That photo of the open bottom is from one of my sets - not the one in the listing. Sorry for the confusion.

I believe the 0.03 MFD HV caps on the top of the chassis were only in the very earliest sets and fairly rare. I know the one I have has a tube lineup and circuit configuration not described in any service info including Riders vol #1.

The faux finish on the front looks to be in good condition. The rest of the cabinet is real veneer and fairly easy to restore.

I suppose the value would be in how much of a premium there is to having a very early example of this set.

Be careful not to get the wood too wet. The glue used in these cabinets will also dissolve in water!

Just wanted to mention that although I have commented negativly on this set, it was meant to be a helpful assessment of it. If you feel you really like it and can repair it correctly, then go for it. Many times, more than I'd like to remember, I have paid on the high end for an item I just had to have. The satisfaction was worth it. It's not always about value sometimes.
Joe

Bob Anderson over on Videokarma has one of the early sets with the 6kv cap on top, as well as a few other deviations from the later production models.

We estimated based on the serial number (2425) and production numbers that it must have rolled of the line sometime in the first two weeks of production. That assumes of course a relatively linear production curve.

http://videokarma.org/showthread.php?t= ... t=motorola

That's what caught my eye about that one on ebay, it looks similar to my early set inside. Not that I think it's worth what their asking, but perhaps more than the typical VT71 in spite of the cabinet condition.