[morzh]

Someone (who I bought a radio from before) offered me to buy directly a Clarion AC-51 radio, a console, in a decent enough condition (cabinet and chassis).
It is a beautiful radio (a guy sent me some photos).

But the radio is not awfully abundant around, so I cannot size up the price by comparison.

Any opinions what a console (it is presumed it will need a restoration; on the photos the tubes are glowing so the power must be OK) like this should be worth?

[murf]

I sold one of these last fall minus the tubes for $45.00.
Cabinet was nice,chassis needed some work.
murf

[morzh]

I can tell you how much the guy wants for it (it's on e-bay). More than 10 times that.

[TA Forbes]

It's not worth 400.00. It's in nice shape, maybeuncommon, but it's not worth that.

[TA Forbes]

I noted that he had a reserve on it. Now that it has ended, do you know what the reserve was.

Also noted that in a previous listing his buy it now was 800.00. His sense of value for this set is greatly exaggerated.

[murf]

It's not worth 400.00. It's in nice shape, maybeuncommon, but it's not worth that.

WHen I bought mine,I paid $15.00 for it.
Had no tubes and needed work on the power supply end of it.
Had a short somewhere in the B+.
Lots of rotten wires too.
murf

[TA Forbes]

Hello, Murf: did you ever get it working?

[morzh]

Well.....I'd say a radio like this one in a really nice condition could possibly be close to 200 bucks.

I bought a radio of him once; my next project; I saw the bids (enough of them) climb to 280, and the reserve was not met. When the radio did not sell, I asked him, and he said it was 350 (I gave him 300, judging by the bid history and my unwillingness to search flea markets for lower prices myself). Also he lived close to where I worked, a 20-minute drive, so I could pick it up (shipping a radio like this could cost a lot).

So, this time I suspect his reserve is even more.
I don't think is worth that much though.

SO far I did not ask him what his reserve was.

[murf]

Hello, Murf: did you ever get it working?

Nope,
Sold it to a guy for $45.
Did not want to spend alot of time on it.

[Arran]

This is someone who quite clearly has a delusional sense of value to say the least, maybe he's related to the weirdo in Whitby, Ontario? Clarion was a brand name for radios manufactured by the America Transformer Company or Amertran. I haven't heard or read anything bad about them but there isn't really anything unique or special about Clarion sets, they are just your typical 1929 to 32 TRF set with your typical string of 2.5 volt AC tubes, like a hundred other sets of the same era. On top of that they are a bit of an off brand so nobody is really seeking them out like a Zenith, or an Atwater Kent, or a Philco of course.
Typical TRF late 20s early 30s consoles don't usually crack the $125 mark in good original condition, and a lot less then that if they need cabinet work or have parts missing. The reason being is that they are all pretty similar, similar circuitry, similar cabinet styles, without reading the name on the escutcheon it's hard to tell them apart sometimes. I have a few myself and I doubt whether I paid more then $75 for any of them.
Regards
Arran

[morzh]

Thanks guys, at least I have an idea. I kind of was puzzled with the asking price, but did not know the real market value.