Rca trk-12

[relaximus]

Originally Posted by TubeType

Is Canton a little town?

Only ~25 sq. mi. with a population of ~12,000. So yes, it's a relatively little town.

[TubeType]

Originally Posted by relaximus

Only ~25 sq. mi. with a population of ~12,000. So yes, it's a relatively little town.

That's a teeming metropolis compared to Starlight.

[Pielock373]

I am green with envy! If it was mine I would restore and never let it out of my sight. Don't sell it, keep it if you have the room for it. That is a once in a lifetime find, fate is trying to tell you something! If your lucky enough to end up with itKeep it, don't sell it! Just thinking about this set is making me light-headed. This is like winning the lottery, IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE, don't sell it! Keep it and polish it daily.

Steve P

[VintagePC]

Originally Posted by Pielock373

I am green with envy! It it was mine I would restore and never let it out of my sight. Don't sell it, keep it if you have the room for it. That is a once in a lifetime find, fate is trying to tell you something! Keep it don't sell it!

I'd echo this... it's likely the perfectionist in me, but I couldn't bear to part with it and _not_ know how it was being treated... but I don't doubt there's plenty of people out there who know how to care for it and would love to have one.

Each his own, and I respect your choice. (but still... resell? why would you _ever_ want to do that? )

[ChuckA]

Seems everyone that has chimed in on the future of this set has overlooked one important item, Dave isn't a TV collector. I see an audio collector who is looking for a means to acquire/upgrade his collection, just like any of the TV collectors would be looking at a rare and valuable non TV piece they found in a thrift shop.

If I had a Fisher President or the like sitting in my garage I'd be trying to make a deal with Dave 2 days ago. It sounds as if this set ends up in Dave's hands, it is going to be available to us TV collectors at, of course, market value but that's the luck of the draw.

Dave, you're from New England get that Yankee trader mind set in gear. Take a stack of hundreds the next time you go to talk with the owner, start putting them on the table, it's remarkable what the sight of hundred dollar bills does for negotiations.

Chuck

[Eric H]

If nothing else offer to sell it for them on eBay, for a percentage of course.

[relaximus]

Originally Posted by ChuckA

... Dave, you're from New England get that Yankee trader mind set in gear. Take a stack of hundreds the next time you go to talk with the owner, start putting them on the table, it's remarkable what the sight of hundred dollar bills does for negotiations.

They're already in my wallet Chuck!

I'm hoping she comes around today so I can start laying 'em down.

Dave

[TubeType]

Originally Posted by ChuckA

Seems everyone that has chimed in on the future of this set has overlooked one important item, Dave isn't a TV collector. I see an audio collector who is looking for a means to acquire/upgrade his collection, just like any of the TV collectors would be looking at a rare and valuable non TV piece they found in a thrift shop.

If I had a Fisher President or the like sitting in my garage I'd be trying to make a deal with Dave 2 days ago. It sounds as if this set ends up in Dave's hands, it is going to be available to us TV collectors at, of course, market value but that's the luck of the draw.

Dave, you're from New England get that Yankee trader mind set in gear. Take a stack of hundreds the next time you go to talk with the owner, start putting them on the table, it's remarkable what the sight of hundred dollar bills does for negotiations.

Chuck

Thanks Chuck. You hit the nail squarely on the head. Truer words were never spoken.

[Pielock373]

If you get it , please PLEASE PLEASE be careful not to break the picture tube! If you need extra hands I am but 40 minutes north of you on RT.91 in Deerfield MA. and would be happy to help you move it, I would hate to see something get damaged on this wonderful old set.

Steve

[lu8aja]

MAN... This has been the best soap opera I have seen in my life! How has this ended?!

Just a few facts
- Pretty much the whole board, me included obviously, is green with envy
- I would also get into a plane with a big wallet if I had the wallet, and I could figure out how to get that thing back home... in fact I would come back like Gollum saying "my precious"...
- To compensate somebody that has all this luck together, there must be many many unlucky TV collectors around!!!

[Steve D.]

I just stumbled on to this thread. Don't get to the B&W forum very often. My TRK-120 story: About 35 or more years ago (pre-internet), I read an ad in a local shopping guide. The ad was for an old tv with a mirror in the top. I knew enough about pre-war TV to call on this and the owner wanted $100.00. I called my brother for help and borrowed the KTLA-TV prop van. I worked there then. Drove to Van Nuys to the sellers home. The set was sitting in his garage with a drop coth covering it. He removed the cloth and there was the 120. I caught my breath and tried to remain composed as to not have him raise the price. I did a hasty exam of the set, it was all there. He took my 100 bucks and my brother and myself, not knowing about the picture tube mounting ect. tilted the 120 on its back and slid it on to a packing blanket into the van. I secured it and we drove it to my home in the Hollywood Hills, I live in an apt. up 2 flights of stairs. We removed the chassis to lighten the load and carried the cabinet w/the pix tube still installed up to my patio. The heavy chassis followed. Over the next few days I cleaned out the crud from the cabinet and used a soft paint brush and vaccum cleaner to clean up the various chassis.
I than reinstalled all the chassis with no parts left over. Having no knowledge of the consequences, at the time, I plugged it in. I turned the power on and flipped the multi function knob to "TELEVISION". After a bit of snap, crackle and pop, but no smoke, the picture tube lit up with a bright raster. I connected the antenna lead to it and a picture appeared. The set had the 6 channel tuner.
Still feeling brave I switched to the "RADIO" position plainly marked on the panel. The TV went off and the radio dial lit up. All the buttons were intact and had Los Angeles radio station call letters on the pushbuttons. Many, long off the air. Pushing one of the buttons and the low hum of a motor was heard as the tuning indicator slowing and automatically moved to a station at the upper end of the dial. I had know Idea there was motorized tuning. I did no restoration on the set, other ten cleaning up the cabinet. I did remove the mirror from it's frame to clean it up and notice a date from some time in 1940 printed on the back. It sat in my living room for several years. When I aquired my CT-100 and then a huge CTC-5 Wingate model, I decided to sell, because of lack of space, the TRK-120. I put an ad in the local antique radio club newsletter and asked $6000.00 mid 70's dollars. I asked very high so I could bargin down to a lower price. Even then, I knew these were rare and valuable sets. An early pre-war TV collector Kent Warner lived close by and came to see it and told me it would bring at least $3000.00. He already owned a 120 and several other sets. A fellow from Huntington Beach, Ca. called me, he was very excited. Said he saw this set, as a child, at the 1939 Worlds Fair and always wanted one. He asked if I had sold it yet. I said no. Without any pause he said he would go to the bank that day and get the $6000. and bring a friend and a van the next day. Of course I accepted. Early the next morning he arrived and asked, with some stress, if I still had the set and hadn't sold it since our converation. I invited him in and he saw that the set was there and in wonderful condition. We sat at my dining room table while he counted out $6000.00 in one hundred dollar bills. Between the three of us and a furniture dolly we carefully took it one long step at a time downstairs and loaded it into his van. I never heard from him again. To this day I'm sorry I sold my TRK-120. Sorry for the long story, but it kind of fit this clif hanging thread.

Good luck Dave,
-Steve D.

[David Roper]

Steve, Kent Warner wrote what has to be one of the earliest articles ever published about vintage TV collecting for a book about general TV history that was published sometime in late 1977. There are a couple of pictures of what I assume is your TRK-120, one with him posed in front of it. Both of them show it in operation.

In the same article he tells of buying an RR-359 from a gas station for $40 and adds that the set which he identified as a TRK-12 required a much larger investment.

ETA Correction: The RR-359 wasn't his, that was a lucky purchase of a friend of his.

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by David Roper

Steve, Kent Warner wrote what has to be one of the earliest articles ever published about vintage TV collecting for a book about general TV history that was published sometime in late 1977. There are a couple of pictures of what I assume is your TRK-120, one with him posed in front of it. Both of them show it in operation.

In the same article he tells of buying an RR-359 from a gas station for $40 and adds that the set which he identified as a TRK-12 required a much larger investment.

ETA Correction: The RR-359 wasn't his, that was a lucky purchase of a friend of his.

Dave,

Kent Warner had an extensive collection of pre-war sets including most if not all of RCA's models and a pre-war DuMont among others. TV Guide did a two page article w/a photo of KENT posing with his collection back in the 70's. Seeing this article, I looked up Kent in the L.A. phone book, he was listed, and invited him over to see my 120. Kent and I remained good friends until his passing many years ago. I don't recall what happend to his collection. Ed Reitan may be able to shed some light on that. Can't believe it was almost 40 years ago.

-Steve D.

[Sandy G]

IIRC, I remember reading a sad tale that Kent's mother tossed and/or sold his collection after his death...Apparently, she didn't know/care what the stuff was worth...Being WAY before the Internoot, collectors basically operated in isolation.

[ChrisW6ATV]

I have a book called "A Flick Of The Switch" that has a picture of Kent Warner with part of his collection in it if I remember right. It mentioned he worked in Hollywood. I was all excited later when I saw his name in the credits of The Rockford Files.