When I first started going to school to learn about electronics, one of my first instructors held up various early electronic devices (a rookie "show & tell"). He held up about ten different vacuum tubes (from his collection), he explained when they were invented and it's application. Then he made a "blank" statement, FORGET THEM! You will probably never see or care about them again (wrong). He went on to tell us, you are about to witness a remarkable evolution in electronics. This was 1976, the transistor was being used in everything by then. The vacuum tube was being phased out and transistors were taking over. For almost every tube ever made there is a transistor equivalent. The vacuum tube is still used in modern equipment being built today, will be around for awhile in "special" applications (high energy transmitting and sensitive detector types of application). Electronic engineers are still trying to get rid of the "tube", forty years after that instructor said forget them! I wish I had that instructors ten tube collection today. Why was he collecting them way back then? They represent "milestones" in electronics and our lives that we now take for granted.
Do your tubes have value? As Mech. said above: "nothing much of any real value there. Catalog the tubes if you want". That's what I would do, I would take my time with each assembly and inventory them. Start with one chasis at a time, gently clean areas that have any numbers and alphabetical sequences. Try to determine what each assembly was used for, company that made it and when it was made. You are going to have to get into this if you have the time! The tubes should be done one at a time. To remove a tube, use cotton gloves, "never remove a tube by grasping the glass". You want to get it by the base (thumb & forefinger), as much as possible, pull up and out of socket. This especially on any old audio tube, if they test good, can be sold to restore shops. There is a strong market for knobs and face plates, american made items (germany,england and japan). I recently sold some "bakelite" knobs for $5 each, trust me there is a market for old electronics. It takes time to do this, you have to know as much about the item as you can. You will still have to get lucky to find a buyer.
This is my guide lines about anything thats old: 1. People collect almost anything, old is harder to find then new. 2. If it's old, in decent condition, someone will pay money for it. 3. Big cities are generally where the buyers are (not always). 4. If you never ever have seen it before and it's old, "YOU MIGHT" have a better than scrap item. Most import if you have time, try to learn about it. To me knowledge is priceless, your brain is the best "tool" we have.
I can help you I.D. the tubes if you need the help, there is plenty of info online, tubes were the "back bone" of electronics. Millions of them were made for decades and there are experts at this everywhere!
Originally Posted by bigburtchino
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