I've noticed that too, Tandems always go for heaps
I'll have to spend a fortune by the time I have one freighted to Australia. One of the most difficult things is to actually get a seller to agree to ship it. Unfortunately people will bid on these TVs and then cry about paying a lot for shipping. When I bought my Holiday with the roll away stand, it had been listed 3 times due to bidders being shocked at the freight price. The first thing I did when I won the auction was to contact the seller and say I knew it'd be expensive and just go ahead and pack it. Of course putting my money where my mouth was really helped!
I never knew about the stereo version of this set, thanks very much for the info. I wondered why the cabinet looked different to the regular version that most people are selling/restoring. I've seen a pic that showed a plug in speaker, it looks as though it plugs into the CRT case near the round collar. I just assumed that it was so that the sound and picture would come from the same place. It would be strange to have sound coming from nearby, but the picture on the other side of the room.
I like the idea of the "better" version, but I definitely prefer the looks of the orginal. Strangely enough, its the curved legs that I like the most.
Just my 2 cents!