Lucky you Kevin! The 'big screen'B&W tv's are impossible to find. My family had a 23" Admiral that I would love to have. It had a really decent picture,as I recall.<BR>Early Trinitrons, especially the small ones, will be collectible (already are). The last round screen Zenith color TV's had some of the best pictures I've seen, but they're all but gone. I could go on, but it's Friday afternoon and I need to see if that dratted Sony will work.<P>------------------<BR>We improve things by making them worse...

I avoid the word ANTIQUE, I prefer VINTAGE....<BR>Dan<P>------------------<BR>

I hate to resort to this but maybe it will help..<P>From <A HREF="http://www.m-w.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.m-w.com</A> <P>Main Entry: an·tique<BR>Pronunciation: an-'tEk<BR>Function: noun<BR>1 : a relic or object of ancient times<BR>2a : a work of art, piece of furniture, or decorative object made at an<BR> earlier period and according to various customs laws at least 100 years ago<BR> b : a manufactured product (as an automobile) from an earlier period<P><BR>Main Entry: vin·tage<BR>Pronunciation: 'vin-tij<BR>Function: noun<BR>1a (1) : a season's yield of grapes or wine from a vineyard<BR> (2) : WINE; especially : a usually superior wine all or most of which<BR> comes from a single year b : a collection of contemporaneous<BR> and similar persons or things : CROP<BR>2 : the act or time of harvesting grapes or making wine<BR>3a : a period of origin or manufacture <a piano of 1845 vintage><BR> b : length of existence : AGE<P><BR>I think "antique" is more accurate except for<BR>the 100 years part.<P>------------------<BR>

Pete, let me split a hair also:<P>An "Antique Store" is an old store.<P>An "Antiques Store" is a store that sells antiques. <P>We have a store near us called "The Antique Depot." My kids and I always say we're going to The Old Depot.<P>Reece <P>------------------<BR>

Soon all analog TV's will be called "Antique Televisions", with the latest news about analog televisions being push out for the new digital sets. The way I feel is this-- if it is made-in-American before the invasion of cheap Made-in-China Sets took over: it is worth saving. When dealing with electronics, any thing made before 1999 would be called antique by people born in the year 2000. I collect Televisions from 1950's to 1989. I have two really nice RCA's from 1952. But my 1989 Zenith Oak Console make in Glenview IL is just as much a part of our television history as well. Also my 1982 Sylvania Oak Console made in the Three Rivers Plant in TN has a place in the history books. I feel my 1970 Curtis Mathes tells the story of Athens Texas and my 1972 Space age Zenith has the-Moon-Walks all over it. If it is a part of American History it needs to be saved and is a Antique Electronic. The wonderful old {8 Track Players} are no longer made, I feel most people think of them as Antique Electronics also. Remember the time it was made and by whom. Save it from the land-field or the dump! The last televisions to come out of a American Factory have a story to tell just as much as the first ones. We are such a throw-away-society that we need to save what we can now before it is all gone! The Television Consoles made in the United States from the 1950's to the 1980's were beautiful functional furniture; many were made of solid Oak, Walnut, Maple, and Cherry. What do you call the wonderful old Console Stereos from the 1950's, 60's and 70's? To me these old turntables are beautiful functional Antiques! Many new collectors are not able to find the golden sets from the 1940's and early 1950's. The new collectors can be a part of the party and collect the TV Consoles from the 60's 70's and 80's. Space-Comand {Chromacolor-System 1,2,and 3} from Zenith are just as fun as a Philco Predicta: and a lot cheaper and easier to find for the new kids on the block. Lets keep the doors open and not shut them on the next generation of collectors. If it was made-in-American, back in the good-old-days, collect it, 1940's thru 1980's.<BR> Most people I run into call my 1988 Lincoln Town Car a "Antique", and when I try to get parts for her I see why. If you have to hunt on ebay for parts for your TV. Or people look at you like "what is that" when they come into your home and see a old television from the 1960's or 70's in your den: then it is a "Antique" in my book.<P>See you in the 60's Glenn.<P>------------------<BR>

We can't say ANTIQUE, because they aren't yet 100 years old, now I find out that Vintage just denotes the year of manufacture, That puts our T.V.'s into the plain category of OLD. I think we should have stopped at vintage, and been oblivious to our ignorance of it's meaning. <BR>Would anyone like to see pictures of my "OLD T.V."?<BR>I don't think so, My "OLD LADY", that's another story....<BR>Dan<P>------------------<BR>

Some of the antiques purists say "100 years". What's so magical about the number 100 I have no idea. That means, to them the first Model T would not even be an antique yet.<P>In most states, a car can be registered as an "antique vehicle" if it's 20 or 25 years old. I can't think of a late 1970s/early 1980s car that will ever be a true classic, except for maybe the Corvettes (and they made too many of them - I see a Stingray on the road every couple of days). But, just today I saw a rusted out early 1980s Ford pickup truck bearing Virginia "Antique Vehicle" plates. If the state of Virginia declares it an antique, then I guess it's not my place to argue it.<P>I have no problem calling old radios or tvs "antique" though. <P><BR>------------------<BR>Tom

The way I feel if it was made in America, and you can find it in garage sells and thrift stores, and you cannot order parts for it any more, then it is a Antique television.<P>See you in the 60's Glenn.<P>------------------<BR>

I buy Junk<P>I sell Antiques <IMG SRC="http://antiqueradios.com/forums/smile.gif"><P>Jim<P>------------------<BR>

I think it would be a mistake to place limits on what sorts of television sets may be discussed on this forum. Such action is certainly not needed for any practical reason, given the slow thread turn-over in comparison to the main forum or Clubhouse. The rarest and most desirable set in my collection is of much later manufacture than most of the others: a Panasonic TR-001, introduced in 1969—the very first pocket-sized television set. I should think that sets of this kind would be legitimate topics of discussion on an “Antique Television” forum. Perhaps what is needed is a change of the title to “Vintage Television Discussions”, for as pointed out above, it is rather silly to call any television set an “antique”.<P>--Philip Colston<BR><P>------------------<BR>Nikola Tesla Is The True Father Of Radio.

hello Mr. Detrola:<BR>I agree on you with those GE Portacolor does not even qualify as a TV, let alone a collectible. ya we had keep stock since we were a Ge warrenty center for years those things couse Ge a lot greef like the vaga did for Gm There both were garbage well I think Antique tv's should be new then the to late 60s at best anything newer then that is just old the oldest tv I have is 1949 Rca and 1950's Ge console I also have Sony from early 60s and a sont from the 70s and one from 80s a Watchman I call it my rainman tv since it is the same make and model in that movie .<BR>the ones I did not like work or were the half tube half transistor sets because the transistors could not handel the heat from the tubes thats no no in my book .<BR>Radio Rich<BR><P>------------------<BR>

Well, since I started this topic, I would like to summarize what I have learned:<P>1. Some people would like to include any discussion of television, even plasma sets, in this forum because there is not all that much activity here anyway. (this is a good point, but my search for a concensus was not just for this forum, but for ebay, etc.)<P>2. Some people think that vacuum tube technology marks the turning point to modern technology and, therefore, anything with vacuum tubes is antique. (at least this view has some precision to it).<P>3. Some people misunderstand the dictionary meaning of antique (as applied to manufactured goods) which is: "from an earlier period". This is vague and allows us to define when the "earlier period" ends.<P>4. Some people think that giving a more exact meaning to antique would limit our discourse and would prefer "classic", "vintage", "old-time" or other terminolgy - terms which are not defined either.<P>5. Some people think that the rareity (or value) rather than the age should determine the status. Others have mentioned the difficulties with spare parts as a factor.<P>So, I think most people agree that this forum should not be restricted by some definition - at least at this time. Here is my suggestion: Sets built on or before 1950 (color before 1955) are antique. The other old sets can be "vintage". After all, words are supposed to mean something, and who better than us to decide what they mean when it comes to television.<BR>--------<BR>Ron<P>------------------<BR>

Pete, your info from Webster's seems to capture things for "antique" TVs. The 3rd definition describes "antique" to be "a manufactured item from an earlier period," a category that 99.9% of the TVs being discussed here would fall into. Heck, this whole forum's name is incorrect if a radio needs to be 100 years old to qualify. Is there even such a thing as a 100 year old radio yet? What about computers? If you just measure capability of a modern computer compared to the Eniac, how can you consider an early computer not antiquated? We have to wait another 40 or so years before we can call any computer an antique? A computer from 1950 is infinitely more technologically antique than is a TV from 1950 compared to a TV from today, yet it wouldn't qualify under the 100-year rule. In technological terms, computers from the 80's are more qualified to be considered antiques than 40's and 50's TVs are. And there are people out there collecting old Commodores, early Apples and other such 80's systems. Maybe we need to consider the term "relic" or "collectible" as more appropriate. <P>Tahoe TV used the term "classic" which has become the adjective of choice among car collectors. Considering a lot of TV collectors watch "classic" TV shows on DVD when they play their sets, then maybe "classic" is a term to be considered, but IMHO if Webster's definition #3 of "antique" applies, why stop using it?<P>------------------<BR>