I just managed to check my e-mails in time last week to find out about a large auction that took place last weekend in the Blue Mountains village of Warrimoo. The auction took place over both the Saturday and Sunday and comprised more than 500 lots, including radios from all decades plus a fairly large amount of test equipment.

I won six lots including:-

1. A grey Kelvinator 64-K52 five valve mantel radio from 1958.
2. A black AWA R48 Radiola four valve mantel radio from 1938.
3. A brown Healing 300E three valve mantel radio from 1940.
4. A timber Radio Corporation of NZ model 94 five valve table radio from 1939.
5. A timber Airzone 1062A six valve table radio from 1940.
6. A timber General Electric five valve console radio from 1934.

The Kelvinator came very cheap and whilst it isn't what I'd refer to as a very collectable radio, I bid on it because one of these radios was the first radio I ever purchased back in 1988 when I decided to start collecting. The original one was just the chassis, but in working order and cost me $3.00. This one would set me back $20.00 and I was the only bidder.

I had to fight a bit harder for the R48, which I mistakenly believed to be an R31 Radiolette, and not beliving there was an R48 in black, but I am told they were available in black but are quite rare, and it does have the Radiola badge and the deep R48 chassis with only four valves. Unfortunately this set doesn't have a loudspeaker but these aren't hard to find and the lack of a loudspeaker was disclosed at the auction.

The Healing midget is an interesting one. It's a three valve TRF rather than the more commonplace four valve superheterodyne and I do have one more of these, but in a different coloured cabinet. I still need that elusive red cabinet to complete the entire collection of available colours.

The three timber radios just appealed to me because they are big and made of timber. They'll display quite well once they are cleaned up. In time, the Airzone cabinet will need restoration but that isn't a priority for now.

Two of the radios are badge-engineered. The Kelvinator is a HMV Little Nipper 64-52 under the skin and the GE console is an AWA Radiolette R47. The cabinet has a few styling tweaks but it is almost identical to the R47.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Nice haul which will keep you busy.

I have to admit that I am not as prepared for that as I'd like to be but over the next few months there will be a bit of activity.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

The Kelvinator is a badge engineered HMV and even looks like one. Fixed & refurbished quite a few of the HMV branded ones, these were very reliable & I still have one.

I just need a set of grey knobs for it. The AWA Champion ones don't look that great on it.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

The cyan-coloured radio looks familiar, I may have one or two of them, but in other colours and with HMV name.

The rest are all new to me.

Have fun getting them going.

A timber General Electric five valve console radio from 1934

I was kind of surprised with that purchase, as I seem to recall your disposing of a bunch of consoles some years ago owing to lack of space.

Did you attend both days? If so, did you per chance track the prices and have an idea of the total sum raised from that large collection of stuff?

Living arrangements in the last six or seven years have changed a little but like most people, space for big things is still at a premium. The consoles I either gave away or wrecked for parts were no name ones. The ones with brand names I still have or managed to sell for some money.

I only went on Saturday. Most of the radios did find new homes but most of the test equipment was passed in. I even forgot to take a pen, so I had to rely on memory and trust placed in the person scribing the auction results to tally what I owed at settlement time, though it was accurate, but without a way of recording the results of the lots I didn't bid on I couldn't predict the sales total with any precision. I'm guessing maybe $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 which isn't bad in this climate. My six cost me $705.00, with about 60% of that going on the R48.

Those AWA/GE consoles used to command quite a sum but I think I got that one for abour $140.00.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Depending on which series the Kelvinator is based on? Beware of the RF screen resistor.

Early it was two 22K resistors in parallel. Somehow it became 10K. If its 1Watt and the tubes are running flat out; screen current exceeds one watt and it cooks.

most of the test equipment was passed in

Not surprising. That stuff is well and truly in the boat anchor category these days.

Those AWA/GE consoles used to command quite a sum

For some years, any consoles -- even those which have been meticulously restored -- have been hard/impossible to sell at HRSA Sydney auctions.

I wouldn't mind picking up the big AWA one in this quarter's Radio Waves. 12 valves including the magic eye and electrically assisted tuning. It'd be up there with the huge radiogram I have, also by AWA, with 10 valves, including the eye.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Fun is: Two American "Midwest's" (110V) one hacked and with 16tubes the other 18 with a push pull driving a four, tube push pull. And to add to the excitement. "Micamold (tm)" capacitors, some looking like Mica, but not and other Micamold stuff well past its use by date. Plus a capacitor count alone, above sixty. Some parts inside IF cans.