Estes Auction
Seville, Ohio - April 26, 2003

Reported by Ray Chase

WEB EDITION

The April 26 Estes Auction was held at the Expo Auction Center in Burbank, Ohio, just a few miles from the Estes Barn in Seville. As usual there was a good assortment of early battery sets, 1930s table models, consoles, ham gear and many tube lots. Added attractions were many home-brew sets that were not old but exhibited excellent workmanship. Many of these were from John Haught of western Pennsylvania and were made from plans or ideas noted in Ham and Electronics publications. It was a pleasure to see such attention to detail and display of craftsmanship. There also was a large collection of novelty radios and crystal sets.

The most interesting piece offered was a Western Electric CGR-1-A superhet, made for the Coast Guard, that covered 1.5 to 3.0 Mhz and used eight of the 215A "peanut" tubes. It was very heavy due to a nearly 1/4-inch thick steel front panel. I had never seen this set before, but, unfortunately, the front panel was quite corroded, although the rest of the set was in reasonably good shape. It sold for $1,400.

The auction lasted all day, from 10:00 a.m. to past 5:00 p.m. to handle the approximately 700 lots. A couple of dozen boxes of knobs, meters, parts, and wire, selling from $5 to $130 each, are not included below. Total sales were in the area of $45,000. There was a 5 percent buyer's premium at this site which is not included in the prices listed below. Please see the print version of A.R.C. for a complete listing of the items auctioned.

A sampling of battery radios and horn speakers offered in this auction.

An Atwater Kent Model 47 and a non-original metal stand together sold for $75; in front, a Model 35, without tubes, and a Model 56 metal console sold for $55 and $40 respectively.

A warning: Auction prices are not current values. Our selection of auction items is not necessarily complete. A listing such as this cannot adequately include the condition of cabinets, chassis, transformers, tubes, the operating status of the set, and the inclusion of incorrect, restored or replica components, etc. Auction prices are the result of the excitement of the auction process, the skill of the auctioneer and the specific interests of the participants. Nevertheless, auction prices serve as useful references and as another element in the value determining process. The possibility of error always exists, and if we are notified, corrections will be reported.

A Hallicrafters and a National NC-183 -- two nice examples of Ham gear.

(Ray Chase, 1350 Marlborough Ave., Plainfield, NJ 07060; Estes Auctions, 7404 Ryan Rd., Medina, OH 44256; (330) 469-4002; estesauctions@aol.com)