Estes Auctions -- Several Collections
Burbank, Ohio -- December 17, 2005

Reported By Ray Chase

Web Edition

The Estes auction on December 17, 2005, at the Expo Auction Center, Burbank, Ohio consisted of several collections from Ohio, as well as another private collection and additional consignments. This "just before Christmas" auction was heavy on battery sets, horns, loops, nice 1930s radios, tubes, books and paper. It had little in the way of Ham gear, military, novelty or transistor radios. There were fewer than the usual low value goods and box lots, yet there were plenty of items for sale.

I recorded about 550 lots and stopped writing at 3:45 p.m., as the weather was threatening, and I wanted to get on the road. At this time, there was still nearly an hour's worth of goods to sell. The total that I recorded came to $52,575 and does not include the last hour or the books and paper sold "choice," which I could not record.

A different looking Zenith: This Model 10H571 features a spinet styled cabinet, and it tunes the pre-World War II FM band. In good condition, but dirty, it sold for $125.

This Grimes MD-5 Type 4D Inverse Duplex uses four Type 199 tubes. In good condition with elaborate corner decorations, it sold for $225.

There were no real "high flyers" in this auction, but one set that drew a lot of speculation was a Unito Nightingale 4-tube small battery set with four 201-A tubes. This set is normally known as the "Nightingale," but there were other labels on the set indicating Guthrie Co., Grafton, Ohio, and also the United Factories Co., Cleveland, Ohio. The tuning dial did not appear to be correct as there was an old newspaper advertisement along with it which showed a different configuration. Nontheless, it sold for $1,800.

All in all, this was a nice auction with many desirable items and some good bargains, all in time for Christmas 2005.

e=excellent, vg=very good, g=good, f=fair, p=poor, unk=unknown condition, N.O.S.=new old stock, wk=working, nwk=not working, WT=with tubes, W(#)T= with "#" tubes, NT=no tubes, BB=brass-based, TT=tipped tube, SW=shortwave, PS=power supply, PB=push buttons, gf=good fil, WE=Western Electric. 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.

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.

(Ray Chase, 1350 Marlborough Ave., Plainfield, NJ 07060; Estes Auctions, 7404 Ryan Rd., Medina, OH 44256. (866) 769-4992; estesauctions@aol.com)

A rare 4-tube Unito "Nightingale" from the 1920s: The radio sold for $1,800 even though its dial is incorrect. Labels on the radio read "Guthrie Co., Cleveland, Ohio" and "United Factories Co., Cleveland, Ohio."

A number of loose couplers appear in the foreground with Radiolas at the rear and far right.