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Originally Posted by Carmine
What I believe the point to be is, why do there seem to be so many people willing to fill up their homes with Franklin Mint gas-pumps, Pink Elvis barstools, Marlyn Monroe wine, and other such non-sense, yet the idea of having an old B&W TV is like asking for cancer volunteers?
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I'm glad other people see what I mean, only I was coming from the perspective of "antique" stores/malls. Same with the "collectors" though. Some guy becomes a 50's nut. Suddenly everything that was part of that atmosphere suddenly becomes treasure. Everything that is but the one thing that caused the most comotion and social change second only to Rock and Roll. The television set. I want even born in the 50s but it seems to me that the big thing has always been Rock and Roll, really cool cars, and television. I was born in the 60's but I always heard of or watched reruns of the early television greats. Heck shows like I Love Lucy, The Adventures of Superman, Andy Griffith, Leave It To Beaver, and Father Knows Best were what came on for us kids to watch after school. Gunsmoke and Bonanza were great on the weekends. I missed Ed Sullivan but I always thought Milton Berle was great when he did guest apearances or specials in the 70's.
I don't think ALL old TV's should really be any big deal but the stuff from the pioneering days should be as or more important than anything else from that time period. They do take up space. I have heard that excuse from antique store owners, but so does a 2 ton china cabinet, or a grandfather clock. I guess there is just a certain kind of mind that is captivated by the old sets. I have had this strange attraction for around 25 years. No explanation at all. My Dad thought I was a nut dragging home the donations from our high school electronics class (we even had a Predicta). He balled me out one time and said I was turning his house into a junkpile. I still have 3 of those sets from back then. The rest I had to bust up for firewood when I joined the Army.
Maybe I am crazy. I remember being a kid and gazing into the opened back of my 56 Philco as it played. I liked the glow of the tubes, the bluish/white light projecting through the bell of the crt, and the sound of the vertical output transformer. Sometimes I still take a look. I still have the set....
Well if it is crazy, I say its no crazier than anything else people call hobbies. At least its unique and kind of educates you as you learn the repair/restoration process. Thank God we have this great Website and the many fellow individuals with a common interest and a pool of knowledge.
Keep the glow alive!!