Posted 7 years ago
PhilDMorris
(223 items)
I saw my first Predicta Television at my favourite auction and thats what made it so amazing for me. I had never seen one before and I got excited when it came up for auction in 1979. I believe I even had to ask the auctioneer to put it up and the bidding started at 5.00, a great buy. That one from auction was the second photo ! I bid and there was no opposing bids so it was mine, no taxes or extra charges. I found there was a radio and t.v. tubes seller close to my home, so I did replace a few tubes, although I don't think they were bad. I got some good reception and the only show I watched on it was the weekly Buck Rogers in the 21st century re-runs !! I was more intent on having a good tan instead of watching t.v., whick I never did at that time. If I remember it came also with the original Philco stand but it was too small to really hold the weight so I scrapped the stand.
The first predicta that I owned was the Holiday version I believe. The second Predicta I owned was the one that I used on my small glass table and it was the Philco Princess. When I moved to Toronto I found it at a t.v. repair shop in about 1981 and had to buy it since it was working and the price was right.
The next 2 I saw from Moses Znaimer since he had a t.v. museum in his t.v. station, City T.V., in Toronto where he may have lived (but not sure) and he was the expert. I was lucky to have met him as he was the owner of Marilyn Monroe's last t.v. and he had bought that at M.M.'s famous auction. He had showed me the two larger models of the Predicta televisions and I had to have them but not to be.. The t.v.'s were all purchased within a few short years of each other and after that they seemed to be getting much more expensive. Thaose 2 t.v.'s was the first photo. The t.v. sitting on the floor was the famous and largest t.v. Predicta they made, You had a larger white cord as shown, and you could remove the screen and carry it right off the body for up to 24 feet away !!!~
I had bought a predicta also in the mid 1990's at one of the antique shows I did but sold that one same day to two chinese fellows who wanted it. I never photographed that one and did not want to move it home from the show. I also considered buying one of the attractive floor models but never found the right one. By the early 2000's someone was making them in Color but the price was around 3000 I believe and soon after they stopped making any conversions to colour I had heard a few years ago.
I always loved those. Such iconic TV's for the "Atomic Age".
Interesting. I didn't know they had so many variants.
Black and white !
The TV's are really great!! and your green theater chairs are so cool!!
Are your leopard's glass eyes crossed too ? LOL
I've always liked them too.
Oh cool, this goes straight into my "love at first sight" collection. Love those babies, the photos, the story!
Thanks mikelv85 and spirit bear for the comments. They did have a lot of variants of their t.v.'s !
I am in love with your collection and I want to step into photo #4 and enjoy all the fabulous retro items I see in picture . What a dream home to wake up too and The TV's are so Jetson looking . Thanks for sharing these photo's Phil and all the background info on them . Love love xo
Thank you blunderbus2, you are a superstar !
I would Frame these and hang on my wall ! Whoever took photo's did a great job :-) xoxo
Wonderful! What a great post. Thank you for sharing.
Nice! Phil, I already told my Predicta story in another post but will tell it here too: the Predicta was the first object I wanted to buy as a collector when I was about 10 or 12 years old. I obviously didn't have the money and my father refused to pay for it as it was "garbage" as he said :(...maybe someday....
Thank you roddyq and fortapache for the nice comments !
Thank you bijouca for the nice comment !~
Thank you Manikin for the nice words, xoxo.
Thanks Mani, my tripod took the photos on 10 second timer.
Thanks mcheconi for the growing pains story, Our parents definitely never saw the happiness the tv would have brought you...
These are fantastic! Thanks for posting!
I always love the stories behind the antiques you post!
Thanks for sharing! Hermann
Thank you vintagelamp for the nice comment !~
I just saw one of these on ebay and it happens to be located about 15 miles from my house for pick up only. These are so cool!
That is great, vintagelamp !
Phil, Please see new pics of airplane ashtray.
O........... their you are..smiling ....nice collection of vintage things..