around... For every roundie that I've missed out on, I've also found them unwanted on the last day of a sale. Just when I never think I'll find that certain something, it manages to pop-up.[/QUOTE]

Right about that. Tomorrow....I am headed up towards Cleaveland, to pick up an "old, console GE stereo". WHY would i drive about 250 miles to get an old console stereo I found on Craigslist, for $15??

Because..that "old stereo" JUST SO HAPPENS to have an amp using P-P 7355 output tubes!!, and a reverb with a 6BQ5 amp tube. At LEAST 30W/ch--TUBE POWER!! I had ONE about 25 years ago, just the amp--from an old combo I found in the trash--and have wanted a whole stereo since then. Now--I found one at a GOOD price, not too far away to get!! Of course..NO ONE knew what was in the stereo---but the model # was posted--I got curious--and checked sams--and it WAS a 7355 amp stereo!!

So, yes--good stuff DOES come up, when one least expects it.

Its too bad you have to lie in which to defend yourself. The good old days of estate sales are gone. It used to be just a newspaper ad and not too many people would drive from all over the country to go to an estate sale in chicago when the description was a run of the mill "something for everyone, everything from A-Z" type of thing. I used to just hit all the local sales that were in the paper and then I'd get lucky, I'd find that old set sight on scene and it was alot of fun. It meant going to alot of BS sales where the oldest thing was from 1985, but you had to take the good with the bad.

As for this CTC-5, It didn't matter who got the set. The fact is, since the creation of estatesales.net, me going to estate sales has been like walking through a mine field as I knew if I were to run across you at a sale with a TV we both wanted, (if it was pictured) then all hell would break loose. Im pretty fair, when I lose out on something, I lose out and thats it. Estatesales.net while a great preview tool, has taken all the fun out of estate sales. The difference however is that I live in the area where as you are willing to drive the miles to get here. That shouldn't disqualify me from getting something I want because someone else wanted to take a risk and go to the effort of a longer drive. As I've said previously, you were always about coming out to chicago to get a set for YOU, even if it was in my own back yard and you wouldn't let me in on it. That being said, the day would come we would meet up face to face at the house with the item we both want. Well, it finally happened. And I must say, I had no expectations which means no dissapointments. You blew up like I knew you would if I was the guy who walked away with the TV. had Kurt not brought this up, would you have told me about this CTC-5 in glen ellyn? Hell no because it would mean competition for you and you know it.
If anyone remembers what you said before you edited your post again, they'd remember that you didn't say anything about "5 TVs being good out of 35" and that you originally said that "they were all nice but jesus christ". Sounds like they were good but you have nothing else nice to say. I appriciate that man. Please inform us of all the junk items I've given you. Now when I say junk, I mean things that I've deceived you into thinking were good but ended up being bad like those 30 of the 35 TV's you got from me. Also, the radio that was supposed to be yours? I told you I was picking it up and then you told me you already saw it and that you wanted it. That was the same sale with that CTC-15. Glad I was able to help you out in the past though. I know who I'm dealing with now. Thanks.

To the rest of the community, I appologize for the public argument, but when someone goes out of their way to lie and embellish situations in which to make themselves look like they have done no wrong, it really upsets me. Perhaps its best to just close this thread and be done with it.

That's probably a good idea.