Value of GE Portacolor Sets

[radiotvnut]

I suspect the VHF only one is a set designed for the Canadian market, as all TV's sold in the USA were to have built in UHF tuners as of 1964.

As far as value, it's hard to say. I guess it all depends on whoever is looking and what they're willing to pay. You could always list them on ebay, either with a reserve or make the starting price the least you'd be willing to take. If your conditions are not met, you still have the TV's and the only thing you'll be out of is the listing fees. I will tell you that just because one of these TV's brought $250 on ebay, does not mean the next one will. I've seen common $10 radios on ebay and two moneybags bidders would drive the prices up to insane levels and then, a month later, there would be an identical model that wouldn't even bring the $10 opening bid.

Back in the '90's, I used to find a lot of Partacolors. Most of them didn't work and the price range was between free and $5. Once fixed, I usually sold them for anywhere between $25-$40. Back then, I was not looking at these sets from a collector standpoint and neither were the people buying them from me. They were just another TV for me to fix and try to make a dollar. The people who were buying them from me were generally the type who didn't want to pay the extra money that I sold solid state sets for.

I don't think I've had, or even seen in person, a tube portacolor since about '97. And, it was one of the later ones from '76.

I think the reason we're not seeing them is because when their owners unearth them, they see them as just another obsolete junk TV and end up tossing them with no effort to sell or give them away. This is not only true of portacolors; but, of most other old tube sets, as well. I'm sure a lot of tube sets get donated to thrift stores; but, most of them don't even hit the sales floor and go to the dumpster because they either don't work or are considered too old to sell.