Will sets left alone be worth more?

[marty59]

Think of antique radios..something around for 70+ years..same situation. It's always nice to find something that has'nt been molested and even in this catagory there will at least been a time when the electrolytics have been changed in some (haphazard) way if anything. I'm very anal retentive about my work to an artform.. Okay, I don't restuff wax capacitors but someone that takes things to that level I won't fault them either but admire. I do restuff Philco bakelite capacitors and electrolytics...makes things so much neater and makes sense.
I also look at it this way...sometime after I'm gone or someone else owns something of mine I would not want anybody to have to "redo" my work!!
Now with what all we know about electronics, and variations/conditions of, you may understand why you never see old electronics on Antique Roadshow!!

[RobtWB]

So ... Say a collector finds the rarest of the rare, a color prototype perhaps, or even a b/w prototype, or an original, pristine, museum quality CT 100 with the original hang tags and paperwork and bill of sale, or a pre-war set, tucked away in an attic for the past 50 years...What should he/she do??

The answer. Leave it alone. Do NOT remove it. DO NOT change it in any way. Leave it right where it is. Where it has been for the past 1/2 century. Leave it where no one can gaze upon it and marvel at it. But if one must take it, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT bring it operational. DO NOT replace any component that is no longer within tolerance, Heck, don't even disturb the dust on the set or within the set, after all it also is a part of the sets history.

[Phil Nelson]

I have to agree with kx250rider. Most old TVs and radios got regular maintenance during their service lives. That was part of their history, and if we choose to restore them to working condition, that's their next phase in life. We --and future owners -- can enjoy them working as originally designed.

I make exception only for Very Special sets and leave them untouched. My Zenith TransOceanic 7G605 "Bomber" has never been touched, and I will never mess with it (or play it). Same for the leather-cased A600L TransOceanic which belonged to Joan Fontaine. I will leave it exactly as it was when it left her hands.

http://www.antiqueradio.org/zen32.htm

Even for a common set, I will always pay more for an unmolested original than one that has been newly restored. I would rather do the restoration to my own tastes. Let me be the one to decide whether to restuff capacitors, etc. But maybe I'm just a fussbudget

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[yagosaga]

Hi, I have to agree with kx250rider too. An untouched and unmolested tv set is of more value than a recapped tv set. In some centuries, none of these vintage tv sets of today would work. In these times, an untouched set is of the highest value since it is the rarest one.

We have here in the Halberstadt cathedral old clothes which are 800 years old. They are unmolested and untouched, and therefore, they are of highest value. No one could buy them due to the high price. On the other hand, 800 year old clothes which were fixed and repaired are of no value, one can even find them on the fleamarket from time to time for a few dollars.

That's the difference.

Kind regards,
Eckhard

[tubesrule]

I'm with Charles on this as well. If the set has already been worked on, or butchered in the past, then there is no question that keeping it in working order is a plus. Most sets from the 1950's on will probably already have been worked on at some point in their lives anyway, so it's just a matter of maintaining the set in good working order.

If the set is something special and is in original condition, than I view this as a plus. Being able to see what the factory original did on an untouched set makes for a nice time capsule. There isn't much sense in redoing a set like the Zenith Charles mentioned when there are other 15" sets that are already in working order if that's what you want. In 50 or 100 years, they probably won't care if the set works or not as they will be far advanced from this technology, so having it original would be of more value.

I have seen many original, untouched cars (including original tires, hoses, spark plugs, etc.) go for very high prices, much higher than restored examples, but it's ultimately up to the buyer and seller to put a value on these things. Many people wouldn't pay a dollar for a car that is basically undriveable, versus one that is fully restored and can be driven anywhere. To each his own. That what makes collecting fun.

Darryl