What do y'all think about this asking price?

[YamahaFreak]

(I did not see a 'Dollars & Sense' thread here, like AK has, so I posted this here instead.)

This Mercari seller wants a thousand dollars for a turret tuner Trinitron. It is an awesome TV in immaculate condition per the ad...but are these sets really worth that much money? This is a genuine question, considering many of us collect these things and I know I'd be rather disappointed if they start getting so expensive I can no longer find nice ones.

Link here:

I hope this works

[probnot]

Personally? No, I don't think it's worth that at all.

Someone here was trying to sell a KV-1543R for $450 locally. I don't get it, especially since I know they got it for free (beat me to it by an hour!)

One reason I can think of is the resurgence in retro gaming has everyone looking for high end Trinitrons that are have RGB or at least component inputs. Somehow this has translated into every Trinitron being worth its weight in gold (well maybe not quite... they're freakin' heavy).

It's probably also scarcity. The late 2000s/early 2010s saw everyone throw away their old CRT sets to upgrade and for a while you couldn't give away a really nice non-LCD TV. Now the stock is drying up and combined with a resurgence in everything retro, we're in a perfect storm of stupid pricing.

[etype2]

This set is definitely rare, but overpriced. It’s value is $350. (To this collector) This set was the first 17 inch Trinitron. Has a great picture, but you don’t know what your getting, despite the glowing description. It has no component inputs and the KV1710 is the base model. I purchased the KV1720 in 1970. Difference is the walnut cabinet as opposed to the faux metal cabinet. The far more desirable KV1210U in great condition, which was the second Trinitron goes for $450-$500 recently.

[dishdude]

It's worth less than half of asking...seller is dreaming.

[YamahaFreak]

Originally Posted by dishdude

It's worth less than half of asking...seller is dreaming.

That was essentially my thought process.

[Electronic M]

Personally I don't think any Trinitron is worth anything near 1K... Maybe the first Chromatron color set Sony imported, but not a Trinitron.
Most Trinitron models can be had for $20-50 if you're patient. It kinda blows my mind that anyone would be desperate enough to drop 3 figures on one.

[mr_rye89]

Lol at that rate my little BVM might be worth $350

I need to unload a 22" LaCie/NEC/Mitsubishi Diamondtron VGA monitor. Surely I can find some retro gamer who can't live without it......

[doogie812]

I find it absurd the prices being ask for not even vintage televisions. Are people actually paying these prices? I have never paid more than $50.00 for any piece of used electronics. (I take that back, I did pay $2300.00 for a $20,000.00 Sony projector some 25 years ago.) The fun is in restoring the stuff. If I make my money back when done is just icing on the cake.

[jr_tech]

Seller is really dreaming here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/19433449653...f1e0%7Ciid%3A1

jr

[zeno]

When his phone dont ring he will know its me.

That belongs on the "free" table at a yard sale.
Looks like the jugs getting soft to boot.

73 Zeno
LFOD !

[YamahaFreak]

Originally Posted by zeno

When his phone dont ring he will know its me.

That belongs on the "free" table at a yard sale.
Looks like the jugs getting soft to boot.

73 Zeno
LFOD !

I'd pay $50 for it, assuming it works beyond a raster...but not anywhere near what they are asking. I find it amusing the price is almost $500 higher on eBay - it would seem they think a larger audience warrants a higher ask.

[colortrakker]

Woah, no. I don't care that it's got all the original papers, I wouldn't spend more than $100...with FREE shipping. Someone gotta tell him that even though it's a Trinitron, gamers aren't gonna want it since there's no RGB input. He's gonna have this one for a while longer.

[Jeffhs]

I don't think the Sony Trinitrons were that bad. The set being discussed here reminds me of a similar TV two of my great-aunts (sisters, living in the same apartment) had in the 1970s. Theirs was a portable 16" Trinitron; it made a beautiful picture on all seven local TV stations in the area (near Cleveland), long before DTV, at the time, and with rabbit ears, yet. I don't know what eventually became of that set after my great-aunts died, but I do hope it found a good home, since it was still working quite well at that time. Being a Sony Trinitron, it probably is still working great, as I don't recall hearing of any Sony TV of that era (1970s) having major chassis troubles or CRT problems.

I believe Sony may well have been the "Zenith" TV of the era, as well made as Sony sets were and as well as they performed. Say what you will about Japanese-made televisions, but I believe Sony was one of the best TVs made offshore. I wouldn't be surprised if my great-aunts' TV is still working today, with a DTV converter, of course. The CRT may have been replaced once since the 1970s (the replacement may be on its last legs by now), but the chassis and everything else may be as good now as it was then.

BTW, I agree with the person who seems to think this TV (the one shown in the photos) is well overpriced for an eBay sale. These televisions were good, but I certainly don't think they were worth anywhere near $1000, even when new. Even if the VHF tuner had 16k solid-gold contacts (like 1950s-'70s Zeniths), I still don't think any Sony TV would be worth that much. I think the seller is simply trying to get as much as possible for this TV, that's all. This sort of thing often happens on eBay sales, when the seller has almost no idea whatsoever of how much the item is worth and/or should sell for.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by colortrakker

Woah, no. I don't care that it's got all the original papers, I wouldn't spend more than $100...with FREE shipping. Someone gotta tell him that even though it's a Trinitron, gamers aren't gonna want it since there's no RGB input. He's gonna have this one for a while longer.

This TV couuld still be used with video games if the game is connected to the set using an RF modulator. The video quality may not be as good as a direct RGB input, but as long as it works, I don't think anyone short of a real purist would care how the game is connected to the TV; after all, with a video game, one of the last things anyone would care about, IMHO, would be a razor-sharp picture. I cannot imagine kids or teenagers being anywhere near that fussy as long as the game's main screen looks good. If it were smeared or out of focus, they might complain, but as long as the screen is watchable, I don't see how anyone short of a video purist would care about slight imperfections. RF modulators, after all, were being used to connect video games and other devices to TVs for many years.

[AlanInSitges]

The guy is lying about the condition, claims it's been in the box. Only if someone's been in the box with it cranking the channel knob for the last 40 years - the paint's worn clear off. Also not sure what's going on with the VHF antenna terminals. I can't imagine those little ceramic caps soldered in place are from the factory.