[NJARC] Report: CC-AWA Conference is a bang-up

Sun Mar 28 19:44:02 EDT 2010

By Paul Farmer

The CC-AWA 2010 Charlotte Conference is a bang-up

Meet of proportions not seen here for several years or more.
While the vending parking lot was not full to capacity like it was 10
years ago, there were significantly more vendor-occupied spaces (146
today, the first morning of selling) than when I was last here in 2007.
Why? The death last year of long-time 1920s collecting specialist Ernie
Hite, III brought his large (about 375-lot), museum-quality collection
to the auction block here last night. Collectors descended from 26
states and five countries to boost prices to respectable levels for the
first two hours of the auction. But the auction went on for almost five
hours and by the half-way mark, aggressive spectators (250 of them in
the auditorium initially) began to flag in their bidding enthusiasm.
Many turned in early after a long day (and night) and many others seemed
to be decreasingly willing to overspend their bank accounts by larger
and larger amounts. By quarter to midnight there were fewer than 25
bidders and observers, with the half-dozen willing to continue in
earnest rewarded with premium sets at half to two-thirds their value by
any measure we are used to.

And what is revealed about the future
of vintage radio collecting? The passing of top-drawer collectors like
Ernie, Ed Bell, Larry Babcock can only accelerate in this age of aging
collecting stars. As they pass and their collections come to the auction
block (Babcock's in a special auction at the Rochester AWA Conference
in August I am told) in ever greater numbers, the supply of quality sets
will be very much increasing as demand is dropping from the fewer and
fewer well-healed collectors remaing. This almost certainly means lower
prices down the road even for the rarities and museum pieces ...I think.
But who can tell the future even when all the stars appear to be
aligned (or rather mis-aligned)?

Another affect of these
mega-auctions of quality material is the draining, to some extent, of
the drive to spend cash in the flea market on the day after. While the
flea market was large today, the buying was less than brisk and by
mid-morning venders were hauling their unsold sets in droves to the
Meet's second auction (the Main Auction) that kicked off at 1 PM. I had
not nearly the stamina (nor the purse) to endure another big auction
(especially an inferior one by comparison) on the heels of the Hite
Auction. Many other vendors packed and departed before the sun rose
halfway to its zenith.

So there may be radio bargains (or so they
seem) in your future. But much like catching the proverbial falling
knife, it may be tempting to grab a radio in free-fall but making that
catch can end up being a bloody affair (when the value continues to
decline).

All for now.

Another day of Charlotte tomorrow,
especially the Old Equipment Contest, more vending, and the departure
luncheon with Robert Lozier's thoughtful and insightful remarks and
perspectives on the top entries in each contest category.

Good
night all,
Paul Farmer, K3YFQ

P.S. Did I say this has been a
great event here in Charlotte? Well, it has been, and I am sure it will
likewise continue in a similar vein tomorrow. Cheers for the CC-AWA and
their dedicated, tireless volunteers!

-------------More--------------

Hi, all. Here is more of the story:

Preliminary assessment by the CC-AWA primaries indicates that the 
Ernie Hite Auction grossed probably between $99,000 and $100,000. The 
entire amount will benefit Ernie's family, especially a college fund 
for his daughter, apparently. The CC-AWA is foregoing a commission on 
the sale in order to maximize the amount that will go to the family.

Here are some highlights from the Hite sale:

Lot# Description Price Rmk
28 Sleeper 1-tube, refinish 525
30 Radiola 1, refinish, E+ 950
36 Ezra F Bowman crystal set 1600 w/packet watch, many extras
38 Turney Det. 1-tube 1600
40 Paragon RA-10, E 700 Very nice; went cheaply late in Auct
44 Klitzen Regenerator, refin, E 1000
45 Klitzen (?) Amp, refin, E 900
46 Amrad spark coil, E 950
49 Wireless Specialty IP-501, E 2750
73 Duck loose coupler, refin, E 775
77 Kennedy 281, E+ 900 Sweet
86 Tuska 225, late ver, refin, E+ 500 Sweet and a steal
87 Cutting & Washington 11A, E+ 450 Piano refin, w/3 good BBT o1As
91 Murdock antenna switch, E 190 A good deal
98 NESCO BC-144, w/metal cab, E 3100 Everything right, good 
transformers 103 N Electric 3-piece 950
109 Cent Sci lab coherer, refin, E 300
112 Marconi Arcon Jr 1-tube, E 850
126 BTH VR3 2-tube, E 175 UK
129 Tungsram 3-tube, VG 500 UK
134 Zenith Royal 7000, VG+ 300 Working well
140 Metrodyne 3-dial, VG 275
143 Penn Wireless SP-2 600
148 Hallicrafters HT-32B, E+ 450 Perfect front, described as Near-Mint
152 DeForest Inter-panel Set 11000
154 Hallicrafters SX-115, E+ 1100 Perfect front, described as Near-Mint
155 TMC GPR-90, VG to E 350 A few bad spots on the front panel
157 Hammarlund SP-600, E+ 500 Perfect front, perfect electronic restoration
AK-12 1100
Zenith 4R 375

As is obvious from this list, many sets were refinished. The refinish 
work was generally very well accomplished; often retaining the base 
finishes, cleaning and top-coating with lacquer. This type of 
refinish work gives a very presentable appearance while retaining an 
honest appearance of age and (light) use.

This list was prepared from my auction notes and is not to be 
confused with an official CC-AWA list which I hope will be 
forthcoming from Ron & Co. Such a list will be useful to us all for 
assessing valuations down-the-road, whether for other auctions, 
private transactions, or appraisals.

This auction ran so long that it might have been useful to sell just 
the radios on Thursday evening and save the paper and tubes for the 
first couple of hours of the Main (regular) Auction on Friday 
afternoon. Consignments to the Main Auction could have been 
restricted somewhat to prevent it from going too long. BTW, most of 
Ernie's tubes were for display only, having open filaments. I did not 
record them or the paper.

With regard to the Main Auction on Friday at 1 PM, I have always 
thought that was too early to divert shoppers on the first day of 
flea marketing. On the other hand, flee marketing resumes on Saturday 
AM, even though much of the excitement and many of the vendors have 
fled by then. And there is little room to move things around in the 
packed schedule of a 2-day Meet (Thurs 1 PM to Sat 2 PM) that has as 
much going on as the CC-AWA Spring Conference.