Value of box lots of tubage

[N1ESE]

What are box lots of NOS tubes going for at festers these days?  Someone clearing out a SK's estate is offering me a large box lot but I am not sure what to offer.  I am waiting for an exact count of how many tubes he has.

- JT

[W2JBL]

grab as much as you can whether you need them or not. in big lots i'll offer 30-50 cents a piece if i see a lot of types used in boatanchors. TV types are worth a lot less.

[w3jn]

It depends ENTIRELY on what's in the box.  A million 33GY7s, 4BZ6s, and 1B3GTs are less than worthless.  OTOH a carton of NOS Western Electric 300Bs will fund your retirement.

Bottom line:  can you use them?  I bought a single lot of probably 30,000 tubes on eBay for a couple hundred bux.  Filled up my Suburban - twice.  But many were TV tubes, certainly no high-value audio tubes, but I had a hell of a lot of fun digging thru 'em and pulling out a bunch of useful (but not high-value) tubes.  I filled 5 garbage cans with busted and otherwise worthless tubes and tossed 'em.

Look for a receiver project using 6ME8s and 6EH7s someday from me!