1959 Zenith B&W Television With Remote Control And Motor Driven Tuner, STUNNING
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:74734 | Style: Mid-Century Modern |
| Original/Reproduction: Original |
1959 Zenith B&W Television with Remote Control and motor driven tuner, ULTRA RARE, one year only style. Completely original condition. Never refinished or restored. Original family selling. Beautiful walnut-tone cabinet with dual speakers with woven cloth covers. There is gold mylar thread in the cloth which is exemplary of the era. Gorgeous tapered legs with brass trim. My father bought this in 1960 just before my parents were married. Is a 1959 model based on the documentation I... have found, and the internal label listing the patents. Has always been stored in dry conditions. Complete with ultrasonic remote control, original picture tube, original line cord, and I believe mostly original vacuum tubes. I carefully removed one tube and wiped it clean with a damp cloth; it appears to be good. Excellent condition, serviced about 30 years ago, then never used again. I have not plugged it in nor tried to operate. I will leave reviving this set to the experts who know what to check before powering up. There are a few scratches in the top surface and some small dents in the brushed brass trim surrounding the volume and channel selector. There are a few nicks in the wood trim in front, nothing too unsightly. I have not found a single photo or reference to an example of another one of this model to be in existence today. The only photo I have found of the identical model is an image from an original black and white brochure. The Space Command remote control system was first introduced in 1956, and then improved in the following years. This system is quite significant from a historical perspective since it is the first effective remote system with no operating flaws. The functions include ON/OFF, Volume, Channels, and Mute. The technology requires no batteries; the remote contains “chime rods” that, upon pressing a button on the remote, are struck by a small internal hammer within the remote, creating a distinct tone, similar to a tuning fork but inaudible to humans. The TV contains a tone receiver that recognizes the inaudible tone and performs the specific function the user has pressed. I recall this working perfectly through my childhood, there were never any issues or problems and we used it all the time. If a channel change is invoked, a motor inside the TV moves the electromechanical tuner automatically. The tuner is backlit, and shows the channel number in the center of a miniature round TV! (see photos) When the selector is depressed (either by the adjacent UP/DOWN selector tab, or the remote control) you see the channel numbers index into place the small round window! It makes a really cool “chunghisss…chunghisss…chunghiss” sound as it selects though the channels. This is a museum quality piece that a collector would treasure. My goal was to keep it long enough for it to be recognized for its significance, so that it would be preserved for the future. I believe that day has come and I hope it will go to an appreciative new owner. Thank you.
