Estes Auctions
Edward Sage and Floyd Stahl Collections
Burbank, Ohio -- November 19, 2005

REPORTED BY RICHARD ESTES

Web Edition

Edward Sage of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was well known among radio collectors for his wonderful Deco collection. His home was filled with Deco furniture, and mirrored radios highlighted every room. Mr. Sage had logged over 300,000 miles in pursuit of these beautiful radios.

In September 2005, due to Mr. Sage's declining health, the decision was made to sell the collection at auction. We were asked to view the collection and to make plans to move it to our Ohio facility. Wow!

This impressive 1936 Sparton Nocturne has replacement blue mirrored glass that is 46" in diameter. An 11-tube radio with tuning eye, it sold for $62,500. Another Sparton Nocturne with new peach-colored glass and a new back brought $57,000 in the auction.

What an undertaking!

We were able to enlist the help of Frank Rasada, a longtime friend and fellow radio collector, to help with wrapping the radios and packing them in boxes. Bob Avery, another collector and a friend of Mr. Sage's, also offered his services. My wife Kathy and Frank did all the wrapping and boxing, while Bob and I loaded the radios and secured the boxes in the truck. Frank came up with the best way to transport the Nocturnes, and they made it to Ohio in good shape.

Held on November 19 at the Expo Auction Center in Burbank, Ohio, the auction attracted 177 bidders from 17 states and Canada. A large contingent came from the West Coast, and California was especially well represented.

The highlights, of course, were the two Sparton Nocturnes. All sorts of figures were tossed around among the crowd as to what the Nocturnes would bring. At the start of bidding on the Blue Nocturne, the number rose quickly to $50,000. Two bidders went to the finish line, and the set sold for $62,500.

The peach Nocturne also quickly shot up to $50,000, but then inched slowly to the winning bid of $57,000. Both radios had had new glass installed, but we gave the new owners the original glass pieces to restore to their original condition.

From the Art Deco period, a Radio Bar that sold for $1,000.

We included the Floyd Stahl collection in this auction, offering a wide variety of battery sets, consoles, horn speakers, tombstones, cathedrals, tubes, books and magazines. Included were beautiful Atwater Kent 9 and 10 breadboards, Kennedy Types 281 and 525, Westinghouse Aeriola Senior and Junior, plus many other outstanding sets.

The auction was paced so that every third item would be a glass radio, a plan that insured a fast pace and completed the mirrored sets by 12:30 p.m. The rest of the auction continued until 4:00 p.m. The proceeds totaled $261,095.

We were thrilled to be able to conduct this auction and hope that all attendees enjoyed it as much as we did. Just looking at all those beautiful radios from a bygone era was a pleasure.

A Mir-Ray hexagonal cabinet in shades of copper. Like other mirrored radios, it tunes both BC and SW. It sold for $2,800. Another in blue glass sold for $1,900.

g=good, vp=very poor, BB=brass based, TT=tipped tube, gf=good fil, tg=tested good, tf=tested fair. All prices have been rounded down to the dollar. Some low cost items and items in poor condition or nonspecific descriptions are omitted. See print version of A.R.C. for complete auction listing.

Photo credits: Kathy Estes

(Estes Auctions, 7404 Ryan Rd., Medina, OH 44256; (888) 769-4992; estesauctions@aol.com)

Mir-Ray also produced an octagonal cabinet with a peach mirrored face and marbleized cabinet. This BC band radio included a logging scale and sold for $1,100.

A warning: Auction prices are not current values. Our selection of auction items is not necessarily complete. A listing such as this cannot adequately include the condition of cabinets, chassis, transformers, tubes, the operating status of the set, and the inclusion of incorrect, restored or replica components, etc. Auction prices are the result of the excitement of the auction process, the skill of the auctioneer and the specific interests of the participants. Nevertheless, auction prices serve as useful references and as another element in the value determining process. The possibility of error always exists, and if we are notified, corrections will be reported.