Estes Auction
Burbank, Ohio -- July 26, 2003

reported by Ray and Edith Chase

WEB EDITION

The July 26th Estes Auction at the Auction Expo Center in Burbank, Ohio, sure had something for everybody. The auction hall was packed to overflowing with items for this large sale. Included were a Bulova collection, many Ham and hi-fi items, TV sets, transistor radios along with a large selection of table radios, the usual tube lots and a large batch of parts and test equipment.

Because of the very large number of novelty transistor radios to be sold, a separate auction to deal with these was held off to one side of the hall. As a result, I drafted my wife Edith to record this part of the sale while I continued with the main auction. She had not done this before, but she handled it very well for her first try at being an auction recorder. There were more novelty sets than are listed, as many did not draw an opening bid of $5 and were passed up to be offered at a future auction.

After the novelty radios were sold, the separate auction still continued with many of the parts and test equipment lots, which Edith was unable to record. Unfortunately, there were some unbuilt Heathkits in with the parts lots that were not recorded. This auction was also heavy in regular pocket transistors in addition to the Bulova collection, but many were sold as "choice" from bulk lots. This process involved multiple rounds of selling which are difficult to keep track of. The result is that quite a few of these sales are not listed.

Main Auction

The size of the main auction may have caused it to go past 6:00 p.m., and our travel plans did not allow us to stay for the last hour. Consequently, many of the later lots were also not noted. There were no "high flyer items" at this sale, but there was plenty for the average collector and many vehicles were filled at the end of the day. The most expensive radio was an Atwater Kent breadboard selling at $950. The total auction proceeds were over $34,000, not counting the 5 percent buyer's premium which is charged at this location and is not included in the below listed sale results (see print version of A.R.C. for complete auction listing). Prices are rounded down to the dollar.

e=excellent, vg=very good, g=good, f=fair, p-poor, wk=works, nwk=not working, NT=no tubes, WT=with tubes, PB=push buttons, gf=good fil, N.I.B.=new in box, BB=brass-based, TT=tipped

(Ray Chase, 1350 Marlborough Ave., Plainfield, NJ 07060; Estes Auctions, 404 Ryan Rd., Medina, OH 44256; (330) 469-4002; estesauctions@aol.com)

This Atwater Kent Model 10 breadboard, 3550, was the auction's top-dollar item at $950.

A Breting 12 communications receiver, ca 1935, left, with added labels. The knobs may be wrong. A Johnson Viking Pacemaker is on the right.

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.

Left to right: An unidentified, tombstone with a curved top, a GE Model A82 and a Stromberg-Carlson Model 58T. The GE and Stromberg-Carlson brought $105 each.

A group of microphones at the auction.

Day-Fan OEM-11 sold for $55.

This Technics 1500 reel-to-reel tape recorder brought $400.