Vacuum Tubes

Hey, everyone.



I've been thinking seriously about opening a buyer account with SMF for the expressed purpose of purchasing old vacuum tubes. I think I have a steady market in place and most of the equipment I'd need to test them. From the dismantlers out there, do you think you run across enough old e-waste items that such a buyer would be a valuable addition to your shipping roster? Or is it too obscure? Does everyone who needs one have a tube buyer, already?

Also, I don't mean to "advertise," if that's what it seems like I am doing (to be clear, I'm not buying anything, yet). I'm just trying to get a feel for it.

Thanks!

Been there done that always hoping to find a tube worth thousands but never did.

I once did find some WWI tubes that were huge but had spent years in the open weather and you could not remove a tube from its socket intact. The cement that held the glass to the bass had deteriorated to the point it no longer held.

That was as close I ever got to what could be considered rare tubes.

However I did once sell some WWII radios and other related gear for a small fortune on ebay.One part in particular I remember was called a dog bone,it went to a fellow in Brazil I do not remember how much it sold for other than the item sticks in memory so it must have been outrageous.

I have found a few in the past and then sell them in a small box at our yard sale. I will save them if and when I do find them. So yes a buyer on here could be a help.

I think that it would be a good addition. I have considered buying a tester because I know there is good money in some of them, but it is hard to justify that purchase not knowing if I will ever get more. I currently have one of those RCA repairman cases full of what I believe to be new tubes. I can't really ebay them without knowing if they are any good though.

If you do buy them we will need to add it to the bucket list! https://www.scrapmetalforum.com/day-...cket-list.html

Breakage- I'm actually glad I saw your post. I'm sure most people who process E-waste have come across at least a few vacuum tubes. I know right now I have about 8-10 in a ziplock bag down in my shop. If you were to start buying them, then I can tell you I would certainly sell mine, and the once's I come across without a question. I'm sure there are others who feel the same.

I would be all for this. I get/buy tube radios all the time and just recently purchased a vintage repairman's case with 200+ new tubes. Just need the time to test them all. Testers are always worth the investment.

Thank you all for the excellent feedback.

Hipo, one thing that will help you know if a tester is worth purchasing, right now, is if you can identify your tubes as television components. TV tubes are usually short, wide, and have 7-12 pins mounted right through the glass. Even if they are good, they really don't hold much value unless you can sub them out in audio units. You could probably throw them on Etsy as "steampunk lot" and get a decent price, though. I saw a project where someone mounted tiny LED's to the bottom and made a very retro-looking nightlights.

Faceball, which tester do you use? I've thinking about upgrading my unit but it does the job, in a rudimentary sense. The most discerning tube collectors want percentages.

I remember seeing a lot of old Executone paging amplifiers back in the 80's that had vacuum tubes. Sometimes I still see and old one hanging on the wall in an old telephone closet.

Breakage, Im the furthest from an expert on tubes. The tester I have is a Hickok model 600A. It was my grandfathers who was a major Ham back in the 40's and 50's. My dad got it and never used it and now I have it. I've played with it a little and have the basics down. The Tube repair-mans box I just got last summer on an estate sale. Thought I could turn a profit on it. I'm still debating on whether to sell tubes separate or just flip the whole thing. TBD.
Back to the OP question, I come across beat up radios all the time and sometimes random boxes of OEM tubes. It would be a nice to have an outlet for these little rare items.