Some CL finds near me.

[jamie]

i saw a listing for a yard sale that said antique Tv so i asked for pictures,these are what i got.




I have no idea what the top one is but the zenith looks like it's covered in bluejean material

$150 for both I think is what they want

[jr_tech]

GE 809, perhaps?

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1947-49-GE-Photos-Pg1.jpg

jr

Edit... My GE 10T4 (1949?) has a similar treatment around the bezel... the glass is back painted, and can be a challenge to restore if damaged.

[leadlike]

I believe they did make a Denim covered Zenith portable. The top set is a GE. $150 for both? More like $50 at most. I just saw a similar GE at an antique mall today for a couple hundred bucks-to sweeten the deal, the cabinet is trashed and it comes with a FREE brightener!

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by leadlike

I believe they did make a Denim covered Zenith portable. The top set is a GE. $150 for both? More like $50 at most. I just saw a similar GE at an antique mall today for a couple hundred bucks-to sweeten the deal, the cabinet is trashed and it comes with a FREE brightener!

Zenith made a 12" portable TV in the '70s they called "The Sidekick", with denim covering the top and sides of the cabinet. I'm not sure if it was all tubes or solid state; maybe someone will chime in with more information on this model. I do know that Zenith had a 12" solid-state portable TV in their product line in the late '70s, their model J121Y. I had one, used it 22 years and never had a bit of trouble with it except for the UHF detent mechanism breaking and jamming the tuner on one channel. Zenith also had a 12" portable set in the early '80s with a keypad for direct-access channel selection and an LED channel indicator on the front panel. There used to be a TV shop near my old neighborhood, East End TV and Appliance, that sold Zenith TV, radio and stereo; I remember seeing one of those 12-inch direct-access-tuning Zeniths there around 1981-82. I've often wondered how good those sets really were (in particular, whether there were any problems with the keyboard tuning system), and how popular they were in comparison to Zenith's knob-tuned version of the same set.

The more I think about "The Sidekick" denim-covered portable, however, the more I am inclined to think it was either all tubes or hybrid. Hmmm.

The GE set must have a very weak (almost dead) CRT if it is being sold with a free brightener. I wouldn't count on the tube lasting much longer. With that and the cabinet in such bad shape, it wouldn't surprise me if someone buys it just for parts. The GE may not be worth repairing if the tube is shot; there may be other problems besides, that the seller isn't saying anything about.

[jamie]

the zenith does say sidekick on it in some of the other pics i was sent. And i think the free brighter leadlike was talking about is for a set he has found and not the one i posted. i have no info on the one i posted,just thought i'd list it incase someone on here wanted or needed it.

[leadlike]

Yeah the GE is saw was a different set, same (similar model). The guy selling it pointed out the brightener as a neat aftermarket accessory. I guess he thought you could use it to boost the brightness on an otherwise healthy crt, or something like that. He wasn't too happy when I told him it was more for picture tubes that were basically shot, which from a restoration standpoint pretty much kills any value.

[matt_s78mn]

The Zenith sidekick set is indeed covered with denim. It is a tube set. I have one and it is a great performer. It's not worth all that much though but I do get a lot of "wow that's cool" comments when people see it.