"Elmer E Ing" wrote in message
news:4JdWa.18542$ff.8472@fed1read01...
Well folks if you invested $595 back in the 50's at 8% interest compounded
annualy it would now be about -- yep you guessed it $10,000.

Or you could have bought an SX-88 and enjoyed the radio for 30+ years.

Tongue in cheek of course


But would it be a good investment over the next 50 years? I don't think so.

Frank Dresser

On 31 Jul 2003 08:00:37 GMT, "pete" wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3038240975

just how rare is this?
Pete
KQ5I

Very rare indeed.

The page at http://antiqueradio.org/halli09.htm says only about sixty
are known to exist. It was produced for only two years, 1954 and
1955, priced at $595!!!


73 de Leigh W3NLB

pete wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3038240975

just how rare is this?
Pete
KQ5I

A. More money than sense. More sense than money??
B. To have what no one else has.
C. To complete a life long want.
D. To have the best receiver ever made. (don't think so but....)
E. Better than buying lottery tickets.

Care to add more?? de Fred.

F. Hey it is my money, I'll spend it like I want
G. What part of free enterprise is it that you don't understand?
H. Money is no object (with some folks)
I. Desirability is in the eye of the beholder
J. You really don't want price fixing -- do you?
K. Auctions are a great American tradition, get over it.
"Alfred Carlson" wrote in message ...

pete wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3038240975
just how rare is this?
Pete
KQ5I

A. More money than sense. More sense than money??
B. To have what no one else has.
C. To complete a life long want.
D. To have the best receiver ever made. (don't think so but....)
E. Better than buying lottery tickets.
Care to add more?? de Fred.

The SX-88 is the holy grail of Hallicrafters communications receivers. It
is the rarest, and most desirable to collectors, and there are a great many
enthusiastic collectors of Hallicrafters radios. While it is absolutely not
in the same class, performance-wise, as an R-390a, it is a very fine 20 tube
double conversion receiver. And, there were what...30,000+ R-390a's made?
As was mentioned in a previous reply, it is extremely scarce. I have read
that only 60 were (if memory serves) sold. $595 was a boatload of money in
1954, and this radio was only available for two years. There were
approximately 1,000 Hammarlund Pro-310's sold, and one of those in good
condition will fetch near $2,000. I have seen a junk 88 parts radio bring
over $1,000. I will be very, very surprised indeed if this one doesn't go
well north of $5,000.

Clay


"pete" wrote in message
news:01c35739$9543b260$991388cf@verrando...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3038240975

just how rare is this?
Pete
KQ5I

" The SX-88 is the holy grail of Hallicrafters communications
receivers. It
is the rarest, and most desirable to collectors, and there are a great many
" just how rare is this?
Pete
KQ5I

Other receivers just as rare but not nearly as expensive. The
wonderful Icom R9000 will run circles around the SX88 in every
parameter used and only costs $3000- 3500 on the used market and 2500
were made, selling new for $7000+. Buy the Mosley Receiver that used
all the same tubes, rare, produced only 1 1/2 years but a dud on
receive. So, anyone buying this has an expensive rare receiver and
pays for it to just sit there. The SX73 was just as good. I have one
SX88 that I paid $1500 for about 2 years ago and it is excellent. The
SX115 is bringing $2000-2500 and is ham band only with same basic
design plan. Go figure. Bottom line, if you have always wanted an SX88
and will at least plug it in and use it some, knowing that it will
remain rare, $4000 seems reasonable. But, note the reserve has been
met, far below the $4000 figure. I wud buy 2 Drake R8Bs and 2 JRC
535Ds with money to spare and hear a lot more!
My SX88 sits, not plugged in. Looks a lot better than the one on eBay
but NOT for sale.. San

hamman wrote:

" The SX-88 is the holy grail of Hallicrafters communications
receivers. It
is the rarest, and most desirable to collectors, and there are a great many
" just how rare is this?
Pete
KQ5I

Other receivers just as rare but not nearly as expensive. The
wonderful Icom R9000 will run circles around the SX88 in every
parameter used and only costs $3000- 3500 on the used market and 2500
were made, selling new for $7000+. Buy the Mosley Receiver that used
all the same tubes, rare, produced only 1 1/2 years but a dud on
receive.

I have a mint Mosley CM-1/CMS-1 and have restored 4 others for friends. Hardly
consider it a dud on receive. Unlike many of its more expensive counterparts, the
CM-1 has the same calibration on 10M as 80M- not all bunched up as in most RX of
that era. I am, as I said in an earlier post, completely resotring an 88 and find
it to be a clunky uninteresting receiver. For my $$, the 115 is far "sexier" and
more interesting. In the end, I play with my little CM-1 more than any other here
except perhaps the 2B/2BQ.

Dale W4OP

"Clay Nicolsen" wrote in message
...
The SX-88 is the holy grail of Hallicrafters communications receivers.
It
is the rarest, and most desirable to collectors, and there are a great
many
enthusiastic collectors of Hallicrafters radios. While it is absolutely
not
in the same class, performance-wise, as an R-390a, it is a very fine 20
tube
double conversion receiver. And, there were what...30,000+ R-390a's
made?
As was mentioned in a previous reply, it is extremely scarce. I have
read
that only 60 were (if memory serves) sold. $595 was a boatload of money
in
1954, and this radio was only available for two years. There were
approximately 1,000 Hammarlund Pro-310's sold, and one of those in good
condition will fetch near $2,000. I have seen a junk 88 parts radio
bring
over $1,000. I will be very, very surprised indeed if this one doesn't
go
well north of $5,000.

Clay

It may be a vintage set, but anyone who'd pay
$5000 for a 50 YO radio, let alone $2000 should
be put into a rubber room IMHO - grin ; )

In article , "heavywater"
writes:

It may be a vintage set, but anyone who'd pay
$5000 for a 50 YO radio, let alone $2000 should
be put into a rubber room IMHO - grin ; )

You think $5000 for an SX-88 is bad, look at this.

'Bout two years ago an unbuilt Heath AT-1 kit showed up on eBay. Still in the
unopened original box, dated 1956, amking it one of the last ones made.

The AT- was Heath's first attempt a t a ham transmitter. 6AG7-6L6, with 5U4G
rectifier and link output. Final ran as a doubler on most bands and the
efficiency was awful - typically less than 10 watts out for 35 watts in. $29.95
50 years ago.

Final price of the auction: $5100. That's not a typo - five thousand one
hundred dollars.

73 de Jim, N2EY

This is basically the free enterprise system and whatever the market will bear
is what sets the price. What I don't comprehend is another situation. As an
example, last year, I was following the bidding on an Icom IC-2100H. I stopped
watching when the bidding got to $275 so I don't know how high it got. This
was the price for a used radio without warranty at the same time it was
available new, with warranty, at AES and elsewhere for $199. So if somebody is
obviously online, a few key clicks searching for the radio would have saved the
buyer over $75. Strange...