Which transistor radios are collectible?
Different collectors have their own favorite time periods specialties, but generally, collectible transistor radios were made between 1954 and 1969, or perhaps the early seventies. As we age, the timeline will creep up, and there will probably be folks collecting childhood radios from the eighties.
How can I quickly spot collectible radios?
Besides getting a collectors book or two and learning what to look for, a quick tip is to look for Conelrad or “CD markings on AM radio dials at 640 and 1240 on nearly all collectible portables. Conelrad was the abbreviation for the CONtrol of ELectronic RADiation system established by President Truman in 1951.
Not every set from the period had CD marks, but most did. Here’s a place to learn more about Conelrad.
What's my radio worth?
It’s worth what someone is willing to pay at the moment it goes up for sale. As flippant as that sounds, it is true. Recently someone bid nearly $4,000 for a Regency TR-1, (one of the first transistor radios ever made). The same week another TR-1 sold for about $200. The difference? The $4,000 one was a really rare color (translucent lavender pink), and the other a more common black set.
But it is more than that A few folks REALLY wanted the pink one. The best way to tell what a radio is worth is to watch eBay for similar items, (same condition, color, completeness, etc.). Check the completed listings, and be sure someone actually bid. Posting a starting bid of $300 for a radio is one thing. Getting someone to bid (and pay) is another.
If you are the buyer, pay what it is worth to you. Collect what you enjoy!
Do they still work?
Many radios from the 50s and 60s still play as beautifully as they did nearly 50 years ago!
But time is taking its toll on collectible radios. Electrolytic capacitors are the weak links in most old transistor sets. Over the years they dry up, causing radios to play weakly, distort, or quit altogether. Old electrolytics can also severely reduce battery life. I sell kits containing all the components and information you will need to replace the electrolytics in a specific radio model or chassis. In the process you’ll get to peek inside your radio, and learn a little more about it.
Other things fail, of course, from dirty volume controls that cause “scratch” sounds, corroded contacts, broken wires, and even the occasional but rare dead transistor. But realize that some collectors like to purchase “unmodified” sets, so replacing parts might devalue sets in their eyes.
