Where Can I Find Old Radios?

Like other used items, radios might pop up just about anywhere. Here are some places to look.

Radio swap meets. One of the best sources of old radios at reasonable prices. Swap-meet prices are generally fair, because collectors assume they're dealing with knowledgeable buyers. If you haven't hooked up with a local club, check the club list at the Antique Radio Classified website. The ARC website also maintains a radio events list, which is updated monthly.

Ads. Your local newspaper ads are always worth watching. The most bountiful source of old radios, however, is Antique Radio Classified magazine, whose print edition publishes hundreds of buy/sell/trade/wanted ads every month. You can also find ads in some radio club newsletters, such as the Old Timer's Bulletin of the Antique Wireless Association.

Garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores. If you're keen for bargains, these sources can yield some amazingly cheap goods. For example, once I bought a perfect Zenith TransOceanic 3000-1 for $5 at a garage sale. A nice 3000-1 can easily sell in the $100 range in a "retail" setting. Of course, you never know what you'll find, and you'll have to be willing to slog through acres of junk, as well. But if you enjoy this kind of hunting, sifting through the flotsam and jetsam is all part of the fun. Since I launched this website in 1995, many thrift stores have become "corporatized," leading to higher prices overall and fewer true vintage items.

Antique stores. Antique stores often have a few old radios, for atmosphere if nothing else. Don't expect any bargains. Dealers are in business to make money, after all. They typically price radios at or above (sometimes far above) the "book" values given in the radio collector guides. Most antique stores sell radios as-is, with no form of guarantee or right to a refund.

Antique radio dealers. Radio merchants are also in business to make money, which typically means charging "retail" prices. If radios are their sole business, however, they should be willing to take returns if you're not satisfied and they will typically offer guarantees on sets they have restored.

Internet newsgroups. Prior to the advent of online auction websites, USENET newsgroups provided the only way for people to buy and sell radios (and other used items) via the Internet. Nowadays, that traffic has moved almost entirely to auction websites. Groups such as rec.radio.amateur.boatanchors and rec.radio.swap still include ads, but they are devoted to communications radios and you'll find that most messages are simply announcements of eBay auctions that you could find more readily by searching on eBay.

Online auctions. When I launched this website in 1995, there was no such thing as eBay. Since then, online auctions have exploded, and armchair shoppers around the world can bid on a few thousand old radios on any given day. In my experience, many people pay more for old radios at auction websites than they would at other venues such as swap meets. Nevertheless, online auction shopping is a boon to people who live in an isolated area or who are looking for something very specific. I'm a bit of a cheapskate, and I think it's more interesting to find things the old-fashioned way. Of the hundreds of radios and televisions that I've owned, only a handful came from an online auction. All the others were purchased at swap meets and the other venues listed above.