Warning: don't buy those 'restored' 1950s radios without checking the guts first

I dropped $120 on a supposedly restored 1957 tabletop radio from an antique mall in Tulsa. Looked perfect on the outside, but after two weeks the sound started crackling and then it just died. Opened it up and the capacitors were original paper ones, not replaced like the seller claimed. The repair guy quoted me $85 to redo it properly, so I basically paid double what the thing is worth. Has anyone else gotten burned by these fake restorations, or do you have a trick for spotting a real recapped set from the outside?

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karenw9018d ago

Only real guarantee is asking for a photo of the chassis before you buy, but even that can be faked if they know what they're doing. A working radio that's been recapped usually has thicker, darker solder joints on the bottom that look touched up, not shiny and uniform like factory work. Your best move is to bring a small flashlight and look for any wax dripping out of the paper caps near the tubes, they ALWAYS bulge or leak when they're that old.