1958 GE Portable 17P1329

Thanks! The seller said it was on display at an antique store for several years and that people touching it and bumping it probably caused the paint wear on the outside. I haven't turned it on since I took the pictures.

I've been trying to decide what to do with it. I know it needs the caps replaced/restuffed and bypass the rectifiers. I'm sure that if I did, it would work beautifully for a good many years.

Yet, I'm still torn. Maybe this is sacrilege here, but I'm really leaning toward not doing a darn thing to it.

My reasoning is this: it's almost a piece of art, all original, still shiny inside, colorful wiring, not a speck of dirt or heat marks on the components. It probably looks like it did the day it left the factory, with the exception that some cadmium plated things turned yellow and there's some finger prints on the flyback cover. If I change anything, no matter how careful I am, it won't be original any more.

I certainly don't need another working tv for any practical reason. I really like these 50's portables and will someday have more of them that I'll restore. If nothing else, I figure keeping this original gives me a reference set that I can use for comparing. Sort of like having a 3-D Sams. Plus, someday somebody else can have the same excitement I had finding an all original tv from the 50's.

Well, that's my reasoning. Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe TV's are meant to be watched and not looked at. Maybe I'll change my mind someday. Who knows!