Estate Sale Finds in 2010!

[radiotvnut]

Nice stereo! I think I've seen a picture of one of those "works in the lid" models; but, never in person.

Regarding the behavior of those people running the sale. Even though their behavior was uncalled for, it's still funny even though I can't stand these greedy money hungry folks like what you were dealing with. And, when they start their ebay crap with me, I usually tell them to sell the thing on ebay if you think it's worth so much.

[Glenz75]

Great looking console I have to say, real cool how the amp/tuner section flips up!
I had to chuckle at your story about those sellers.... Oh to be a fly on the wall watching them all squabble and fight...Pretty ridculous really especially if they start thinking 'ebay' prices.... Its an estate sale not an auction house

G.

[jln1966]

That is a neat stereo. I have seen magazine adds on Ebay advertising those. I have never seen one in person. They must not have made very many of them. The turntable is almost the same as the one in my 1963 console. I also have a portable stereo record player from 1969 with that turntable. It looks futuristic for the period. I think Motorolas from thet period have the best styling.
John

[batterymaker]

Regarding the details of the last estate sale:

Family...the other white meat.

[electronjohn]

I can visualize the siblings saying "We'll run the sale ourselves & not pay a professional. think of the extra $$$ we'll get!!" Riiiiight. I'll bet they netted 20% less than they would've with a pro pricing & running things. Ya meet 'em all out there, dontcha?

BTW: What...no TVs???

[compucat]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

Interesting, that ad says the 12" B&W sets had DC restoration (which it also mentions for the Portacolor set). I have never seen a small-screen B&W set that had it.

I have one of those GE B&W portables and I can say from using it that it does have DC restoration. I had a 1987 Zenith 12" B&W that had full DC restoration. When the screen went blank it looked like the set was off. Those GE B&W sets are great. I currently have a yellow one and they are well made, stylish and good performers. I would like to find one in a less flashy color such as white or grey.

[peverett]

Some 1960s/1970s era B&W sets from GE had the tiniest CRT cathode known to mankind(unlike the Portacolors). It is very rare to find one of these with a good CRT.

[compucat]

Originally Posted by peverett

Some 1960s/1970s era B&W sets from GE had the tiniest CRT cathode known to mankind(unlike the Portacolors). It is very rare to find one of these with a good CRT.

The tube type 12" sets in the briefcase cabinet style often have weak CRTs but all the solid state GE sets I have found from the Seventies have strong long lived tubes in them. The ones labeled Performance Television are actually quite good. I have a soft spot for 12" B&W sets anyway, always have.

[Jeffhs]

I had a Zenith 12" solid-state b&w portable TV that lasted 22 years (I bought it new in 1978), and was still going strong with a bright, sharp picture when I got rid of it ten years ago. I don't know who made the CRT but it must have been a good brand, to last that long. This TV was not American-made, either, the Zenith branding on the front panel notwithstanding; the set was made in Mexico. The TV this portable replaced was also a Zenith (trash find), a 1969 SC300, "The Ventura". That set also had a very strong CRT which was still making a great picture when I got rid of it in late '78. Again, I don't know who made the CRT in this set; obviously, however, it wasn't some offshore entity since the tube was still going strong after nine years, and Zenith had not yet started installing short-lived tubes in their TVs at this time. My best guess is that the CRT in my set was probably made by a reputable American manufacturer such as Rauland.

BTW, my RCA CTC185 XL100 color set was bought new in 1999 and still has its original CRT, which still makes an excellent, bright, sharp picture. My Zenith Sentry 2 has 14 years on it; it has its original tube as well, which still gives an excellent picture. This pleases and amazes me at the same time, because 1995 was within the time frame during which Zenith was having the devil of a time with defective CRTs in its televisions; the tubes would short within a year or two and destroy the video amplifiers (or worse) in no time flat.

I must have gotten a good tube (by the luck of the draw, no doubt) in my set, as it has given me no trouble whatsoever in the 14 years I've had the TV. Of course, the fact that this set doesn't get much use anymore probably has a lot to do with the long life of the tube; I only used the TV as a daily watcher for four years in the late '90s, then put it in my bedroom and more or less forgot about it. The set is used nowadays only as a backup to the RCA and for cross-checking in the event of cable trouble; however, I do turn it on occasionally to test it, and the last time I did so it was still going as strong as when the set was new.

[radiotvnut]

I have a '78 19" Zenith B&W and it's CRT is labeled "Zenith"; but, was actually built by Sylvania. I think Sylvania made a lot of B&W CRT's for Zenith back then.

[drh4683]

This was another good weekend at the estates. A TV was found at an Oak Lawn, IL estate sale at 9529 S. Kolmar Ave. It was a late 60's raised ranch, some of my favorite types of homes and all original inside with the avocado appliances.
In the back room I found a nice end of an era Zenith Chromacolor II console in the plain jane cabinet with the peg legs. Its a 1978 model with the 25KC45 chassis. Of course it worked just fine like any chorma II. It looked nice in that huge back room that backed up to the kitchen. When I first spotted it, I thought it would be an early production 25FC45 from '75 but it was just as nice to find a late model instead. This one has a chassis built in February, '78 and the set was assembled in March. Its also built at the Springfield, MO plant. Not sure when they opened that, but I think it was around 1975 or so. During the production of the CCII, zenith started to phase out some of their TV production in Chicago and built new plants in Missouri and they also opened their big plant in Reynosa, Mexico back around 1974 I believe.
You started to see modules etc. made in Mexico and eventually some TV's. I have a Reynosa assembled Zenith CCII table set from '78 and its just as nice as the others but I would always prefer the US built sets. Not sure when zenith phased out TV production all together in Chicago though. I think the CCII was the end and Springfield, MO became the number one plant starting at the beginning of the system 3 which also was introduced in 1978. Seems like 1978 was the beginning of the end for Zenith as the company it was in all the years prior.

I don't think this Particular set was ever serviced though, but there was a TV shop tag on back probably from where it was bought new. I got it for $45. Its also nice to find this model that doesnt have a broken off volume slider pot. Obviously not one of zeniths better designs as I've seen these snapped off on so many sets in the past. Zenith used this plain peg leg cabinet like this for their low end economy sets from the late 60's all the way up until the mid 80's. I like the plain simple clean cut cabinets though, so this is a keeper. Consider its a '78 when most of the nicer "high end cabinets" of that time period were not so attractive in my opinion.

[N9ZQA]

Doug -

Nice find! That cabinet does seem to be used in a lot of sets; I've got one that's similar, but with a single tuner knob (VHF and presets for UHF channels). The chassis in mine (also a 25KC45) was assembled in Dec. 1978 in Reynosa.

-Jim

[radiotvnut]

Nice find! That control layout does look older than what it is.

In SC, I had to pass up (due to limited space) a "last gasp" 23V CCII console from '79. All it said was "Zenith" on the front. No "solid state chromacolor II" printing like what's on the older sets. I've had 2 or 3 of these "last gasp" sets from October and November of '79. I think these "late" sets were just an effort to use up the remaining CCII inventory, as I've seen the exact same cabinets with a system 3 chassis inside.

[andy]

...

[zenithfan1]

That's a cool looking CCII. I too like the simple cabinet versus the "high end" cabinets of the late seventies. Those things make me wanna