Here are the results of the auction, go to the HRSA site and download the catalogue to view info and pictures.
I will give you the item number and the price it sold for.
1. $100
2. $580
3. $570
4. passed in
5. $520
6. $325
7. $475
8. $380
9. $325 dead valves
10. $400
11. $1050
12. missed price but will get it
13. $340
14. ? open circuit secondary coil
15. $2400 but sold to undisclosed outside buyer
16. $2050
17. $1100
18. $420
19. $200
20. $260
21. $290
22. $900
23. $110
24. passed in
25. $550
26. $500
27. $525
28. passed in
29. $120
30. $50
31. $275
32. passed in
33. $280
34. passed in
35. $290
36. $2600
37. $650
38. $230
39. $240
40. Did not turn up
41. $120
42. $450
43. $850
44. $1000
45. $950
46. passed in
47. passed in
48. $500 this I won.
49. $300
50. $3300 went to the Australian War Memorial
51. $160
52. $110
53. $140
54. $460
55. passed in
56. $400
57. $140
HRSA Radio Fest 2014
OK, I think I got these right, will try and fill in the two blanks tonight at the dinner.
Great attendance for the auction, looking forward to the sale tables tomorrow, Sunday.
Peter.

Canberra Times reported the auction with more enthusiasm than expertise.

Antique clock draws enthusiast to Canberra.

Note the headline describing the 1925 AWA Radiola as "antique clock"!! To be fair to the reporter, the headline would have been a sub-editor's contribution.

Later there is reference to the exhibition including "grammar phones" - a useful device not yet invented but sorely needed by the current generation.

The reporter is a keen youngster born after 1990.

The reporter is a keen youngster born after 1990

Yet another example of what happens when publishers retrench sub-editors.

I'm glad to see the auction went a lot better than last time.

It is unfortunate that journalists have lost the knack of doing a little research before putting pen to paper though. With the answer to every question being available at one's fingertips these days there's really no excuse for some of the mistakes that to appear in the papers. With media outlets running to very tight budgets these days there are no proof-readers as the bean counters remind us that the company is in business to provide shareholder value.

What about the poor bugger who coughs up his hard-earned to read gobbledygook though?

Remember the days before search engines and the Internet? We had to go to a library to fact-find and then use our brains. There weren't any spellcheckers on our notepads either.

...the headline would have been a sub-editor's contribution.

I'd say so. Stuart Littlemore would have a field day if he was still the host on Media Watch.

Fairfax outsourced its sub-editing function years ago. Since then there's barely a day when I don't spot a howler in the SMH. These days journalists are expected to spot their own errors. Proofreading your own work is akin to a lawyer having himself for a client.

I spent about an hour at the HRSA public exhibition/sale this morning. Some observations:

1. 2-300 antiques making a lot of noise - and a lot of old radios as well.

2. I suspect there may be a glut of fully-restored "collectable" items. Several green, white and mottled AWA skyscrapers offered for $12-18,000, but I didn't see any sales at that top end.

3. Lots of lesser-known oddities and mid-range restored items finding buyers around $150-500 range. A few happy wives pocketing the money.

4. Busy market in parts and spares, from speaker units down to individual $1 knobs, cat's whiskers and squares of speaker cloth.

5. About 10% of radios offered as fixer-uppers.

6. A good few vendors and attendees had come long distances. Some from lonely places where nobody wants to talk about vintage radio. Some conversations hard to end.

7. Fingers crossed for the raffle drawn 2pm today - three humdrum '50s brown bakelite mantels as prizes.

Maven

Since then there's barely a day when I don't spot a howler in the SMH.

I'm in much the same boat though News is just as culpable. I remember a time when kids (ie: our generations and prior) were forced to read newspapers as part of the English syllabus and at times we did this at home and were asked to stand in our places the next day and explain what we read and what the purpose of the article was. That couldn't take place these days because newspapers are more and more a source of errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and other oddities such as writing the date incorrectly. How are kids supposed to learn from that? They often also neglect to address people correctly. An article I read on a Fairfax website about six weeks ago had the columnist addressing the Governor-General as "Cosgrove" instead of "Sir Peter" - a classic and often repeated case of where the style manual gets thrown on a bonfire.

Anyway, I digress. I wish I could have been at the RadioFest sale this year and I've had plans for a long time to go. Unfortunately recent circumstances have made attending a problem and hope to make it up in subsequent years. The Radiolettes will have to be a little cheaper though. A jade green and marbled white models would be great but I can't see myself taking more than $30,000.00 in cash through the doors. That big bag full of 100s would be quite noticeable. They aren't worth that much anymore. $12,000.00 for one of each would be a more realistic sum even though there's a good chance the seller paid more than that.

Digression raises points on getting it right. Friday local paper: Article on Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) Photo: Native Miner (Manorina melanocephala)

By the tone of voice the front office was getting tired of copping the (well deserved) flack from their faux pas.

Marc

My eyes watered at some of the prices being asked for Bakelite sets. Are they really worth that much? There were plenty of books & bits and pieces at reasonable cost. I was looking for a VTVM just so I could have one on my bench, but nary one to be found. Anyone have a working VTVM for sale at a fair price?

I have already blasted those idiots at the Canberra Times, lazy incompetent reporting as usual. That is what you get for no editors or proof readers these days, not that it would have helped. The reporter only has to ASK someone for goodness sake. A real pity. Proof reading their work is fine as grammar and spelling goes, sometimes, but just incorrect info is unforgiveable.

You are right Brad, some over priced radios, a lot with repairs or repro parts, I am sure that green empire state had a repro case !! ?? Prices seemed high on some radios, if they are still there they were too high on the day. If they sold then someone had a wad of money.

I had a wonderful time and was made very welcome by all those who knew my late father Jim Lowe.
I stayed at University House at ANU, nice clean accommodation, great food and next door to all the action (Radios).
I will be at the next Radio Fest for sure, in Melbourne.

I scored some nice parts at very reasonable prices, I thought, a nice crystal set, a Stromberg-Carlson radio, knobs, caps, decals and speaker cloth, etc. I am only a low end collector $$ but I still enjoy what I buy and buy what I like. I did pay $500 for lot 48 at the Saturday auction, the most I have payed for any radio stuff, but I wanted it and I sold some obsolete stuff (to me) to earn the cash, I am happy.
For you guys who are not in the HRSA, why don't you join, fantastic magazine and a wonderful knowledge base of radio enthusiasts. Not putting down this forum of great guys also.

The workshop I went to was run by Mike Osborne on converting 1920's valves (01A & 112A) to electronic, this article will be in the next HRSA Radio Waves, very interesting.

I have added more photos to my link above.
Peter

I am sure that green empire state had a repro case !! ??

That raises another worthy topic for discussion. I've always held the view that if a replica item is of sufficient quality to pass off as being original it should have the word REPLICA moulded into it in an inconspicuous location so that fraud cannot be committed upon buyers who aren't in the know with such things.

There's a bloke in Queensland who makes Radiolette cabinets and flogs them on Ebay. He claims they are made of Bakelite but where would he get the equipment and the electricity to manufacture Bakelite correctly? It's hardly the case that he would have acquired AWA's pressing equipment. Additionally, he makes these things in colours that AWA did not make them in. I've no objection to these activities but it does raise questions about ethics as there are thousands of cases per annum where replica items (whether it be radios, motor cars, coins, banknotes, guns, etc) are passed off as original and are thus of significant historical value.

I can't see an easy way around this problem though.

REPLICA moulded into it in an inconspicuous location

Thought I agree I guess those that want to be unscrupulous will...still I am not against parts being made to restore but its a good point generally with radios

"Were do you draw the line of something being original or more replica then original"

Me at the moment having babies on if I fit some nice repo speaker cloth or leave the original in a plum
the case I am pretty sure was 100% original but the top vent cloth was baldy perished

I guess the only thing if your honest is a full disclosure on whats been changed replace and basically done to a radio.. a log book I suppose

Anyway just my thoughts on it

Humm yeah Bakelite is a bit of a process from what I read...so I can't see that being quite the truth...not quite sure even if you'd be allowed these days with some of whats in it...anyway I dont know on that but I am glad we do have some parts being replicated... to keep more original radios intact..

Cheers