Estes Auctions
Burbank, Ohio -- January 21, 2006

REPORTED BY RAY CHASE

Web Edition

Middle of the winter auctions at Estes are always a bit dicey, but the weather was only just turning cold and wet on this Saturday, and no major storms interfered. The auction was a large one, with 638 lots recorded, many of which during and at the end of the auction I missed. Also there were four tables of bulk tubes and other box lots that were disposed of in a side auction that is not included here. I could not tabulate the books, magazines and ephemera that were sold "choice," but there were no exceptional items in this group.

In general, this was an auction of a lot of regular radio "stuff" with no real "high flyers." Only two items sold for over $1,000 -- a 12A58 mini Stratosphere Zenith console for $1,500, and a rare Zenith 15U272 console for $1,550. Yet, the auction total gross was well over $51,000.

The overall offerings showed that there was something for everyone: 32 console radios, over 60 plastic radios, about 25 TVs, over 70 battery sets, about 80 wood table sets from the 1930s, 21 crystal sets, over 40 Zenith radios, and some Ham gear. In addition, there were nice parts, home brews, lots of tubes, and a bunch of phonographs and accessories.

Few people showed up for the Friday evening preview, and the Saturday auction crowd came in quite late, yet, there were almost 100 bidders at auction time. This was a nice auction where one could add to one's collection at reasonable prices. I'm sure that many went home happy with full vehicles.

A homey touch was added just before the start of the auction when the auction crew, many of whom are part of Richard Estes's family, presented him with a birthday cake.

The detail listing indicates the bid sale price and does not include the five percent buyer's premium charged at this location.

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, gf=good fil, WT=with tubes, NT=no tubes, BB=brass-based, TT=tipped tube, BC=broadcast band, SW=shortwave, PS=power supply, PB= push buttons, WE=Western Electric. All prices have been rounded down to the dollar. Some low cost items and items in poor condition or with nonspecific descriptions are omitted.See print version of A.R.C. for complete auction listing.

Something for everyone. Top shelf, left to right: a JVC "Space Helmet" TV; a Fada Catalin; a Philco "Butterfly"; an RCA Model 4X3; and a Zenith "Glassrod."

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.

Hallicrafters equipment dominates this collection of Ham gear.

Battery sets galore, including Atwater Kent, Columbia, Grebe, and Murdock.

An RCA Model 28, complete with loop antenna and stand, but without tubes. It sold for $200.

(Ray Chase, 1350 Marlborough Ave., Plainfield, NJ 07060; Estes Auctions, 7404 Ryan Rd., Medina, OH 44256; (888) 769-4992; estesauctions@aol.com)

Ray Chase has been a radio enthusiast and a collector of many types of radios for years. Currently, he specializes in World War II electronics equipment, as well as early battery superheterodynes. He also has an extensive collection of radio documentation and ephemera.