Bush VHF62, unrestored...

[Nick]

Found one of these in the workshop loft, unrestored in decent nick - looks complete. Not tried powering it up...

Was going to flog it at a boot fair tomorrow - has it any value? It's not really our sort of thing - we're more "Bakelite" than "Half-Timbered"...

EDIT: Its got an EM81 in it... Not checked it, but could do so...

   

   

[boater sam]

Looks to be a nice example externally at least. I collect Bush sets and this is one of the better looking ones, the bakelit ones can look a bit austere .
Its a light colour wood too which is less common.
The Magic Eye will most likely be poor, and there are loads of rotted Hunts buried in amongst the wiring that will need to be changed. Some of the wiring will be beyond safe use and the ECC88 FM valve has usually given up.
I find that restoring one of these costs around £26 to £45 depending on the magic eye's condition.
I have bought them for between £12 and £24 and have usually been lucky with the condition. The exception was one that had every fault I had ever seen on these all in one set. But with a good cabinet it had to be restored, despite the hateful oscillator coil being rotted and needing rewinding. Took a ridiculous amount of time and money to finish, much more than it will ever be worth.
I don't know where you are but if you are somewhere near or not too far from Middlewich I'll make you a good offer, they don't travel well by courier!

[Yorkie]

Looks in good shape Nick - cabinet, dial, speaker fabric, push buttons, clean chassis, full compliment of valves etc, and they do generally command a good price due to the added feature of VHF of course. To all accounts they seem to be well regarded. Certainly worth more than you'd get at a boot fair - I'd have thought £20+ a fair price, assuming that it has a back, which you've simply removed to photograph the innards.

[Bushbaby]

Lovely radios - I have two of them.
The interesting point with radios like this as the EL84 audio output valve especially if its a 50's Mullard will be worth far more than the radio is. I'm always torn between using these in my guitar valve amps or keeping them in the radio (sacrilege I can hear you say!)

Regards

Rob

[Nick]

It's a well-used Brimar

The EM81 is a Mullard and looks pretty good. I'll test it tomorrow...

[Nowhere-Man]

Looks to be a nice example externally at least. I collect Bush sets and this is one of the better looking ones, the bakelit ones can look a bit austere .
Its a light colour wood too which is less common.
The Magic Eye will most likely be poor, and there are loads of rotted Hunts buried in amongst the wiring that will need to be changed. Some of the wiring will be beyond safe use and the ECC88 FM valve has usually given up.
I find that restoring one of these costs around £26 to £45 depending on the magic eye's condition.
I have bought them for between £12 and £24 and have usually been lucky with the condition. The exception was one that had every fault I had ever seen on these all in one set. But with a good cabinet it had to be restored, despite the hateful oscillator coil being rotted and needing rewinding. Took a ridiculous amount of time and money to finish, much more than it will ever be worth.
I don't know where you are but if you are somewhere near or not too far from Middlewich I'll make you a good offer, they don't travel well by courier!

I think the value should always reflect the work done to it. If you've done the thorough restoration job you describe on a set such as this, then the sale value should definitely reflect all of that. I'm sure there are serious collectors who would pay quite generously for a vintage radio that's been well and truly serviced and restored.

I think my gran and granddad had one of these all their lives. He worked in a hotel before he died but they kept this radio next to the TV set and I recall it very well. Never gave them any trouble at the time.

[Radio Fixer]

Many restored radios fetch less than ones that haven't been (recently) touched. For most of us the fun, and the hobby, is in doing the repair or restoration (whatever the standard you work to). I know that radios get advertised as "working" when actually they should say "fully repaired" etc to get around this. Not that I would ever do this myself.

Gary

[Refugee]

I have a feeling that there are more people out there restoring than there are listeners. The prices show it.

[Radio Fixer]

Very wry comment Refugee and spot on.

I do try to play mine but some haven't been played for years ... Too much TV !

Gary

[Refugee]

The program content of TV tends to make the difference in entertainment back verses screen of TV even greater than radio.
I stick to restoring well built items including test equipment.