Why are old radios worth money?

Here are mine. As I see it, a radio's value depends on five factors: scarcity, age, design, electronics, and (most important) condition. Scarcity. Some sets are prized simply because they were the first, the only, the last, or the something-est in a given category.

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 can you do with old radios?

Some centers might come to your home to pick up electronics, while others will want you to drop them off yourself. Load the box of electronics into your car and drive to the recycling center if it doesn't perform pick-ups. Drop off the electronics with a recycling center employee.

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.

What are the old radios called?

Vacuum Tube Radios and RCA

By the end of the first decade of public radio came the RCA corporation and their patent new invention, radios with vacuum tubes for amplified signals and better sound quality.

Kingston man selling father’s vintage radio collection

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.

Do antique radios have any value?

Valuation for vintage radios

Some pre-battery powered radios from the 1920s and 1930s are valued according to their condition. Rare radio sets in good condition from these periods are the most valued items.

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 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.

How much are old Zenith radios 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.

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 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.

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 value of old radio tubes?

Radio restorers are always on the lookout for 01A tubes ($10-$15) used in most 1920s radios. These tubes also used the numbers 201A and 301A depending on the manufacturer. Other early tube numbers to watch out for are 45 ($50-$70), 50 ($200+), 245 ($100+), 250 ($250-$350), WD-11 ($50-$135), and WD-12 ($30-$50).

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.

Can you still buy transistor radios?

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.

What is the most expensive radio?

RCA Solitaire 54B5, the most expensive personal radio made | Vintage radio, Old radios, Portable radio.

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.

What is the best radio brand?

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.

Why was radio so powerful to people in the 1930s?

It provided a great source of entertainment with much loved comedians such as Jack Benny and Fred Allen making their names on the wireless. It marked the advent of the soap opera, a running story that people could return to, with characters they could sympathise with and love.

What is the first radio?

In 1895, a young Italian named Gugliemo Marconi invented what he called “the wireless telegraph” while experimenting in his parents' attic. He used radio waves to transmit Morse code and the instrument he used became known as the radio.