Bidding Hikes Up to $9,000 on This Rare Zenith Before eBay Or Seller Mysteriously Terminates Bid

Update: I posted this a few days ago. KR informs us that the radio has been mysteriously terminated from bidding:

At what point does a refurbished radio go too far and become something other than the original radio? Such a question surrounds this controversial rare Zenith Trans-Oceanic radio. 

KR sent the following controversy regarding this radio and I will say this: Before us is the most intriguing, comical, and novel-worthy info surrounding a radio:

HUGE debate on this on the trans-oceanics yahoo group... I guess the arguments are were the mods done by the Zenith factory for Major Pomy or done by Major Pomy on his own or done at some other point by someone else. It reads like a detective story, everyone is searching for clues. A sampling:

I have waited all this time before I put my size-13s into the mud.

I have looked at the auction. I have scrutinized the pictures. I have read the
description, several times.

The following are my *opinions*. I am writing *for myself*. So I will not write
at the beginning of each section "It is my opinion that...". Please take that as
a given.

a) That radio left the Zenith Factory in Chicago as a plain-Jane 7G605. I expect
it was also a Sailboat (not a Bomber) based on the serial number and two other
indicators. This would make it an early-production unit.
b) That radio was modified at three (3) distinct and different times. The first
time gave it its olive-drab coloring, the relocated headphone jack and similar
stuff. The second gave it its stencil-work and older cosmetic modifications -
perhaps even the grille-cloth - although I have my thoughts on that too.
c) The last modification accounted for the re-capping, knobs, and -I am
guessing- the grille cloth.

First Mod: Why? That radio saw hard service. So, the exterior headphone jack to
protect the face, the olive-drab to replace the worn-out cover. I have no doubt
that radio has seen its share of action. Most 7G605s have to one degree or
another, but I would agree that the one in question saw more than most.

Second Mod: Why? The guy left the military as a Major. He would not have
"volunteered for active service" as a major. Were he a captain in the reserves
and called up - that is hardly a volunteer. My guess is that he went in as a OCS
lieutenant, achieved the rank of Captain and came out as a Major (up-ranked when
mustered out). And that radio was modified then-and-there (the second time) to
reflect his accomplishments. By whom - could be him, could be his men, could be
his family. But certainly NOT Zenith.

Third Mod: Why? Let's polish this baby up, re-cap it, add a few details, create
a story - and there we go.

Extraneous Details:

I have repaired silk-screen-on-metal dial faces such that I challenge anyone
here to detect the repairs without excellent light and a decent loupe. And those
repairs used off-the-shelf materials and anyone-with-a-steady-hand-can-do-it
techniques. That the dial modifications "could only have been done in the Zenith
factory" is so much wishful blather.

The so-called provenance is brilliantly written so as to make no direct,
actionable statements; effective use of propinquity; and sequential statements
done in such a way as the verified material in the previous statement suggests
the following is equally verified.

In closing, those are my opinions such that nothing written in the auction
description and/or in this venue leaves me in any doubt of them.

Peter Wieck

Update: I posted this a few days ago. KR informs us that the radio has been mysteriously terminated from bidding:

At what point does a refurbished radio go too far and become something other than the original radio? Such a question surrounds this controversial rare Zenith Trans-Oceanic radio. 

KR sent the following controversy regarding this radio and I will say this: Before us is the most intriguing, comical, and novel-worthy info surrounding a radio:

HUGE debate on this on the trans-oceanics yahoo group... I guess the arguments are were the mods done by the Zenith factory for Major Pomy or done by Major Pomy on his own or done at some other point by someone else. It reads like a detective story, everyone is searching for clues. A sampling:

I have waited all this time before I put my size-13s into the mud.

I have looked at the auction. I have scrutinized the pictures. I have read the
description, several times.

The following are my *opinions*. I am writing *for myself*. So I will not write
at the beginning of each section "It is my opinion that...". Please take that as
a given.

a) That radio left the Zenith Factory in Chicago as a plain-Jane 7G605. I expect
it was also a Sailboat (not a Bomber) based on the serial number and two other
indicators. This would make it an early-production unit.
b) That radio was modified at three (3) distinct and different times. The first
time gave it its olive-drab coloring, the relocated headphone jack and similar
stuff. The second gave it its stencil-work and older cosmetic modifications -
perhaps even the grille-cloth - although I have my thoughts on that too.
c) The last modification accounted for the re-capping, knobs, and -I am
guessing- the grille cloth.

First Mod: Why? That radio saw hard service. So, the exterior headphone jack to
protect the face, the olive-drab to replace the worn-out cover. I have no doubt
that radio has seen its share of action. Most 7G605s have to one degree or
another, but I would agree that the one in question saw more than most.

Second Mod: Why? The guy left the military as a Major. He would not have
"volunteered for active service" as a major. Were he a captain in the reserves
and called up - that is hardly a volunteer. My guess is that he went in as a OCS
lieutenant, achieved the rank of Captain and came out as a Major (up-ranked when
mustered out). And that radio was modified then-and-there (the second time) to
reflect his accomplishments. By whom - could be him, could be his men, could be
his family. But certainly NOT Zenith.

Third Mod: Why? Let's polish this baby up, re-cap it, add a few details, create
a story - and there we go.

Extraneous Details:

I have repaired silk-screen-on-metal dial faces such that I challenge anyone
here to detect the repairs without excellent light and a decent loupe. And those
repairs used off-the-shelf materials and anyone-with-a-steady-hand-can-do-it
techniques. That the dial modifications "could only have been done in the Zenith
factory" is so much wishful blather.

The so-called provenance is brilliantly written so as to make no direct,
actionable statements; effective use of propinquity; and sequential statements
done in such a way as the verified material in the previous statement suggests
the following is equally verified.

In closing, those are my opinions such that nothing written in the auction
description and/or in this venue leaves me in any doubt of them.

Peter Wieck

Comments

[Angelo]

Weird though---I would guess that typically, people with 5K-10K to toss around for a collectible radio are somewhat well off. Maybe I'm making a big jump here, but usually, people with 10K pocket change are accomplished at something----usually at least average intelligence or better. Who were these bidders? Maybe this IS a credible radio and maybe it IS worth the dough? I'd rather a used Lincoln, but that's me.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

The radio does little for me. I saw a Sony CRF-320 go for about $1,000 recently. That's more like it.

[Huesby]

Another dreamer on Ebay... Item number: 140305556222
Laugh all you can....hehehe

[Ed]

Many people bid, just for the hell of it, and later renege. Just look at that auction for the tomb above Marilyn Monroe's--20 people bid over $2.5 million, but not one bidder has come through with payment yet.

[kr]

From the seller maybe?

I'll take the time to dispell any ideas that there was something wrong with this auction. The issue is an inconsistency in Ebay's policies about payment. Here is what Ebay said: "Unfortunately, we had to remove your listing because the following information violates our policy: in description" : In the terms and conditions we added " Other methods can be discussed by calling us direct at 214-358-5195 to discuss options." Ebay has contradictory rules and they didn't have the decency to pull it until the last moment.

After an auction gets to 3-4K, they start sending messages to the buyers saying that a high dollar credit card payment may not be processed by their credit card company but we knew this as it has happened before. To post on Ebay now, since they have a defacto monopoly on these auctions and after they bought Paypal for 1.2 Billion $$ perhaps 5-6 years ago, they made it mandatory that you accept paypal and credit card payments as a secure method for a buyer purchasing from a seller. So you will see that this auction did not circumvent using a credit card or paypal because this is our normal prefered method of payment. But anticipating a buyer having problems with their card company, we added the note about "Other methods". Shame on us, on the one hand we adhered to their rules and in another in trying to be helpful, we apparently broke another rule. All I can say is that the radio will be reposted and to those that think REA was kicked off,
take a look at REAVINTAGERADIOS and you will find other auctions currently running on other items.

We used to take BidPay, Western Union, Cashiers Checks, and Personal checks as methods of payment, but now Ebay will automatically kick off any auction that has these names anywhere in the text or terms and conditions. In fact just try to post an auction for a Western Electric tube and it will be automatically be kicked off thinking that you are using the word "western union". Are they the only auction web operation? Well they might as well be and they are sure acting like they are the only game in town.

Frankly, we're disgusted that they didn't have the decency to give you a chance to change the wording. They change their rules so much that it is difficult to find the time just to keep up with all their self serving rules.

Just thought you T/O people would like to have the facts rather than all the conjecture that has already been put forth this morning.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

KR, thanks for the update. Stranger than fiction.

[David]

I have a 7G605 with the sail boat and it works, not perfect condition, but not bad for it's age. serial#T848871, and I cannot find a lower serial number in all the articles I've read anywhere online. Has all the pieces with the exception of the middle of the carrying handle :-), and the original battery pack. no real dings or bruises, just needs to be cleaned up. When i saw the last one on ebay go for $279.00 it gave me some idea what mine might be worth.

[David]

If anyone is interested in the above radio I can be reached through email evollanrete@hotmail.com

[David]

Well, I just watched a "Bomber" with what looked like a serial number in the high 85,000's go for $809.00 on Ebay. From the pictures posted mine is as good as, and some things much better, my case is much better, antenna chrome better. But best of all mine is a "SAILBOAT" my serial number T848871. Any interest.....
evollanrete@hotmail.com