A VAST collection of vintage radios, televisions, record players and other electronic items is hitting the right note with potential bidders before going up for auction.

The huge collection, all from a private museum near Dorchester, are included in the Charterhouse two-day online collector’s auction, set to take place across March 11 and 12.

The museum, in Puddletown, was rarely open to the public, but housed all the vintage radios, televisions and other audio equipment displayed on purpose built shelves.

It took the owner decades to amass and he appears to have continued collecting up to shortly before he died with one of the more modern items being a hand crank wind-up portable radio.

In the collection, all of which is being sold without reserve, are Bakelite radios from the 1930s, aviation radios from WWII war planes, through to a Prinz Sound 8-track stereo radio from the late 1960s space race - in the form of an astronaut’s helmet.

There is a similar Philips Sputnik television, other TVs, 1980s ghetto blasters and audio equipment from Bang & Olufsen, HMV, Pye, GEC, Sony, Fidelity, Roberts, ITT and other popular household names.

Somerset County Gazette:

“It never ceases to amaze me what people collect," said auctioneer Richard Bromell.

“There are hundreds and hundreds of items which filled three vans when we were asked by the executor to empty the museum following the owner passing away last year.”

Other electronic equipment includes a Radio Shack TRS-80 microcomputer with 16k of RAM (the new iPhone 12 has 12GB of RAM today) from about 1980, pinball machines, pub fruit machines and even a jukebox.

 

Overall, the collection which is expected to sell for several thousands of pounds, will be snapped up by like-minded fellow collectors and enthusiasts when it goes under the Charterhouse hammer on Thursday, March 11.

Charterhouse is now accepting entries for their busy programme of auctions including other audio equipment, coins, medals, stamps, clocks and collector’s items in the two-day March sale, pictures, books and sporting items in April, classic and vintage cars in April and classic and vintage motorcycles in May.

Items for these auctions can be posted directly to Charterhouse at The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne, or click and deliver by contacting them on 01935 812277. Alternatively, email photographs of your lots for valuation on info@charterhouse-auction.com

Somerset County Gazette:
SPACEY: A Philips Sputnik black and white television, valued at £60-£100

Somerset County Gazette:

Somerset County Gazette:

Somerset County Gazette:
UNUSUAL: A Prinz Sound 8 track stereo radio, valued at £60-£100

Somerset County Gazette: