I saw a GE- HM-171 (the set in discussion here) auction for $20,000 on eBay in 2007, right before the bubble burst. A 9-inch GE console went for $25,000 within about a month of that auction. More than $2 million for a comic book (Superman #1) was realized about two-months ago on e-Bay.
[Yes, that is insane.] So, I think the ETF auction mentioned below was a deal considering the rarity of these. The ETF website will give you the known population of each model. I wonder if sniping will occur on the current auction. If nobody bids, its because the timing is bad.... How's the stock market this week? Ugh.
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Originally Posted by rld-tv01
When I bought a prewar TV a few years back at ETF maybe 10-15 people in the room were thinking it was worth $3000, 3-4 people bid up to $5000. The reserve wasn't met and I had to increase my bid another $1K to get it. There were only about 100 people there at the auction. Add in the internet and the world and the price goes up. Imagine an executive in an electronics or TV company in Japan. He doesn't want to restore an old television but might like to display one. I've seen predictas, pilots and 1950s RCA portables sitting on shelfs in the background of the morning news tv shows. A GE prewar console went for about $14K at the auction in Connecticut a while back. Given 200 american prewar and 250 UK prewars with a third to half in museums then they are worth exactly what buyer and seller agree upon. Rarity isn't the only gauge but popularity go a long way in determining price; I have an 1928 6-foot tall x-ray machine with a 50K volt transformer which I paid $600 for and would be lucky to get $300 out of. There are a lot of 1930 juke boxes which go for between $7K and $10K.
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