Can you explain the meaning of "mint condition" in relation to antiques or collectibles?
10.06.2025 10:31
I sold hand cranked Phonograph and old Diamond Record player needles (Stylus) and parts - depending on the make and model, the needles themselves were NOS, all opened and inspected (to make sure no rust) and it was shown clearly in photographs to all interested parties. I also sold DIAMOND (genuine) needles - NOS. The Year/Date were clearly marked on the box they came in, every single one of those expensive needles were well packed and pristine condition.
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My late Uncle owned a Radio and Television shop and plus a now defunct Warehouse Distributor also had old supplies. I literally cleaned them out! (Cleaned out - meaning emptying everything off the shelves)!
Catalin radio (1939 models and 1940 models) Emerson
Colors varied - Blues, Greens, Marbled, Yellows, Red, Browns.
One stylus (needle) per box - sold at $14.95 - a three pack was $29.99 - I would NOT split! All the NOS were sold so quickly (I limited ONE per customer due to the fact I do get a lot of Commercial businesses that orders in bulk).
MINT STATE: meaning pristine, still in original container, no flaws, no embellishments, no scratching. EXAMPLES: depending on the item, for example, coin - can be traced back to its origins (such as “found in original bank roll or bank bag”), a sign - in original cardboard or wooden frame box and sealed, NOS (new old stock) - original contents, original box, may or may not have original price or store price. (example: Radio/Television Tubes in original box, marked, etc - NOS)
A Buyer who had an upset father because his Dad’s - dad’s old tube AM Radio died. The person contacted me, and had absolutely no idea what the tube was, he knew it was burned out. So I had the buyer to take photos (all the way around) and the socket (bottom) and top and provide me the name of Radio, and if all possible the mother board (aka circuit board). I also noticed another tube appeared to be “dying” and had him to pull that out and take photos. Heck, he just wanted all of them, and I told them it’s not necessary I can see the other 3 are good, one is questionable and the first one you contacted me is indeed burned out.
(IMAGE BELOW was taken from the web, I had several of these yellow ones - it was not the one I sold)
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All original, never been opened, never been used - MINT
I sold them all on eBay - priced accordingly (I was NOT greedy!)
SOLD: $919 (lowest) to $19,444.01 (highest) - depending on color, some are more rarer than others - all with 99 cent NO RESERVE! All primarily sold for about $1,003 a piece (with the exceptions of the 2 Super Rare I had listed)
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Here’s a Factual Proof:
You’ve got an old Zenith Black and White television that had 2 tubes blown, I had quite a few NOS (New Old Stock). They were sold for $10, $15 or $20 over the price it was originated. For example: If a tube was $4.99 - then it was sold for $14.99 ($15.00).
NOS (New Old Stock)
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AWESOME! RADIO WORKS! DADDY’S HAPPY! GREAT HELPFUL SELLER!
To have one that’s NOS (New Old Stock) can be very rare or common! Just because it’s in NOS/MINT State does NOT mean it’s worth Zillions of Trillions of Dollars!
“Mint” state is extremely difficult to find, but not so of those that are “graded” and have COA (Certificate of Authenticity), and they often come with a hefty price tag (but not always)!
Since my late Uncle had the “compatibility chart and catalogue” I was able to locate the radio and was also able to pull out the Circuit Board Blueprint. Yup, I had a match, and I also noticed that Bill (my late Uncle’s Co-Owner) had a note that if xxx was blown also the xxx is going. (Which put me right on the spot when I told him that it appeared that the other tube was bad). What I did was - I scanned the note, sent it to the buyer and recommended that he buy both tubes. He wanted it right away (his dad was in a nursing home and listened to the radio every day and was visibly upset because radio no longer worked). Because I was very low stock on the 2nd (the one that was going) - that one was $29.99, the other tube (common) was only $14.99, he paid $10.95 for overnight. I even scanned the “old instructions” of how to insert the tube as well and put it in the box.
Very next day, in the afternoon the buyer left 5 star feedback with all CAPS: