The PHILCO Phorum

Hello All,

I just recently moved into my grandmothers home and nothing had been touched since she lived there. In the basement under a cloth I found a beautiful Philco radio and started to do some research with my trustee iPad. After searching through a dozen years and endless models I finally found out what she is. The radio is in great condition and still works perfectly. When I get home I will try to post some photos.

Now....a few questions....first....could anyone suggest what to use to polish the wood up? Or should I even touch it? Secondly, where could I find serial numbers, or any information that would be important? I would like to have it appraised for insurance value also, any suggestions in the WV/ east coast area?

Thank You Very Much

DubVNurse

(photos to follow)

Hi Nurse,

Welcome to the forum. That is a nice looking radio model. Please post photos.
Generally, serial numbers are not useful in identifying a set.

As far as any polish, I would avoid anything with silicone in it. Pledge, etc. Reason is, if it ever needs to be touched up or a section refinished, the silicone can cause issues with the new finish.
If it is not dirty, I would apply a coat of paste wax, like Johnson's, etc.

You say that it has been in your grandmothers house for years, and now have powered it up. Even though it 'works' you may be on borrowed time. Assuming the set has it's original parts, capacitors are over 80 years old and can fail at any time. Failure of the main ones can take out an expensive part like a transformer or speaker.

I would suggest that you don't power it up again until someone can make an inspection of the set, and at least replace the filter capacitors. Those are the parts that smooth out the electricity that is sent to the rest of the set. If they fail, you can damage parts in a hurry, and in a worst case scenario, cause a fire. It's cheap insurance to replace those parts, and you will have a safe and reliable set for many more years.

You may not understand all of this page, but you will get an idea.

http://www.philcoradio.com/tech/plugin.htm

As for "value" I will let someone else suggest a ballpark figure for the set. Price guides are just that, a guide. Some are way off in the figures, and don't reflect the actual prices the same exact set is being sold for. Some sellers will see a "similar" set with a $500 asking price, so they automatically think their set is worth the same. Or, think old=$$$. Not always the case.
You can check Ebay for completed sales on the same set. Never go by asking price.

I would say that a general overall appraiser would not be clued in to what radios are going for. The guys here will let you know a better figure.
Lastly, I don't know if you are deciding to sell it or hang onto it.. Personally, if it was Grandma's set, I'd hang onto it, get it serviced, and enjoy a family heirloom. That would be worth more than the dollars you would get for it. And I'd almost guarantee you would want it back after you sold it

Will check back for photos.

You may be shocked at what early consoles will bring. Except for a few high end sets these usually go for less than $100. I paid $10 for my 77. If it were a piece of my family history I wouldn't sell for $500.

Thanks for the posts guys.

First let me say that I feel like a moron for powering up the console. I read the link on another post while I was waiting for my initial post to be approved. I won't make that mistake again. I have been on my rotation and any of you that know how nursing rounds work will know that my time the last few days has been limited to the hospital and sleep. After today I will post some photos. Let me also say that I have no plans to sell the lowboy. It wasn't my grandma's but my grandfathers and he is a veteran that died in the 80s and I have very little to remember him. This will be a perfect keepsake.

Also, I'm not so sure now that the radio is a 77. When I can get some photos put up here I look forward to the in flow of info. This is a great little sub community and after reading many of the posts in the phorum I wish that every facet of collector items had such a following. Thank you for the honesty and information. Give me one more 12 hour shift and I promise I will give you some photos to critique. Any certain angles I should take or areas that need special attention when I take the photos?

Thanks

DubVNurse - Go Mountaineers

Hi DubVNurse, and welcome.

May I suggest that, when you take photos, that you include at least one of the back of the radio, showing the tubes?

Also, please read the following before posting photos here - this link will give you complete instructions on adding photos to your posts.

http://www.philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=29
http://www.philcoradio.com/phorum/showth...p?tid=4371

Dub, Check the pics on my thread to see if yours is the same.

http://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=2749