Dialing Into Radio Art : Van Nuys Auction of Antique Sets Attracts 150 Bidders

Walt Curry doesn’t remember how much he paid for the red plastic radio five years ago when he added it to his collection of more than 100 antique radios.

He did know that during an ad campaign in the late 1930s, Coca-Cola sold it for about $25.

“Have a Coke,” read the small white letters across the front of the shoebox-sized radio.

When the radio sold at an auction of rare antique radios on Saturday, Curry grinned, knowing he had made enough money to buy more than just one Coke.

The price: $470.

It was one of about 250 radios and other sound equipment auctioned by the Southern California Antique Radio Society, the largest group of its kind west of the Mississippi.

In an empty Lutheran church hall on Sherman Way, collectors listened closely to the auctioneer’s rhythmic monotone as they bought and sold radios of all sizes and sorts. There were old Zeniths in large wooden cabinets and Emersons in tiny plastic boxes.

There were stainless steel table-top microphones and metal units with 3-inch television screens. All were at least 25 years old, most more like 50 or 60.

Few cared about the quality of the sound produced by the old wires and tubes. In fact, none of the radios up for auction was even plugged in for testing.

The bidders, all members of SCARS, said old radios weren’t necessarily made better than modern ones, anyway. The real joy of antique radios is their physical beauty and grace of design, collectors said.

“I buy for looks,” said Randy Giles, a mortgage manager from San Diego who has about 200 antique radios but didn’t buy anything Saturday. “For me it’s about art design, not the technical stuff. I couldn’t rewire one of these if you paid me, but I sure love how they look.”

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Most of the country’s antique radio buying and selling happens in the Midwest and on the East Coast, where old farmhouses and estate sales turn up more of the collectibles, bidders said.

For collectors from western states, the auction--SCARS’ second annual--was an uncommon chance to find these prized antiques close to home. Bidders drove in from Santa Barbara, San Diego and San Francisco. A few flew in from the East Coast, and at least one arrived from Europe.

At the stroke of 9 a.m., about 150 bidders pounced, eager to preview the equipment to be auctioned off an hour later. They stooped and squatted and squinted to get a better look, taking notes and muttering comments and questions to one another.

“Not much in big radios here, eh?” one mumbled.

“What a beauty,” said another. “You can see yourself in this one, the finish is so clean.”

They shined flashlights into cabinet doors and radio underbellies, checking the tubes and wires for authenticity and condition. Some, unsure how much the pieces were worth, flipped open cellular phones and consulted advisors, whispering into the phone to prevent competitors from listening in.

“They made millions and millions of radios ‘way back when,” said Ron Mauceri, a volunteer usher for SCARS who lives in Westlake Village. “But most of them ended up in the dump. The fun is finding the ones that survived.”

Sellers expected to make $25,000 by day’s end.