[Dave]

I have to respectfully disagree with this definition of restoration. There are different degrees of restoration, and it all boils down to how far you want to go with it and how much of an investment you want to make.
1. The functional restoration - it works but retains the patina and character of many years of enjoyment.
2. The general restoration - it both functional and beautiful. It can be used as a daily driver & your spouse won't be ashamed to have it displayed in the living room.
3. The shelf queen - so much time and money invested in it that you keep it behind glass & don't let anyone touch it, much less listen to it.

For most of us the general restoration is the way to go. I'm not much of a fan of the shelf queen myself. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with it, to each his own. But if I were to spent that kind of time & money, I would be so afraid that it may get scratched that I couldn't enjoy using it. Another issue with the shelf queen is that many of them get restored beyond factory perfect. Meaning the finish and components are actually better than it was the day it rolled off of the assembly line. My final problem is selling price. Most people would never pay that much for a radio. It's just not worth several thousand dollars when you can find one that looks almost as good for much less. Speaking of costs, when sellers see someone selling a radio for an outrageous price, they think that their unrestored barn find must be worth a fortune too, which drives up the cost for the rest of us.
Let's face it, most people won't be able to tell the difference in sound quality and appearance between a general restoration and a shelf queen. Well that's just my 2 cents worth.
Dave