{"id":963,"date":"2018-08-11T09:42:15","date_gmt":"2018-08-11T16:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/?page_id=963"},"modified":"2018-09-22T07:51:21","modified_gmt":"2018-09-22T14:51:21","slug":"value-guide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/index.php\/models\/value-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Value Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a subject which receives a lot of questions. (The only question that is asked more often is “Where can I find parts for my Philco radio?” For that answer, see the\u00a0Resources<\/a>\u00a0pages.)<\/p>\n

In all honesty, I really do not know what your radio is worth!<\/p>\n

Values are quite subjective and can vary from one area of the country to another and even from one day to another.<\/p>\n

Prices which radios sell for on eBay are\u00a0not<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, as is often thought, a reliable barometer of pricing.<\/p>\n

Again, why not?<\/p>\n

eBay selling prices only tell what someone was willing to pay for a particular example of a radio\u00a0at that point in time<\/span><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Let us say there are two different Philco Model 89B radios for sale during the same week. One looks as if it was removed from a nice, airtight (and watertight) time capsule; in other words, mint original condition. The other may have numerous scratches and scuffs, tears in its grille cloth and speaker, and rust on its chassis.<\/p>\n

Joe Schmuck gets outbid on the mint 89B at $475. Determined to buy an 89B at any price, Joe begins bidding on the other 89B and wins it at $350.<\/p>\n

Does that mean all 89B sets are worth $350?<\/p>\n

Absolutely not!<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The price here was determined by how badly Joe Schmuck wanted to own an 89B; and in his case, money was no object.<\/p>\n

One week later, two more 89B sets are put up for auction on eBay. Both sellers, seeing how much the other 89B sets sold for, set opening bids of $300.<\/p>\n

Neither one attracts a single bid…thus proving the point that auction selling prices are not an accurate reflection of the value of a radio.<\/p>\n

Phil Nelson’s excellent\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0includes a page which reflects my views on radio values. You are invited to visit\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to learn more.<\/p>\n

There are a number of price guides on the market. A search at\u00a0Amazon.com<\/a>\u00a0will turn up several of these.<\/p>\n

Can I find the value of my radio on eBay?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes and no.<\/p>\n

When a radio is listed on eBay at a low opening bid of $20 or less with no reserve, the seller is allowing the market to set the selling price – and the market will do so. So, on vintage radios that were listed in this fashion, the answer is yes, with a caveat. More on that in a moment.<\/p>\n

When a radio is listed on eBay at a ridiculously high starting price, such as a radio in very poor condition with a starting bid at $300, it will never sell and you can be assured that this is not a true indicator of its “value.”<\/p>\n

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. Why? As the nation’s leading radio manufacturer, Philco made more sets than their competition, and so there are more surviving Philco sets still around to satisfy collector demand.<\/p>\n

Now the caveat on eBay prices. Some sellers have been suspected of using shill bidders to artificially inflate their selling prices. These auctions usually result in a $50 radio “selling” for $500. Do your research carefully and when you see one Philco selling for $60 in one auction and the same model for $300 in another, be skeptical and do not automatically assume that yours is worth $300.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a subject which receives a lot of questions. (The only question that is asked more often is “Where can I find parts for my Philco radio?” For that answer, see the\u00a0Resources\u00a0pages.) In all honesty, I really do not know what your radio is worth! Values are quite subjective and can vary from one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":955,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-963","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/963\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}