[radiotvnut]

You know the type I'm talking about. The ones with a radio on one side and a record player on the other. Some had a tilt-out radio and others simply had a door that opened up to reveal the radio chassis. Some had 78 rpm-only record changers and the newer ones had 2/3 speed changers. Some models had AM only, while others were AM/FM and sometimes had SW bands.

A few months ago, I saw a Stewart-Warner model from around '47 at one of the flea markets for $90.

A few weeks ago, I saw an early/mid '50's Zenith AM/FM/multi-speed cobra-matic record player console at another place; but, they wanted $200 for it. I talked to the guy selling it and he wanted to know what I thought it was worth. I told him it MIGHT bring $50 if the right person comes along; but, there was not a lot of demand for them. I think he would have almost given me the thing had it been up to him; but, he said it belonged to his wife and that he would catch hell if he sold it for $50. I happen to know his wife and she's the type who thinks everything is worth a fortune.

At another place, there was a little newer Silvertone blonde console that was an upright model with an AM radio and a drawer below the radio dial that contained the record changer. They wanted $75 for that one; but, it was gone the next time I went in. I don't know if it was bought or if the owner took it somewhere else.

This morning, I looked at an early '50's Silvertone console that had three SW bands as well as the standard AM band plus an early 900 series 3-speed VM changer. At first glance, the cabinet looked decent and I could have gotten it for $30; but, upon closer inspection, I found that the veneer was chipped and lifting up along the bottom of the cabinet, likely from the radio sitting in a damp location. So, I passed on it. I explained to the owner that there is really not much demand for these and that since they took up so much space, that not many people wanted them.

What do you do when you see these types of consoles? Do you actively collect them or do you leave them where you found them? Personally, I like those types of consoles; but, space limits how many I can own. And, many of the ones I find have cabinet damage that makes me run the other way. If I could find more of them that had been sitting in a clean, dry place their entire life, I would come closer to buying them; but, most of what I find around here has either been sitting in a barn or basement for decades and the condition shows this. When I find one that looks nice, the owners usually want at least $100 for them.