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Western Electric tubes

T

Tennangler

Well-Known Member
I read that old Western Electric tubes are very collectable in Japan and bring a high price.
Does anyone have experience selling them overseas. If so, must they have a certification that they work? Is there an outlet to sell them.
Any info would be helpful. Thanks
 
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They're collectable everywhere, but yes, particularly overseas. You can sell them on any popular auction site, that's where most buyers will look. It's best to be able to test them, but if you don't have the equipment to do it properly, and if they are new-in-box you can label them as such, and buyers will take that into consideration. If they are used, then you'll take a hit if you have to sell them in unknown condition. It also depends on what tubes they are. Some of the miniature telegraphy tubes don't go for that much, but a power tube or rectifier, will command pretty good prices. It also depends on the year the tube was made. Earlier 300Bs, for instance, command higher prices than those of later manufacture.
 
Western Electric tubes have a mystique about them that transcends actual value with respect to quality. Prices of different tube types can vary wildly because some are used in WE audio equipment and some are more common in industrial equipment. So the value of the WE tubes depends considerably on its use in audio. Quite a few tubes labeled WE are actually made by other manufacturers; the 350B and 717A are obvious examples.

For the more valuable tubes, a test on a high quality calibrated tube tester can add considerable value. For the more mundane tubes, a sealed box is good enough. I sold a couple of engraved base 300B tubes to Korea about 15 years ago, but I tested them on my TV-7 and was able to post results. That was back in the days when "epray" was a trenchant epithet. During the course of the auction a bidder contacted each of the other bidders to claim the tubes were not as described. You can't do that today, but the fraudulent claim was ignored by at least one bidder allowing me to buy a new state of the art CD player and Tamura F-5002 transformers with the proceeds.
 
Palustris said:
Western Electric tubes have a mystique about them that transcends actual value with respect to quality. Prices of different tube types can vary wildly because some are used in WE audio equipment and some are more common in industrial equipment. So the value of the WE tubes depends considerably on its use in audio. Quite a few tubes labeled WE are actually made by other manufacturers; the 350B and 717A are obvious examples.

For the more valuable tubes, a test on a high quality calibrated tube tester can add considerable value. For the more mundane tubes, a sealed box is good enough. I sold a couple of engraved base 300B tubes to Korea about 15 years ago, but I tested them on my TV-7 and was able to post results. That was back in the days when "epray" was a trenchant epithet. During the course of the auction a bidder contacted each of the other bidders to claim the tubes were not as described. You can't do that today, but the fraudulent claim was ignored by at least one bidder allowing me to buy a new state of the art CD player and Tamura F-5002 transformers with the proceeds.
Click to expand...
How much is that CD player and transformers worth now compared to those tubes?
 
Tennangler said:
I read that old Western Electric tubes are very collectable in Japan and bring a high price.. If so, must they have a certification that they work? Is there an outlet to sell them.
Click to expand...

There is no such thing as certification or that they must have it. A buyer in a market such as Japan who is willing to pay top dollar for a WE tube is going to want a detailed explanation on how the tube tested and on what equipment and that the equipment has or is currently calibrated.

Most importantly a prospective buyer is going to want to know that the seller has a good history of selling tubes and primarily focuses on selling tubes.

As for an outlet it looks like you already seems to know to that based on your recent post so let's use that for another example. Are you prepared to back up your product with a money back guarantee if the item "isn't as described"? the reason is that a buyer can decide any number of things contact the site and ask for their money back and 9 out of 10 times they will win and the seller is stuck paying for return shipping and refund in full.

Speaking of shipping, shipping overseas is not for the uninitiated, you'll will have to package the item so protectively so that it arrives unscathed, on top of that you'll have to fill out customs forms, insure the item for its full worth, pay a hefty amount for the shipping & insurance and above all else hope the item doesn't arrive damaged or broken.

A lot of folks stumble upon a rarish item and think "Wow I just scored, this/these sell for lots of money" but if you don't have bona fides selling said rarish item buyers are less likely to take you seriously let alone pay you top dollar.

If I understand your username correctly you like to fish? I know next to nothing about fishing but I do know that certain vintage Orvis fly rods go for a ton of money. Let's say you were in the market for one and willing to pay top dollar would you wanna purchase it from a seller (me) who doesn't know much if anything about it other then what I've read online? or from a seller who has a history selling fishing gear specifically rods?

Again all of of this is predicated on your initial post and not seeming to know much about the current product you have other then some cursory internet searchs.

If I'm wrong I apologize
 
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You can check recently completed auctions for a very similar tube and see what price it commands. It's not chicken feed. The base lettering is clean and unsmudged by handling or excessive wear. It's looks good, but to get top dollar you need to have test results. Honestly, in the worst case you could sell it as is and offer a guarantee, and probably get quite a bit of money for it. Rectifiers tend to be sturdy and chances are it's probably good.
 
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