Wooton Basset - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Ian B · 14th Jan 2007, 9:45 pm

I returned today from WB with a car full (literally!) of prizes. The coming week will prove whether I bought well or not!
I must express my appreciation for all the hard work done by Mike Barker and team for all their hard work in making it such friendly and smooth running event, and in particular, thanks to Russ for helping me carry and load the big ones.

Thanks guys, well done.

Ian Blackbourn

Hybrid tellies · 14th Jan 2007, 10:09 pm

Like Ian I would just like to say what an enjoyable and interesting day I had at Wootten Bassett today, good social occasion and a fascinating auction. I could not believe some of those prices, especially for boxes of bits and pieces and valves.
I was very impressed with the organisation of the event by Mike Barker and his team.
I am now in the same club as Mike as today I became the proud owner of my first Murphy,the U472 for the princely sum of £2

Paul Stenning · 14th Jan 2007, 10:22 pm

I got back a couple of hours ago, thoroughly exhausted after portering for the second half of the auction and helping people retrieve and carry their winnings. It was an excellent day though. I caught up with a few forum members, but as I was "working" I didn't have much chance to chat.

My only grumble was the amount of chatter between people while Mike was trying to run the auction, particularly towards the end. I was at the back showing the lots with Jon, and had trouble hearing what Mike was saying at times. I think most of the people who wanted to bid were nearer the front however.

The prices were generally higher than in the auctions at swapmeets, however there was a lot of very nice sets in this auction. Many were restored or were in very good original condition. Some of the boxes of valves had more "interesting" tpes in them - the one that went for around £100 had about 8-10 new boxed EL34's and a couple of octal valve rectifiers for example.

I bought three items - a KB FB10 "Toaster", an Ultra set in turquoise and white (T401 I think) and some books.

I understand that this was the most successful BVWS auction to date, based on the total bid amount (this is not confirmed though).

wireful3 · 14th Jan 2007, 10:44 pm

I too would like to express my admiration for Mike and his team for a really well organised and enjoyable day.
I am interested in Pauls comment about the bidding, I also had the feeling that prices were more in keeping with a hobby for enthusiasts than those reported at some other auctions. Certainly there were no 30s woodies going for 50p just to get a spare mains transformer.
Maybe it is the W B atmosphere.

yestertech · 15th Jan 2007, 9:36 am

This was my first WB auction and I must commend Mike and the team for a very well run affair. The auction averaged about 90 lots per hour, which compares well with the "pros". The catering was also to a good standard and the prices extremely reasonable.
The same cannot be said, however, for the auction items. I was aghast at some of the ludicrous amounts being paid for ordinary items : £90 for a wooden pilot maestro ? £55 for a 1920's wooden frame aerial (in bits ! ) ? £90 for a tray of nondescript valves ? I departed prior to the end but I suspect the round EKCO's and the jellymould went for equally stratospheric prices !
I fear I won't be returning to WB in a hurry - I'm off to shop on E-Bay where, uncharacteristically, the prices seem a lot lower !! Andy

newlite4 · 15th Jan 2007, 10:37 am

I think that it is now safe to say that Wooton Bassett is no longer just a major regional event. It is now quite firmly a national even international event. It attracted major players and high bidders which is a testament to its great success.
I feel rather embarrased, however, that I did not successfully bid on anything

, there was just so much competition for the items that I was keen on. Values for items were very high, but this is certainly preferable to the situation that we had six months ago when typical values for a DAC90a had dropped to an all time low of £15.
I feel that yesterdays event was an extrremely good one for the society as a whole and raises its status even higher.
Best regards to all of the "staff" who worked so hard, have a good rest before the next one

.
Neil

GMB · 15th Jan 2007, 10:45 am

Yes, well done Mike and the team.

Someone suggested to me that the reason for the high prices was that there were a number of foreign dealers bidding. Is there any truth in that rumour? It was suggested that there is a shortage of old radios on the continent.

I agree with Paul about the chatter and I have a suggestion that might help....
Put an extension speaker in the room at the side of the hall.
This would provide somewhere to go and talk while waiting for one's lot to come up without the risk of missing it.

Paul Stenning · 15th Jan 2007, 7:12 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMB

Yes, well done Mike and the team.

Someone suggested to me that the reason for the high prices was that there were a number of foreign dealers bidding. Is there any truth in that rumour? It was suggested that there is a shortage of old radios on the continent.

There was certainly one buyer from (I think) Germany whose list of lots extended to two full pages. He came across with a large rental van, so it must have been worth his while. However many of the lots he won were not especially expensive.

Generally I would have thought dealers would not want to pay that much for sets, since they need to make a profit when they sell them on.

Many of the lots were in better condition than typical BVWS auctions and eBay etc (a lot of the better stuff from the BVWS store was deliberately sold in this auction), which I think accounted for the higher prices. Most of the people I fetched lots for after the auction were private collectors who had bought no more than half a dozen items.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMB

I agree with Paul about the chatter and I have a suggestion that might help....
Put an extension speaker in the room at the side of the hall.
This would provide somewhere to go and talk while waiting for one's lot to come up without the risk of missing it.

For most of the day people chatted in the side room, which was fine. However it was towards the end when people were queueing to pay that we had most of the problems.

I have also suggested if we do this again that we arrange the lots in a different order around the room so that we finish at the front, away from the queue and payments.

Paul Stenning · 15th Jan 2007, 9:24 pm

Attached is a PDF of the results from yesterday's auction.

I will put them in the BVWS website as usual later this week (when I have a bit more time).

Duke_Nukem · 15th Jan 2007, 9:53 pm

Well, as regards prices, the majority of sets were in _very_ nice condition - well above average - and many were restored too (Mike Barker described them as "properly restored").

OK, there were some very suprising prices on a few lots but there were plenty of cheaper ones. The Fada catalin radio went for around £200 - I hadn't intended to bid on it as I just assumed the starting price would be way above that!

I got a nice Philips 274A (think it's the type on the front cover of Radio ! Radio !) for £75, which usually fetches a lot more than that.

TTFN,
Jon

Paul Stenning · 15th Jan 2007, 10:42 pm

Exactly. If you were in the market for as-found post-war sets for a few quid each to restore yourself or break for parts, this was not the auction for you. Very few sets sold for that sort of money simply because there wasn't any "junk" in the auction.

This was an auction of high quality sets and the prices reflected that.

I have helped with Wootton Bassett auctions and seen the sort of stuff we usually have to get rid of, and I was certainly impressed by the standard of the sets in this auction.

So please do not assume what happened yesterday is typical Wootton Bassett / BVWS auction prices.

Sean Williams · 15th Jan 2007, 11:36 pm

Looking through the prices realised, I think that there were some bargains there - also confirmed that I am far too poor to own the nice little Philips TV/Radio combi........

Cheers
Sean

Who spent Sunday loading stuff for the forthcoming Radiophile auction.....mmmm lots of BIG vintage radiograms

howard · 16th Jan 2007, 8:39 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Stenning

If you were in the market for as-found post-war sets for a few quid each to restore yourself or break for parts, this was not the auction for you.

Quite .... as usual I was only looking for small VHF valve sets to restore and there were only a couple of those, so I bought the cute little Philips B3G99U (sorry Stephanie). Most of the radios there were much too large for me to accomodate, but I would have bid on the good looking McMichael RV8 Twin Supervox radio if it hadn't been rusty inside. The nicest and most interesting radio I saw there was the B&O Grand Prix 505.

As usual the cuisine was jolly good, with Howard the chef cooking all day breakfasts and Mike Barker's mum had prepared an excellent selection of cakes

Howard

sparkie · 16th Jan 2007, 11:56 am

I think the chef cooking the breakfasts was Jim (Mike's partner).

And ta for all the good feedback - there were many days of lotting, Humping very heavy pieces of kit, fetching and carrying, photographing, organising, etc before Sunday - I was part of the team helping Mike with this and we worked until past 11.00 on Saturday night unloading vans in the rain and setting the stuff out. But it was a great day, and I came away with the one set I'd had my eye on - a KB mains console from 1930 in quarter-sawn oak cabinet, had its original instruction book, and (unrestored) it works nicely. Wasn't cheap, but I didn't expect it to be. Steve

Paul Stenning · 16th Jan 2007, 6:54 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean Williams

also confirmed that I am far too poor to own the nice little Philips TV/Radio combi........

That went to a good home - a forum member and TV collector we know well.

Paul Stenning · 16th Jan 2007, 6:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparkie

I think the chef cooking the breakfasts was Jim (Mike's partner).

Yes, it was Jim taking good care of the grill and frying pan, and delivering excellent all-day breakfasts. Mike's mum, Edna, baked the lovely cakes.

slidertogrid · 21st Jan 2007, 1:38 pm

Hi
I didn't make the auction, but I regret it now! The Decca radiogram was a bargain ,even if the amp was non original, I would love one of these but they always make loads of money on e-bay, mainly to overseas buyers for the amplifier I fear!
What condition was it in? was the amp conversion well done?
If prices are on the increase, to a degree this is not a bad thing it may ensure more sets are saved and indicates that the hobby (obsession) of collecting old radios is not on the decline

Steve_P · 21st Jan 2007, 1:48 pm

It depends who is buying and what for. Typical example...

1930's Radiogram. PX4's in it. And a good amp, maybe.

Buyer 1 : Rennovates and uses it.
Buyer 2 : Intends to be Buyer 1 but never gets round to it so it sits there...
Buyer 3 : Finds it works after a few components changes, so uses it anyway.
Buyer 4 : Strips it for valves and chucks the rest.

Well... I am sure that we recognise ourselves in 1 to 3. But buyer 4....

When we sell stuff at auction, we never know which one it goes to, do we. Maybe we should start being more precious about Radiograms...

Cheers,

Steve P

Paul Stenning · 21st Jan 2007, 2:57 pm

I haven't seem the new amp chassis close up, but Mike says it was a very good reproduction. It uses 6L6 output valves, rather than PX4's.

The vendor had purchased it with the amp chassis already missing, so this seems to be a sensible and affordable way of making it usable again.

That probably explains why it sold for the price it did. Hopefully it went to someone who wanted the whole item and not just the amp.

Any further discussions about this should be taken to a new thread, please.

14th Jan 2007, 9:45 pm	#1
Ian B Hexode Join Date: May 2006 Location: Arlesey, Bedfordshire, UK. Posts: 401	Wooton Basset I returned today from WB with a car full (literally!) of prizes. The coming week will prove whether I bought well or not! I must express my appreciation for all the hard work done by Mike Barker and team for all their hard work in making it such friendly and smooth running event, and in particular, thanks to Russ for helping me carry and load the big ones. Thanks guys, well done. Ian Blackbourn

14th Jan 2007, 10:09 pm	#2
Hybrid tellies Nonode Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: 1966-1976 Coverack in Cornwall and Helston Cornwall. 1976-present Bristol/Bath area. Posts: 2,965	Re: Wooton Basset Like Ian I would just like to say what an enjoyable and interesting day I had at Wootten Bassett today, good social occasion and a fascinating auction. I could not believe some of those prices, especially for boxes of bits and pieces and valves. I was very impressed with the organisation of the event by Mike Barker and his team. I am now in the same club as Mike as today I became the proud owner of my first Murphy,the U472 for the princely sum of £2 __________________ Simon BVWS member

14th Jan 2007, 10:22 pm	#3
Paul Stenning Administrator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Cardiff Posts: 9,071	Re: Wooton Basset I got back a couple of hours ago, thoroughly exhausted after portering for the second half of the auction and helping people retrieve and carry their winnings. It was an excellent day though. I caught up with a few forum members, but as I was "working" I didn't have much chance to chat. My only grumble was the amount of chatter between people while Mike was trying to run the auction, particularly towards the end. I was at the back showing the lots with Jon, and had trouble hearing what Mike was saying at times. I think most of the people who wanted to bid were nearer the front however. The prices were generally higher than in the auctions at swapmeets, however there was a lot of very nice sets in this auction. Many were restored or were in very good original condition. Some of the boxes of valves had more "interesting" tpes in them - the one that went for around £100 had about 8-10 new boxed EL34's and a couple of octal valve rectifiers for example. I bought three items - a KB FB10 "Toaster", an Ultra set in turquoise and white (T401 I think) and some books. I understand that this was the most successful BVWS auction to date, based on the total bid amount (this is not confirmed though). __________________ Paul Stenning Forum Admin/Owner and BVWS Webmaster

14th Jan 2007, 10:44 pm	#4
wireful3 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 808	Re: Wooton Basset I too would like to express my admiration for Mike and his team for a really well organised and enjoyable day. I am interested in Pauls comment about the bidding, I also had the feeling that prices were more in keeping with a hobby for enthusiasts than those reported at some other auctions. Certainly there were no 30s woodies going for 50p just to get a spare mains transformer. Maybe it is the W B atmosphere.

15th Jan 2007, 9:36 am	#5
yestertech Nonode Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,130	Re: Wooton Basset This was my first WB auction and I must commend Mike and the team for a very well run affair. The auction averaged about 90 lots per hour, which compares well with the "pros". The catering was also to a good standard and the prices extremely reasonable. The same cannot be said, however, for the auction items. I was aghast at some of the ludicrous amounts being paid for ordinary items : £90 for a wooden pilot maestro ? £55 for a 1920's wooden frame aerial (in bits ! ) ? £90 for a tray of nondescript valves ? I departed prior to the end but I suspect the round EKCO's and the jellymould went for equally stratospheric prices ! I fear I won't be returning to WB in a hurry - I'm off to shop on E-Bay where, uncharacteristically, the prices seem a lot lower !! Andy

15th Jan 2007, 10:37 am	#6
newlite4 Octode Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bath, Somerset, UK. Posts: 1,805	Re: Wooton Basset I think that it is now safe to say that Wooton Bassett is no longer just a major regional event. It is now quite firmly a national even international event. It attracted major players and high bidders which is a testament to its great success. I feel rather embarrased, however, that I did not successfully bid on anything , there was just so much competition for the items that I was keen on. Values for items were very high, but this is certainly preferable to the situation that we had six months ago when typical values for a DAC90a had dropped to an all time low of £15. I feel that yesterdays event was an extrremely good one for the society as a whole and raises its status even higher. Best regards to all of the "staff" who worked so hard, have a good rest before the next one . Neil

15th Jan 2007, 10:45 am	#7
GMB Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: near Reading (and sometimes Torquay) Posts: 3,093	Re: Wooton Basset Yes, well done Mike and the team. Someone suggested to me that the reason for the high prices was that there were a number of foreign dealers bidding. Is there any truth in that rumour? It was suggested that there is a shortage of old radios on the continent. I agree with Paul about the chatter and I have a suggestion that might help.... Put an extension speaker in the room at the side of the hall. This would provide somewhere to go and talk while waiting for one's lot to come up without the risk of missing it.

15th Jan 2007, 9:53 pm	#10
Duke_Nukem Octode Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 1,268	Re: Wooton Basset Well, as regards prices, the majority of sets were in _very_ nice condition - well above average - and many were restored too (Mike Barker described them as "properly restored"). OK, there were some very suprising prices on a few lots but there were plenty of cheaper ones. The Fada catalin radio went for around £200 - I hadn't intended to bid on it as I just assumed the starting price would be way above that! I got a nice Philips 274A (think it's the type on the front cover of Radio ! Radio !) for £75, which usually fetches a lot more than that. TTFN, Jon

15th Jan 2007, 10:42 pm	#11
Paul Stenning Administrator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Cardiff Posts: 9,071	Re: Wooton Basset Exactly. If you were in the market for as-found post-war sets for a few quid each to restore yourself or break for parts, this was not the auction for you. Very few sets sold for that sort of money simply because there wasn't any "junk" in the auction. This was an auction of high quality sets and the prices reflected that. I have helped with Wootton Bassett auctions and seen the sort of stuff we usually have to get rid of, and I was certainly impressed by the standard of the sets in this auction. So please do not assume what happened yesterday is typical Wootton Bassett / BVWS auction prices. __________________ Paul Stenning Forum Admin/Owner and BVWS Webmaster

15th Jan 2007, 11:36 pm	#12
Sean Williams Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: St.Ippolyts, Hitchin, Hertfordshire QRA IO91UW Posts: 3,517	Re: Wooton Basset Looking through the prices realised, I think that there were some bargains there - also confirmed that I am far too poor to own the nice little Philips TV/Radio combi........ Cheers Sean Who spent Sunday loading stuff for the forthcoming Radiophile auction.....mmmm lots of BIG vintage radiograms __________________ Engineers make things work and have spare bits when finished

16th Jan 2007, 11:56 am	#14
sparkie Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: West London Posts: 35	Re: Wooton Basset I think the chef cooking the breakfasts was Jim (Mike's partner). And ta for all the good feedback - there were many days of lotting, Humping very heavy pieces of kit, fetching and carrying, photographing, organising, etc before Sunday - I was part of the team helping Mike with this and we worked until past 11.00 on Saturday night unloading vans in the rain and setting the stuff out. But it was a great day, and I came away with the one set I'd had my eye on - a KB mains console from 1930 in quarter-sawn oak cabinet, had its original instruction book, and (unrestored) it works nicely. Wasn't cheap, but I didn't expect it to be. Steve

21st Jan 2007, 1:38 pm	#17
slidertogrid Octode Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 1,898	Re: Wooton Basset Hi I didn't make the auction, but I regret it now! The Decca radiogram was a bargain ,even if the amp was non original, I would love one of these but they always make loads of money on e-bay, mainly to overseas buyers for the amplifier I fear! What condition was it in? was the amp conversion well done? If prices are on the increase, to a degree this is not a bad thing it may ensure more sets are saved and indicates that the hobby (obsession) of collecting old radios is not on the decline __________________ The rotation of the earth really makes my day...

21st Jan 2007, 1:48 pm	#18
Steve_P Dekatron Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 6,644	Re: Wooton Basset It depends who is buying and what for. Typical example... 1930's Radiogram. PX4's in it. And a good amp, maybe. Buyer 1 : Rennovates and uses it. Buyer 2 : Intends to be Buyer 1 but never gets round to it so it sits there... Buyer 3 : Finds it works after a few components changes, so uses it anyway. Buyer 4 : Strips it for valves and chucks the rest. Well... I am sure that we recognise ourselves in 1 to 3. But buyer 4.... When we sell stuff at auction, we never know which one it goes to, do we. Maybe we should start being more precious about Radiograms... Cheers, Steve P __________________ If we've always had it, why is the Car Boot open? You're not sneaking another Old TV in are you...?

21st Jan 2007, 2:57 pm	#19
Paul Stenning Administrator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Cardiff Posts: 9,071	Re: Wooton Basset I haven't seem the new amp chassis close up, but Mike says it was a very good reproduction. It uses 6L6 output valves, rather than PX4's. The vendor had purchased it with the amp chassis already missing, so this seems to be a sensible and affordable way of making it usable again. That probably explains why it sold for the price it did. Hopefully it went to someone who wanted the whole item and not just the amp. Any further discussions about this should be taken to a new thread, please. __________________ Paul Stenning Forum Admin/Owner and BVWS Webmaster