What do I do with Porthole Parts?

[rwilson]

About 50 years ago our families Sylvania 21 inch console lost the picture tube. My dad had raised the filament voltage to about 10 volt trying to get the last bit of use out of it. Instead of buying a new CRT he went down and bought a 12 inch Zenith porthole TV for about $5. With a single filter cap he had this one up and running in no time. We watched it for maybe a year or so until he bought a new CRT for the Sylvania. The Zenith was junked for a few parts and forgotten about.
Fast foward to 2010 and we are now cleaning out his storage barns. There are 3 pieces left of this set. The separate power supply, the 12 inch CRT and the cabinet. Should I keep any of this stuff or not? It has all been stored inside but with some moisture. The cabinet looks OK, the PS has some rust but the transformer leads look good and the CRT looks good but I have no way to test it.
I still have the Sylanvia and hope to rebuild it one day.

[Phil Nelson]

In your place I'd keep the stuff and watch for a porthole that has a crummy cabinet and complete chassis. Some buyers are scared off by things like peeling veneer or flowerpot damage.

That's my packrat advice for what it's worth. Portholes are actually more plentiful than you might think. Since the set has some family connection, it might be more fun to keep part of it, anyhow.

Just my $0.02.

Phil Nelson
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html