02-23-2015, 12:28 AM
I just got into tube radios, and bought my first Hippo this weekend.
Even as a newbie to the hobby, I recognized that as an iconic brand, and when I saw the urethaned one selling for over $400, I thought I hit paydirt! I still think I got a good deal but I've seen wildly varying prices on completed listings on eBay, from too high for a broken set, to too little for a recapped and clean one!
Of course, a trip through antique stores tells you how out of touch sellers are with their tube radios. People think that if it has tubes, it must be worth a fortune. I mean 60's plastic (broken) 5 tubers with printed circuit boards and they're asking hundreds of dollars for 'em!
Anyway, my idea was to recap the Hippo and sell it on for a nice profit. I'll still ask an ourageous price, but only because I really want to keep it, and that's what it'll take to pry it out of my hands.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. I can't afford, nor do I have the space or skills to deal with the really cool wood consoles out there, so I'll just be over here with the small tabletops.
Even as a newbie to the hobby, I recognized that as an iconic brand, and when I saw the urethaned one selling for over $400, I thought I hit paydirt! I still think I got a good deal but I've seen wildly varying prices on completed listings on eBay, from too high for a broken set, to too little for a recapped and clean one!
Of course, a trip through antique stores tells you how out of touch sellers are with their tube radios. People think that if it has tubes, it must be worth a fortune. I mean 60's plastic (broken) 5 tubers with printed circuit boards and they're asking hundreds of dollars for 'em!
Anyway, my idea was to recap the Hippo and sell it on for a nice profit. I'll still ask an ourageous price, but only because I really want to keep it, and that's what it'll take to pry it out of my hands.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. I can't afford, nor do I have the space or skills to deal with the really cool wood consoles out there, so I'll just be over here with the small tabletops.