Are old tube radios valuable?

Many vintage and antique radio models made between 1930 and 1949 are highly collectible, including brands such as RCA, Philco, Westinghouse, and Zenith. These tube radio table models came in a range of sizes and variations.

Are old radios worth anything?

Older radios tend to fetch somewhat more than newer ones, but only in a very general way. Age alone doesn't make a radio priceless. 1920s radios are old, but some manufacturers made cheap, junky radios in those days, as in all other times. Scarcity of parts can make certain vintage sets very expensive to repair.

How do you date an old radio?

Look for a manufacturer and model number

The normal way to identify a radio is by manufacturer and model number (for example, "Zenith 7G605" or "Philco 42-350"). Model numbers can include any combination of letters and numbers, and they may be long or short, although most are from two to six characters in length.

Does anyone collect old radios?

Collecting and restoring old radios and similar gear has become popular during the past several decades, and a number of clubs and associations exist in many states.

What is an old Zenith radio worth?

It has become more popular with collectors in recent years and usually sells for between $300 and $500, depending on condition. Once in a while, though, one is found on a shelf in an antique store for under $200. A popular Zenith “Trans-Oceanic” portable shortwave radio. Zenith radios were sold worldwide.

Why Amateurs Should Not Service Expensive Antique Radios: 1930's Zenith Radio - 7S261

What is the most expensive antique radio?

1935 Zenith Stratosphere 1000Z: This this rarest and most valuable radio on the planet only 350 ever produced and less than 5o found today.

What transistor radios are worth money?

Generally, the most collectable and historic transistor radios are those made in Japan from 1956 to 1963 and America from 1955-60. One easy way to date a transistor radio to this period is to look for small triangles or circles between the 6 & 7 and the 12 & 16 on the dial.

What is an old fashioned radio called?

A foxhole radio is a simple crystal sets radio receiver cobbled together from whatever parts one could make (which were very few indeed) or scrounged from junked equipment.

How much does it cost to restore an antique radio?

Estimates – We charge a flat labor rate for antique radio restorations of $18.00 per tube (i.e. labor for a 5-tube radio is $90). We also charge a 5% labor surcharge to cover the cost of small parts (nuts, bolts, springs, solder, wire, dial string, etc.).

What were old radios made out of?

1920s radios were typically housed in wood, although some tabletops came in rather plain metal cabinets. Bakelite and Catalin were the most popular synthetic materials during the 1930s and 1940s. Other early plastics, such as Plaskon and Beetle, predated the flood of new synthetics that came along during the 1950s.

What is the oldest radio station in the world?

Learn about this topic in these articles:

world's first commercial radio station, KDKA, began broadcasting in Pittsburgh in 1920.

Are Philco radios worth anything?

There are a few exceptions – Models 37-690 and 38-690 being among them – but most Philco radio models are simply not “worth” several hundred dollars.

Do radios still use transistors?

Transistor radios are still commonly used as car radios. Billions of transistor radios are estimated to have been sold worldwide between the 1950s and 2012.

When did they stop making tube radios?

By 1967 the last of the remaining manufacturers would end production of tube radios.

Are all vacuum tubes the same?

They may have a different construction, i.e. metal versus glass, or a different glass shape. They will perform the same. Substitute vacuum tubes are not exactly the same electronically but will perform the same in most circuits.

What was on the radio in the 1920s?

They began broadcasting things like popular music, classical music, sporting events, lectures, fictional stories, newscasts, weather reports, market updates, and political commentary.

Can tube radios be repaired?

Sophisticated test gear and an extensive library of radio service data are employed in the repair process. Vaccum tube based electronics are typically somewhere in the range of forty to ninety years old. Exact, original replacement parts are rare or simply no longer available in many cases.

Do valve radios still work?

Despite their appearance, they are all perfectly good valves. I've known people replace all the valves in their radio for one or more reasons I've mentioned and, to their surprise, and cost, the radio still didn't work. Even a valve which rattles can work perfectly well.

Can old radios pick up FM?

Radio fans will be able to carry on listening to FM and AM radio stations on older devices in cars and at home until 2032, ministers announced yesterday. New legislation will mean another delay in scrapping the analogue signal.

What did valves do in old radios?

Later known as the Fleming valve, the oscillation valve was developed for the purpose of rectifying radio frequency current as the detector component of radio receiver circuits.

How do old tube radios work?

Vacuum tubes operate on the principle of thermionic emission, where certain metals heated to white-hot in a vacuum will give off electrons. The flow of these electrons can then be controlled by charges placed on the tube's internal elements.

Is there a radio station that plays 50s music?

1.FM - 50s and 60s radio stream live and for free.

How much did a radio cost in 1960?

The more modest radios were around $70– about $1,050 today. By the 1960s TV had already become the biggest home service.

When did small transistor radios come out?

The Regency TR-1 hit stores on October 18, 1954. It received AM stations and sold for $50, the equivalent of more than $400 today. Although a limited number of portable radios using vacuum tubes had been available, the TR-1 immediately transformed the state of consumer radio technology.

What is meaning of transistor radio?

Definition of transistor radio

somewhat old-fashioned. : a small radio that has transistors.