Who's killing a Zenith roundie in Detroit?
 

Remember that TV I offered the seller a little extra to hold 'til the Saturday he claimed he couldn't sell it before anyway? The one he sold that same night when another guy came to look at his "googie-eames-era-50s-furniture"? Well I had a feeling that set was doomed, and it appears I am correct.

So I email clown #2, and I get this response:

Yes, I said "clown". I could care less if this fool reads this posting. I followed his reply with an offer to buy the set, AND give him a choice of a couple other already-gutted cabinets. No reply.

So do tell, is it someone on this website who is aiding the destruction of this pretty rare blonde TV? :scratch2:

Ironic that the set is getting trashed because the first time it was offered by a seller with no integrity, now it's getting trashed because Mr. Integrity wants to wait for his out-of-state buyer to come through... And really, if he's not talking to anyone else, why is the post still on Craigslist?

Feel free to report as spam:

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/atq/2346794374.html

Ugh....

too pretty and rare to destroy.when i see this kind of thing it makes me angry.this set deserves to be saved as a whole!get his name and number.i ll send the boys from philly over.if something were to happen,we never had this conversation...........

I might add that I replied the same day the ad was posted, (within a few hours) so somebody besides myself combs the Detroit craigslist pretty hard... It would seem without the ability to save the sets "whole".

everyone has a buyout price and im sure the right amount of cash would get this beauty in the back of your truck whole.

Perhaps, but I don't play that game. I've already offered the guy his full price, plus his choice of vintage TV cabinets to ruin with whatever stupid, inauthentic "googie" ideas he has spinning about his brain. That didn't even get a response, so if he's holding out for me to offer $300 or something, I can only hope it's while holding his breath. :D

Frankly there is a rash of vintage TV craigslist nonsense going on lately in this area. I also recently responded to an ad worded just like this (no photo):

That ad is gone now, but I responded to it on the first day, never got a reply. I'm at the point where I think somebody is just screwing around.

Again, this is why I say "Civilians" should NOT be allowed/trusted to have these precious artifacts....(grin)

Carmine, I am pretty well convinced these "experts" have a sadistic side to them, they get off on threatening to fishtank or repurpose a great set into a tiki bar. There are tons of cabinets out there to screw with, and to play you like he did or is doing should earn him a spot in a nut house. Years back, I found a complete '60 GE Danish set with the two giant oval speakers, when I saw it again, someone had taken out all them there outdated tee vee things, who wants an ole television anyhow? Pinheads, all of them. I hope you get the upper hand if he is playing with you.

Dude, stop playing games with the world. All you do is make you and everyone who agrees with you look foolish.

Just offer him more money, like how he did when you were trying to buy from the first owner. It worked once right? With enough profit he'll probably just give it to you whole, and there won't be a problem.

Hello new poster! You're more than welcome to play his game, I even gave you the link to the ad! :banana:

He is offering a discount to someone that will remove the parts... I offered his full price AND a CHOICE of already-gutted cabinets (some with doors). He wants to give his out-of-state buyer "several days", but hasn't pulled the ad? Hmmm....

I've already got too many old sets, and too much dignity to bother emailing/begging nutjobs. He can take that set apart and shove the 6BK4 up his googie-poop-chute with my blessing.:yes:

Games are for the interminably bored and useless Carmine. Your posting the link only makes us all more wary of trusting you with our own stories.

And can you not understand me? I said no to games.

Yes well why would he bother wasting his time with someone who doesn't want to do it his way (in this situation: you)? Someone else wants to do the transaction he's hoping for - why should he bother choosing from cabinets when he has one already? Think about it and try seeing my point, rather than scanning my post and responding to a few key words.

And I think from your posts it's more that you have far too much self-righteousness rather than dignity Carmine. I'm simply saying that if I have a box filled with papers, I'd rather get profit and no junk than another box.

I thought we already established the fact that no one is entitled to ANY set, regardless of how they think or feel about it. It's the seller's choice what to do with their own property, I don't care if someone throws a firebomb at a CT-100: it's their choice. Get butthurt about it if you want, but don't bring your whining to the forum because all it does is stirr up people's poop. :thumbsdn:

I agree with you miniman, it's best to keep in mind that no matter what we do the person with the TV is the one we have to answer to. Hopefully though the set will be saved, but there is no use whining about it if it isn't.

Here's a line-by-line response, lest you think I'm ignoring your point...

The link is posted so people can read the ad for themselves, if they like. The email response is cut/pasted for the same reason.

Games would be "threatening" to cut the set up for the cabinet in the hopes that someone will offer him more to sell it whole. I won't play that game. If he wants $300 for the set (?) then just come out and say so.

Well he is is willing to spend "several days" waiting for an out-of-state buyer to make arrangements, and/or remove the chassis and CRT himself, so is it that crazy to consider my offer of several already-gutted cabinets, + his asking price?

I can't even respond to the last sentence because it makes no sense to me. :sigh:

But I will say you must have quite an immunity to irony to question my truthfulness, when this is the FIRST thread you've ever posted in... Does that make you the out-of-state buyer, or the nutjob seller?

Oh, I'm sorry.. Are we only allowed to discuss topics that you, or your new friend with 3 posts approve of now? I respect your right to post an opinion, but I also don't see anyone dragging your eyes across the page.

Basically, the point of this thread is to let other people know that when/if that fairly rare Zenith gets turned into a fishtank, it won't be because no one offered full price for it... It will be because someone (either lurking here or posting, since the community isn't that big) is going to chop it up for parts.

And that is a shame, but it appears to be inevitable.

Carmine, you make no sense. As to my last sentence, it was just an example to try and show you why I think the seller isn't jumping on your offer, obviously you don't understand it because you just think you're right and have decided you don't want to listen to anyone else's thoughts. Even though I thought you would, since you took the time to explain it all and complain about it.

It makes me someone who has been following VK for a year and someone who knows how another thread you started snowballed into a crazy mess that got closed by the admin, which is why I'll leave you to your nonsense whining.

Calm down boys. It sucks but it is what it is. Another will pop up somewhere, someday.

New poster, you might want to get to know people better before commenting. We all have our hot buttons as I'm sure you do. Sometimes, it's best to leave them alone.

If you've been following VK for a year, why would it take this thread to get you to speak up? Nothing overly new here. I feel the same way as Carmine but I also agree with Nick that an owner can do whatever they wish. It's frustrating but nothing to lose sleep over or tear each other new aholes over.

Perzacly !

I really don' t know what's going on here but here's my 2 cents worth.

DreamInColor if you are the owner of this set and are willing to sell it for the right price please just come out and state what it is, if you're bound and determined to "Repurpose" it state that too.

If you just get kicks aggravating people who collect old stuff we can do without you here, if not then welcome to VK and please let us know what your passions are.

This is the exact reason why I stopped checking Craigslist. To many flakes. Fruits and nuts. I once posted I had free firewood ....for free idiots kept calling and wanted me to deliver and stack it... then there was the Guy who had a tube caddy packed full of good TV tubes.$75.00,said he was willing to negotiate on price, 2 he's later I get there he is not there,I ask his wife and she said he would take $60 ... but he now was keeping the tubes (must have found out about values of sweep tubes) anyway that was the final time I ever plan to check Craigslist

+1 - Cool it, guys - lots of unnecessary animus here, startign with what I think was a misinterpretation of the ad.

The seller said he is *not willing* to sell the cabinet. He is willing to sell the guts. He is willing to give a discount if you do the work of removing the guts instead of making him do it. That all was very clear to me, and it doesn't matter if someone wishes they could buy the whole thing. He's not selling! (Maybe you could change his mind with MORE money, but obviously not with only "his full price," which was for the guts only.) He said he had a possible buyer for the guts, but if that fell through, he would talk to you. I call that being fair to the first offer that he accepted.

I think it's a shame to break up the set, but the seller hasn't done anything in his offer that's dishonest as far as I can see.

I currently have 11 vintage TV's. Out of those 11, 7 have been purchased (very reasonably, dirt cheap even) off of Craigslist. Craigslist has it's issues but I've purchased all three vehicles I currently own, both my motorcycles, and over a dozen antique radios off of Craigslist at prices I would never be able to find somewhere else. I've sold at least a dozen motorcycles, 4 cars, and many other things on Craigslist. It's basically replaced newspaper classified ads. The easiest way to deal with idiots is to say no or ignore them. If you don't use it, you are missing some good stuff. I have only made 2 purchases off ebay in the last year and don't plan on using it any more often than that. There are all kinds of games on ebay too, just different ones.

I get your point... :yes:

But, I won't let the flakes ruin Craigslist for me... I did score a few really nice sets this year, and in both cases ended up sitting around chatting with the sellers for quite a while. In fact, I was going to save this for the story of the particular set (which I haven't yet mentioned on here) but I plan to stop by this guy's house in the spring with a box of cannoli as a "thank you" for the super-mint, working Zenith SC600 console he gave me for FREE.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1226001200.jpg

He was the nicest old-timer you could imagine, so I snapped a pic of him with the TV that finally replaced his 40-year old working Zenith... His nephew wanted to toss it on the curb, but he insisted it be given to someone that would appreciate it... Ain't that a kick?

Not all craigslist adventures need end poorly!

...and I will say that ultimately, the owner of private property can do with it as they please. I've parted out sets before too (I'm sure we all have) but not without trying to put them into the hands of other collectors.

That doesn't mean I can't complain about some "trendy" type destroying a set I'm sure we'd all like to own. I'm not suggesting jail time for this futz, or wishing cancer on him... I'm just bi*ching about clueless people doing fishtank jobs. My guess is that after enough people look at his bad-carpentry tiki-bar and say "did you make that out of an old TV?" He'll end up tossing the cabinet on the curb in embarrassment, like so many others we've seen. :sigh:

No, quite the opposite. You're perfectly free to get as butthurt about this as you wish in public, as humiliating as that is. It's just that this was already hashed out in another thread not long ago, why do it again?


Tit for tat, you didn't have to read my post either. At least, I didn't force you to... :smoke:


No one is the fishtank police, as shameful as it is. All we can do is hope to save as many desirable sets as we reasonably can, the rest will be dearly missed. We can't save them all, but we can try. When we fail, all we can do is say we tried. That is the honorable thing to do.

Miniman, sounds like you're no stranger to "butthurting" yourself (or is that not your quote below?) So why not just admit we've both posted our disgust with the way people will behave over inanimate objects and call it a night? I have a feeling whoever is selling/gutting that blonde Zenith knows how I feel about them by now, so no point in carrying on. :D

after reading these posts i have come to these conclusions:first come,first serve.i know we all want that rare or precious set but there is no "dibs" on anything.to simply see an item and then post you have first chance at it is absurd.wish this could be on the honor system but thats the way it is.as for the fishtanker:this is painful for me but it is his property.i dont feel this is the right thing to do but it does belong to him.i would try to save it if i could but its his right.having said this,i will now await the deluge of nasty posts about my conclusions.besides,many of us get that set and after awhile we pursue something else and the set gets moved around among us vk ers.btw,i have been involved in many deals with sets and have saved more than a few for other members here.if i can ever save that set you want here in ohio,let me know.the rule of thumb is-first come,first serve

What I was talking about there was sparse in nature, because I have specific names of those involved in the what happened and none of it had anything to do with me per se. I did not disclose the names of those involved, because it would have been quite unethical. I will not discuss the specifics of the situation because I have since come to know those involved, and though I still wholeheartedly disagree with what was done, I still must respect their right to privacy.


I can say that the situation involved lies and deceit, not a seller doing what he wants with his set as is the case with your situation. They are 2 completely different situations. You're angry at someone parting out a set, I'm angry with someone who would confide in a fellow collector then stab said collector in the back when he found out it was a set he really wanted. Nuff said.

Hey Chris, I emailed this seller last night, still waiting to hear back from them also asked for a picture of the back of the TV assuming this out of state person hasn't come through. That is indeed a rare set, I can't say for sure if its a 29JC20 or not, but definitly an early chassis such as a 27KC20. I told them what they have is a very special TV from a technology/historical standpoint and that it would really be a shame to part it out. While it doesn't hold the value of the more common early RCA color sets, it should be saved and for a few hundred, its worth it if one can somehow pull it off with this guy. While its historic meaning probably means nothing to them, I hope to imply a bit of guilt in case they pursue with this parting out. Im looking at the situation through rose colored glasses like I do everything else.



As for us so called "horders", I know what you mean. I was one of them, in fact, I for one probably still am. Kinda goes with the nature of the hobby. I guess you can't call a guy with 100 transistor radios a hoarder, but 100 TV's instead classifies you as one. However, I frequently sell (usually for dirt cheap) and/or end up giving away for free lots of nice TV's to fellow collectors in the hobby. I've made alot of good friends with trading TV's over the years. Sometimes they loose out on stuff they really want, but most of the time, if not always, they make out pretty good with getting a great TV somewhere else. I've been on both sides many times. I don't think any one collector is out there to intentionally screw over a fellow collector.

and yang,
 

he world around us is composed of opposites. hot and cold, big and little, yin and yang,

I really wish there was a crybaby smilie face.....................

There's a few truisms to collecting ANYTHING that I've always considered, and I think that everyone should.....

1. You will never have all of anything
2. You will never be able to save all of them
3. There are things that are not worth saving
4. Someone just threw out something that you've been searching for all your life.
5. Someone has something you'd dream to own decaying in a damp basement.
6. On the event of your passing, many things you cherish will hit the garbage pile.
7. Someone will always have one in better condition than the one you own.

As far as collecting anything, again, is the golden rule....he who has the gold makes the rules. If someone wants to pony up for something, they're most likely going to get it.

Do I like it? No. But it's kinda like discussing politics, it's great to vent, but nothing's ever gonna change. Welcome to the United States of America, where everything is for sale.....

Word.

I really did post it to just to vent, and comment on seeing the TV twice in one month on craigslist (and gaining $100 in the process). If I was really that hell bent on having it, I could have started offering more cash.

If it's meant to be, so be it. Deals that go sour are the counterbalance to having my collection get too big.

But I still get to b*tch about HGTV rejects who "repurpose" their "art deco" finds, as well as the guys trying to make a dollar-otta-fifteen-cents*.

*Apologies to Tupac Shakur
http://www.solarnavigator.net/music/...aru_shakur.jpg

I love that song :D

What object could this person possibly "repurpose" this specific set into that would not look like some redneck yard ornament? It is beyond me. I have seen a few cabinet sets with doors repurposed into really nice a/v storage, but this set???

I take GREAT offense at that, sir...I am a Redneck tried 'n' true, & I'll have you know that one of my Prized Possessions is a P!ss Urinal mounted on a Tree in my front yard w/a Sunflower growin' out of it...There is NO TELLING what bad taste, a little Redneck Engineering, Lotsa PBRs, and/or copious amounts of Duct Tape can accomplish.....Mbwahahahahaha....

I have just enough redneck in me to tell you that this Zenith is all wrong for use as a liquor cabinet or bookshelf. No, the correct TV to gut would be a Magnavox from about 1982. A late 70s GE will also suffice, or any System 3. This roundie has too much class!

Kamakiri's list really says it. I've joked before (well, halfway joked) about having to close my "Radio & TV Rescue Mission". For too long I drug home whatever wayward electronics happened to cross my path. Many of them I can now not even give away. Yet, if some yahoo on CL were to threaten to turn that Airline color combo I have into a fishtank, somebody would grumble. Heck, somebody might start a thread and it could go on for 3 pages. Meanwhile I can't get my $15 out of it. Oh, well.

Tim is, as usual, spot on. We can weep, wail, & gnash-Or is that Studebaker ?- our teeth over "The ones that got away', or just shrug our shoulders & try harder next time. Or maybe be a bit PROACTIVE-Most of us have friends, neighbors, relations who are older & MIGHT-Themselves- have a friend, neighbor or relation who is harboring an ancient treasure just WAITING to be discovered & saved..Often, its free for the "Come 'n' Getting" of it, or you might have to help Papaw clean out his attic/basement/closet. They're OUT there, fellas-And in my experience, a good portion of the fun IS the chase...I've also found that "One attracts Two attracts Four", & so on. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I'd be able to amass the number/variety of radios that I've been able to-but once I started, seems like a LOT of 'em found ME. I hate losing one, especially a good example, but there's always another one next weekend fixin' to turn up...

About a year or so ago.....I would have agreed with you about CL. At the time, I had lost out on several things from CL--including a CTC-81 DA Rca tv, a CTC-10 and a Philco 7" set--ALL ended up"disappearing, or being "sold out from under me". I began to feel that "CL IS a POS, and a waste of my time, even though I HAD acquired a couple of nice GE tube stereos with P-P 7355 amps from there, before that--plus the JOB I still have. BUT, those "losses", especially that Direct Addy RCA--kinda soured me on CL.

Still though...I "kept looking for things on CL... and by last fall--some things had CHANGED for me in that regard!!

In September...I FINALLY, after looking for over 20 years--was able to get one of those NICE 1973 RCA console stereos, The BIG one, with the last "good amp and speakers" they made--and it was NOT hundreds of miles away--only about 40---and cost VERY little--in fact I could have gotten it for free--but gave $25 for it, since it is in VERY nice shape--and I felt bad for the older people who I got it from--and they seemed VERY pleased with that. Then in early December--I found the GARAGE I now store all of my stuff in--it is MUCH nicer and MUCH larger that those 4 storage units I had and MUCH more convenient--since all is in one place--and it was LESS expensive too!! That stereo and all else now reside there--and I have a LOT of room left for "more goodies".

And a few weeks ago--I acquired a NICE looking CTC-40 combo and a NICE Philco BOL R/P console, from CL too--for less than $100 for both.

And just yesterday--I FINALLY, after about 30 years of searching--got a NICE RCA stereo console with the VERY rare RS-246 amp, only made for ONE year-1970, and since I was at the ETF anyway yesterday--I did NOT have to drive much out of the way to get it. It"almost got away" from a couple of "mishaps" regarding miscommunication with the owner, including one when I was only FIVE miles from the house....and REALLY thought I would end up going home"empty handed"--but things got resolved---and it is in the van---waiting to go to the garage. Like the big VRT-84 from last Sept...the cabinet of the VMT-68 is just TOO NICE for me to strip---and it WILL stay intact--and protected--in the garage. As a bonus--the "hang tag" was there, and a 1970 RCA stereo brochure--which I would have gladly paid probably $ 10 or so for ALONE--but it was in the record well of the console--and so was the owners manual!!


Not too mention...in sept.. I ALSO found a JOB for my best friend on CL..one that has worked out for her BEAUTIFULLY--and which she LOVES!!

So--I DO like CL. Sometimes you DO get "stung" but sometimes--it works out VERY nicely. I would have to say it is a modern form of the "tradin' post" paper that i--and probably many others--used to get things from in years past. .

Not too mention--"mishaps" can happen ANYWHERE--regarding us getting things. One happened to me yesterday at the ETF. I bought an early '50's Sylvania halolight set from a guy there, and was getting ready to put it in my van--when another guy let me know HE had bought it a few hours before ME!! Now--I did NOT "act mean or say" too bad--it is mine now" or such--as has been said to ME a number of times in those situations--but I made sure things got resolved, got back my $30 from the seller--and let the other guy take the set---which DID rightfully belong to HIM in the first place. I DID want that set--but he NEEDED it--to restore another one, and it was his rightfully anyway.

So--in the end--"sometimes we "catch the fish" and sometimes"they get away". Like others say--it is NOT worth hurting a friendship or such--to get a vintage tv, stereo or radio or such for. Like this last RCA stereo--they often DO-- just"pop up"--when we LEAST expect them to--in this case--a few days ago.

rca2000-glad to hear that you are not bitter or angry over some of the cl deals.i have hit and missed on cl myself.there have been some really good ccIIs i wanted but never got a response.a roundie every now and then i miss.sometimes the hunt is more exciting than the kill.cl is a useful tool to me.ebay is allright,but the vk forum is my favorite place to buy and sell.