Antique Radio Swap Meets

West St. Paul, MN Radio Swap Meet

2009-11-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, I trust that all is well in your life as it always is in mine. I will be attending a vintage radio swap meet in West St. Paul, MN this Saturday (11/7/09) and wanted to let you all know about it in case you also wanted to attend. The event opens up to the public at 8:30am and will be held at the St. Croix Lutheran High School at 1200 Oakdale Ave. I hope to see some of you at this event, I am sure it will be jam-packed with vintage radio treasures. Have a fantastic day and I will talk to you again soon. Peace, Patrick

Carol Stream, IL & Greenfield, IN & Milwaukee, WI Radio Swap Meets

2009-10-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

Greetings, I must start out by apologizing for not posting anything for quite some time, I have been taking a small break from my vintage electronics adventures in order to focus on another passion of mine. In any event, as you can see from the title of this post, I am certainly making up for the break. On October 4, 2009, I attended the last outdoor antique radio swap meet in Carol Stream, IL and I am happy to report that I picked up a number of nice pieces of tube hifi gear from the Fisher and Scott companies. Tomorrow (10/10/09) I will be attending the Fall Foliage Antique Radio Swap Meet in Greenfield, IN, which is probably the last outdoor swap meet that I will attend in the mid-west this year. I much prefer outdoor swap meets, compared to indoor ones, for a number of reasons. Outdoor meets typically allow for much more room for vendors to setup and, the vendor spaces are usually larger and less expense as well. I also really enjoy being out in the fresh air bright and early in the morning "digging" for electronic treasures. After the Greenfield, IN event, I will be attending and setting up at the Milwaukee Airport radio swap meet on Sunday (10/11/09), which will also be having their very first donation auction in addition to the meet. The Wisconsin Antique Radio Club (WARC) is relatively small, when compared to other mid-western radio clubs however, they are doing their best to grow membership. If you are interested in attending the Milwaukee meet, it starts around 7am this Sunday and is located at 5917 S. Howell Ave. (right across from the Milwaukee International Airport), maybe I will see you there. As always, keep an eye on my eBay listings by doing a search for my eBay user name of Spiritman68 you will always finds interesting pieces of electronic history in addition to a few other vintage items as well. Until next time, have a wonderful day. Peace, Patrick

2009-07-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from RadioFest 2009 in Willowbrook, IL, including a couple of my gorgeous wife (one with her prized auction purchase of a vintage RCA Nipper Dog). Enjoy!

Radiofest 2009 - Willowbrook, IL

2009-07-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Again, I hope all is well in your world, as it is in mine. I do apologize for not being able to blog for a bit of time however, rest assured, I have been very busy attending vintage radio events over the summer. The next event I will attending is Radiofest 2009 in Willowbrook, IL. My gorgeous wife Dawn will be attending this event with me, which makes it all the more special. Radiofest is a multi-day event, which includes a great auction and swap meet. Because I will be actually setting up at this event, I should have time to upload some photos from the event, for those of you who can not attend to enjoy. I will talk to you again real soon. Peace, Patrick

Plymouth, MN Radio Swap Meet: Part 2

2009-05-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I am back from my radio adventure at the Plymouth, MN RadioFest 2009 and boy was it fun (although a bit cold at 6am Saturday morning). Surprisingly, I did not purchase anything at the auction Friday evening however, I certainly made up for it at the swap meet on Saturday morning. I ended up aquiring 3 vintage hifi vacuum tube receivers, a Sansui 1000A, a Sansui 1000 (with the original manual), and a Harman-Kardon tube receiver. In addition, I picked up a number of nice globe output tubes including 4 type 45 tubes, a nice RCA 50 tube, and a NOS Cunningham 2A3 tube. To satisfy my antique radio itch, I picked up a couple of unique book radios, which look like books until you open them up, and a gorgeous little Emerson birdseye maple Ingraham cabinet table radio. In addition, I picked up some nice vintage tube PA amps and a vintage Heathkit tube amp. I also picked up a couple of nice Zenith Trans-Oceanic radios (one tube type and one solid-state). Lastly, to round things out a bit, I picked up a Hallicrafters SX-100 HAM radio and speaker, for you HAM collctors out there. You will be able to see (and bid on) many of these items in the coming weeks. If you are interested, just check out my website at http://www.simplyspiritsales.com/ and scroll down to the bottom of the home page where you will see my eBay auctions and can also bid on them from there. Until next time, happy collecting. Peace, Patrick

2009 Plymouth, MN Radio Auction & Swap Meet

2009-05-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I posted my last blog post and I apologize for that. I am currently on another radio adventure in Plymouth, MN (near St. Paul) and will be attending an antique radio auction tonight (5/15/09) and an outdoor vintage radio swap meet in the morning. I am really looking forward to these events, as always, and plan to update this blog with all of my treasured purchases. Talk to you again soon. Peace, Patrick

Tri-State Radio Fest (Monaca, PA) & Side Trip

2009-04-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am currently at the Tri-State Radio Fest and Auction in Monaca, PA (near Pittsburg). I left a day early for this event in order to visit a friend and fellow radio collector. I ended practically filling my van with all kinds of great tube audio related items that I purchased from him. Be sure to check out my website at www.simplyspiritsales.com if you want to see some of the items. Just scroll down the home page and click on the link to my eBay auctions. I sould have some of the items listed some time next week. Luckily, I was able to consolidate the items in my van in order to make room for today's radio fest and auction purchases. Rich Estes will be conducting the auction, which is always a real treat for me. Rich does such an excellent job and is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Well, I got to go, it should be another exciting and event-filled day. I will talk to you again soon. Peace, Patick

Charlotte, NC Radio Swap Meet & Other Stuff

2009-04-04T12:55:00.001-07:00

The Charlotte, NC radio swap meet and auction certainly lived up to the great expectations I put upon it. Although the swap meet had to be moved inside due to the threat of bad weather, it still turned out great and, in my opinion, it is still one of the best antique radio events of the entire year. I picked up a lot of hifi tube gear at the show such as Fisher amplifiers and receivers in addition to some H. H. Scott tube gear and a few other items. It was very difficult to pass up a McIntosh 240 tube amp, which was in excellent condition however, I had to due to the fact that it was a bit over-priced for me. However, if I owned one of those amps in that great of condition, I would probably over-price it as well so that I could keep it and enjoy it longer. Because I have not been able to update this blog for some time after the Carlotte radio event, I have already sold many of the items that I purchased from the show however, I will have additional items listed next week so keep checking out my website at www.simplyspiritsales.com and click on the eBay link near the bottom of the home page to see all the stull I have to offer. In addition to the items I purchased at the Charlotte radio event, I spoke with a person whom I conider to be one of the most knowledgable experts on the subject of vacuum tubes. If you are at all interested in vacuum tubes, you may have also heard of him. His name is Bob Dobush and you couldn't meet a nicer or more knowledgable guy. Bob showed me a couple of relatively rare Langevin tube amplifiers, which were made under license from Western Electric. I debated purchasing them at the radio show and, after I got back home, was having serious second thoughts. To make a long story short, I am currently in South Bend, IN where I am waiting to meet Bob in order to purchase the amps from him. Bob was nice enough to meet me half way between his hometown and mine. These amps are probably some of the most valuable amps I will own to date and, if I do decide to sell them, you will be able to take a look at them yourself on my website. Overall, it has been a very exciting couple of weeks, related to vintage radio adventures, and the majority of outdoor shows have not even started yet this year. The next event I am considering attending is a radio swap meet and auction in Monaca, PA on April 19th. I have never attended this particular event in the past however, it looks to be a good one featuring an Estes auction on site. That is all the news fit to print for now. I now get to watch the clock slowly creep forward as I count the minutes until Bob arrives with my amps. I will talk to you again soon. Peace, Patrick

Eau Claire, WI HamFest Auction

2009-03-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Due to the fact that there have not been many actual antique radio related events in the last month (at least not in in midwest US), I have been going to a number of HamFests instead. Last weekend (3/7/09), I attended a small HamFest in Sterling, IL at which I picked up a few vintage electronics including a MaCo 300, 700-watt linear amp and a B&K Dyna-Quik 500 tube tester. This coming weekend (3/14/09) I will be attending a vintage amateur equipment auction in Eau Claire, WI, which should be fun. This is the 20th annual time this auction has been held and it always seems to attract at least a few interesting items. After the auction, I will be waiting patiently for the huge, multi-day, antique radio swap meet and auction in Charlotte, NC. This particular radio event is one of my favorites of the entire year and I am very excited to be able to attend again this year. Please keep checking my website at www.simplyspiritsales.com in order to see some of the items I have aquired. Stay tuned for more antique radio related antics and have a great day. Peace, Patrick

Estes Antique Radio Auction 2/21/09

2009-02-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it to another fantastic Estes radio auction this past Saturday (2/21/09) and managed to avoid the majority of the snow both to and from the auction. This auction was heavy in nice vintage hifi tube audio gear, of which I was able to aquire quite a few piece of. I currently have a couple of vintage HH Scott items, a McIntosh preamp, and a relatively rare Fisher tube preamp. If you would like to see these items, and possible get to bid on them, please take a look at my website at www.simplyspiritsales.com and scroll to near the bottom of the home page where you will find a link to my eBay listings. I plan to list more of this fine vintage hifi tube gear over the next couple weeks. Once again, I was quite pleased with the quality and quantity of the items at this particular auction. My next planned trip is not scheduled until near the end of March in Charlotte, NC. By that time, I will certainly be wanting to escape the cold weather here in Milwaukee and, the Charlotte, NC antique radio swap meet is one of the best of the entire year, in my opinion. This is one of the few multi-day radio shows, which includes a very good auction as well. So, please stay tuned for additional updates of my radio adventures. Peace, Patrick

Farmington Hills, MI Antique Radio Show: Part 2

2009-02-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

I am now back from the Farmington Hills, MI antique radio swap meet and was it ever fun. The show consisted of two large rooms filled with vendors of antique radio related items. I spent the extra $10 to get into the show an hour early, in order to find those extra-special deals and boy was it well worth it. I did not buy many items but, the items I did purchase were relatively high quality hifi stuff including a Fisher 800C tube receiver and a pair of Dynaco Dynakit Mark III monoblock tube amplifiers. To see these items, in addition to other vintage electronic items that I purchased at this show, take a look at my website at www.simplyspiritsales.com and scroll down to near the bottom of the page to the eBay "widget", which will allow you to scroll through all of my current eBay auctions. In addition, I picked up a number of unique RCA Victor Nipper related items for my wife's and my collection. As always, my wife was just thrilled with the Nipper items although, she has no real interest in the hifi stuff. The next shows that I may be attending are next weekend in Beech Grove, IN (2/7/09) and Carol Stream, IL (2/8/09). The Indiana show will depend on the state of the ice storm issues of course. Until next time, have a great week. Peace, Patrick

Farmington Hills, MI Antique Radio Swap Meet

2009-01-29T14:36:00.000-08:00

It looks like I will be attending the Farmington Hills, MI radio show this Saturday (1/31/09) and the weather appears to be cooperating with my plans. It should take me approximately 6-hours to drive to this event and I plan to stay nearby in Southfield, MI the night before. This particular vintage radio event is held indoors, obviously due to the weather in Michigan this time of year however, although many indoor antique radio events are relatively small, the ones in Michigan seem to be fairly large in size. I am looking forward to going to a good-sized radio swap meet since most of the recent events I have attended so far this winter have been either smaller indoor radio shows or Estes radio auctions. It will be nice to roam around all the wonderful treasures at my leisure on Saturday without having to sit for up to 6-hours, as is the case at many radio auctions. I look forward to hopefully purchasing some vintage tube hifi gear in addition to possibly finding some old Western Electric vacuum tubes. All-in-all this should be a great trip and I will be sure to update this blog after the event in order to let you all know what treasures I ended up finding. I find that it is best if I do not get too attached to any particular outcome, regarding items I really want to purchase, but rather to have a more general idea as to what I may be interested in purchasing and letting things unfold naturally. Anyway, have a wonderful day and I will be back sooner rather than later to update this blog. Peace, Patrick

Estes Radio Museum Auction

2009-01-16T16:22:00.001-08:00

It has been almost a month since my last vintage radio related trip and I was starting to get a bit anxious so I have braved the cold weather and decided to attend the Estes antique radio auction tomorrow (1/17/09). This particular auction consists of items from an antique radio museum in Indiana, in addition to many other items. I arrived in Burbank, OH this afternoon (1/16/09) in order to take a look at all of the items and, I have to say, the selection of quality vintage electronics is simply amazing. From vintage ribbon microphones, to old HAM gear, to gorgeous wood table and console radios, to tube hifi gear, to high end vacuum tubes themselves, this particular auction will be one to remember. One of these trips, I will take some photos of the event and publish them online as well however, for this auction, be sure to take a look at my website next week, in order to see some of the items I was able to aquire. If you have forgotten, my website can be found at http://www.simplyspiritsales.com/. Once you get to my website, just scroll down to near the bottom of the home page and then scroll through the items I have have listed online. I am sure it will be hard for me to ge to sleep tonight knowing what treasures await me in the morning. This is almost as exciting as Christmas morning use to be when "Santa" would magically arrive with wonderful presants for all. Anyway, after this auction, I will be attending a local radio swap meet in Milwaukee, WI on January 25. I will talk to you again soon. Peace, Patrick

Estes Antique Radio Auction Purchases

2008-12-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

Well, the Estes radio auction went well, I spent about four hours at the auction and purchased about 10 neat items. I won a number of HAM radios including a National, a Kenwood, and a Hammarlund unit. In addition, I got a very nice vintage RCA ribbon microphone and a few vintage audio tubes. In the vintage tube HiFi catagory, I purchased a Scott stereo tuner and an older Dukane tube amplifier. I also picked up a cool RCA Nipper dog advertising light for our personal collection. Lastly, I picked up a relatively rare Federal wireless radio set. For photos and more details on these items, and to get the chance to possibly purchase some of them, please feel free to check out my website at www.simplyspiritsales.com and look for the link to my eBay auction. I should have some of these items listed online within the next few days. At this point, I do not have any antique radio related trips planned before the holidays so, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe New Year's Eve. I will talk to you all again early next year. Peace, Patrick

Estes Auction It Is!!!

2008-12-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hello, I apologize ahead of time for not being able to include much detail in this post due to time constraints however, I have decided that I will be attending the Estes vintage radio auction in Burbank, OH this Saturday 12/13/08. It appears that this auction will consist of many vintage HAM radio related items however, as always, there will also be a wide variety of other vintage radio related treasures as well. I hope to be able to post a more detailed blog entry either during my trip or shortly there-after. More will be revealed soon....

Upcoming Vintage Radio Events

2008-11-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Although it has been a while since I last posted on this blog, rest assured, I am still very much interested in attending as many vintage radio events as possible. The next events that I am considering attending are an Estes vintage radio auction on Saturday 12/13 and a radio swap meet in Carol Stream, IL on Sunday 12/14. Of these two events, the Estes auction will probably have many more items to choose from considering that the swap meet in Carol Stream is indoors and typically rather small. However, the Carol Stream radio show is only 2-hours from my home whereas the Estes auction is over 7-hours away. Most likely I will make a decision in about a week and I will be sure to post my decision on this blog first. Stay tuned....

Kalamazoo, MI Radio Swap Meet: Part 2

2008-11-15T09:37:00.000-08:00

I do apologize for not updating this blog any sooner, I have been very busy with preparations for my upcoming graduation from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. I will be receving my masters degree in engineering management next Saturday (11/22) and I am very excited. I will also be presenting/defending my thesis this Thursday so, all-in-all, it is a busy time for me. Regarding the Kalamazoo, MI Radio Show, which my wife and I attended, it was a lot of fun and the show was one of the largest indoor radio swap meets that I have ever attended. I picked up a lot of cool stuff, some of which you can check out on my website at www.simplyspiritsales.com by scrolling down the home page until you see my eBay items shown in the box. The only thing I did not like about this particular radio show was the fact that, as a seller/vendor, we were not able to bring any items into the building until 8am, which gave us very little time to setup before the customers started to arrive. In any event, I am very pleased that we got to go to this show. At this point, I am not quite sure where or when I will be going on another trip however, you will be the first to know once I figure it out. Have a wonderful day and I will talk to you again soon. Peace, Pat

Kalamazoo, MI Radio Swap Meet: Part 1

2008-11-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

It has been about 2-weeks since my last adventure and I am getting a bit anxious to get to another vintage radio event. I am planning to travel to Kalamazoo, MI tomorrow (11/07/08) for the vintage radio show being held on Saturday (11/8). My wife and I will probably leave around 9:30am and arrive in Kalamazoo around 2:30pm (taking into account the 1-hour time zone change). After checking into our hotel, we will probably drive to one of my favorite resturants, which is Big Boy. I have a special place in my heart for both Big Boy resturants and Happy Joes Pizza resturants, as I had worked for both of these resturants in my youth and even worked with my wife at a Happy Joes Pizza in Sheboygan, WI, before we moved to Milwaukee. After eating lunch, we may look around for neat stuff to do like going to an antique mall or two. The radio show does not start until 9am on Saturday and we are actually going to setup at this show to try and sell a few items to offset, what will probably be, numerous purchases. Setup at the show starts around 8am in the morning, which is a bit later than most radio shows. Also, because this is an indoor show, it will be a bit smaller than many of the outdoor shows however, I still find even the indoor shows a lot of fun. Most likely, I will update this blog again sometime after getting back home from this show and will be able to share some of the neat items I anticipate purchasing. That is all for now. Have a great day. Peace, Patrick

Estes Auction Trip: Part 3

2008-10-27T18:38:00.001-07:00

I am now back home in Milwaukee, WI after a very productive time at Estes Radio Auction in Burbank, OH. I actually only spent about 3-hours at the auction due to the fact that, by that time, I had already spent more than twice as much as what I had planned to. There were so many fantastic items that it was very difficult deciding what to pass on. The drive back was fairly uneventful with one exception. I ended up contributing to the Indiana state economy via a speedking ticket. The good news is the fact that it has been quite a few years since I have gotten a speeding ticket (somewhat surprisingly) and because the ticket was obtained in a state other than my home state, there will be no demerit points against my license. I have now had a little time to rest and was even able to list a few of my auction purchases on eBay. If you are interested in seeing some of my finds, take a look at my website at http://www.simplyspiritsales.com/ where there is a link to my current eBay listings. This trip was well worth the time and effort and I am always amazed at the outstanding offerings that I find at Estes. My next trip if planned for November 8th to attend the Kalamazoo, MI Radio Swap Meet with my lovely wife. I will update my blog as that radio show approaches. Stayed tuned....

Estes Auction Trip: Part 2

2008-10-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

I am now near Burbank, OH for the night. The trip went quick and smooth although it did rain most of the way here. The great thing about the rain is the fact that I do not have to clean my windshield every time I stop for gas. Speaking of gas, I have not seen such low gas prices in a very long time. I had a chance to take a look at the items, which will be auctioned tomorrow, and I must say that there is a very large selection of nice treasures. I have also done my research in order to try and figure out what some of the items are worth. At this point, I am quite tired and therefore will probably just relax for the rest of the evening as much as possible. It can be hard for me to relax with such a fantastic auction right around the corner. By the time I submit my next blog post, I will have all of my treasures safely in my van and will part way back to Milwaukee. I plan to stay in Elkhart, IN tomorrow night after the auction. We will talk again soon. Have a great evening. Peace, Patrick

10/25 Estes Radio Auction Trip: Part 1

2008-10-21T11:27:00.001-07:00

Well, I have decided to go on another adventure before the Kalamazoo, MI radio swap meet on November 8th. This decision was actually a bit tough due to the fact that there is not only a vintage radio auction at Estes (in Burbank, OH) on Saturday 10/25, there is also another vintage radio auction in Olney, IL the following day on Sunday 10/26. It would be physically possible for me to attend both auctions however, even I have limits as to how much traveling I will do in a set period of time (although that may be hard to believe:-). I based my decision, on which auction to attend, on my previous experiences at both auctions. The auction in Olney, IL is quite a bit smaller than any Estes auction and the quality of the merchandise is also typically much lower at the Olney, IL auction. Also, the Estes auction is only about an hour further from my home than the Olney auction. In addition, this particular Estes auction is a combination of two radio collections, which will make for an even bigger selection than they normally have. Also, there will be a number of nice vintage hi-fi related audio items at this auction, which are some of my favorite items to purchase. All of these factors combined, and the fact that I have never been disappointed at an Estes auction, lead me to my final decision. That being said, I plan to leave this Friday 10/24 and drive strait through to Burbank, OH, which is about a 7-hour trip. I then plan to preview the items Friday evening and will attend the auction on Saturday. I plan to aquire quite a few nice treasures from this particular auction and will probably post a blog entry related to the items I acquire. Next up, after this particular auction, is the Kalamazoo, MI radio swap meet on November 8th. What will make this event extra special is the fact that my wonderful wife will be accompanying me on the trip. Any time I am able to share my passion with my wife is a true blessing in all senses of the work. Stay tuned, more adventures to come...

Greenfield, IN & Milwaukee, WI Radio Shows

2008-10-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

I am now back in Milwaukee after my extended travels (see previous blog posts for details). The Greenfield, IN radio swap meet was well worth going to, the weather was fantastic (lower 80's) and there were about a dozen or so dealers set up. I ended up purchasing a number of vintage hi-fi related items, including a very nice pair of Craftsmen tube amplifiers, in addition to a National HAM radio and an RCA Radiola III radio. I spent approximately 3-hours at that show and then made my way back to Milwaukee. Upon arriving in Milwaukee, I had to unload all of my purchases and then reload the van with the items I was going to be selling at the Milwaukee radio show the next day. Overall, it was quite a work out. I was able to take it easy for the rest of the night so that I was well rested in order to get up at 5:30am on Sunday so that my wife and I could setup at the Milwaukee radio swap meet by about 6:30am. The good news was that this particular radio show in Milwaukee is probably the closet show to our home, which means it takes less than 30-minutes to get to it. The Milwaukee show is usually one of the smallest ones I attend however, due to the great weather (upper-70's) for this time of year, there were more dealers setup than usual (approximately 8 to 10) in addition, there was actually one dealer who was from Minnesota and a couple from Illinois. I purchased a relatively rare Fairchild hi-fi amplifier in addition to a RCA console radio and a few other nice items. Unfortunately, my wife and I did not sell anything at this particular show. We actually left the show a bit earlier than usual due to the fact that we were approached by a gentleman who was attempting to get rid of a 1950's console radio, which he had been trying to dispose of since the beggining of summer. Once I got more details on what he had, I jumped at the chance to take it off of his hands. When my wife and I arrived at this persons home, which was only about 5-minutes from our own home, we found that this large console radio was in his basement. At first we thought we would just carry it up the stairs and right into our mini-van. However, this item was so heavy that that would have been impossible. So we literally took the console apart, piece by piece, in this man's basement. In the end, I was happy that this is the way it turned out since, I was planning on taking the console apart anyway, because I was mainly intersted in the amplifiers, speakers, and tuner in the unit and, it was much easier taking it apart in this man's airconditioned basement, as it would have been in our unairconditioned garage. Once the unit was apart, it was much easier to carry the cabinet up the stairs and into our van. Overall, I was very happy with the parts I got from the unit. Anyway, my next planned trip will probably be for the November 8th Radio Swap Meet in Kalamazoo, MI. However, I do know that there is an antique radio auction comming up in Ohio on October 25th, so who knows if that will be too much of an attraction for me to pass up. In any event, stay tuned for more adventures.....

Greenfield, IN Radio Show

2008-10-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am currently staying in Indianapolis, IN tonight in order to get to the Greenfield, IN Radio Swap Meet bright and early tomorrow morning. The drive today was fairly uneventful until I hit Indianapolis. There seems to be major road construction all around the city. Lucky for me, my hotel is on the outer edge of town, which means I did not have to deal with most of the traffic issues. I will probably get up around 6am tomorrow morning in order to arrive at the radio show by about 7am. Have a great day. Peace, Patrick

Berwick, PA & Greenfield, IN Trips: Part 2

2008-10-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

I have traveled a bit over 1000-miles in the last 2-days and have picked up my accordion and amplifiers in Berwick, PA. All of the items are in even better condition than what I was originally expecting and the transaction went smoothly. I am just thrilled with my purchases. If you are interest in seeing exactly what I bought, take a look at eBay auction number 280273282609, I believe that eBay keeps auctions available for approximately 60-days after they end. The driving so far has gone smoothly with great weather. The new minivan is a dream to drive, it is so smooth and quite compared to the one I traded in. While on the road, I was contacted by the newspaper reported from Jackson, TN, whom I wrote about in a previous blog post. She had a few more questions for me, related to radio collecting, and told me that the story she is writing will be published this Sunday (10/12). Once I confirm that the story is available online, I will post a link to it. Tomorrow I will be traveling approximately 300 more miles and will be staying in Indianapolis, IN, which is only 20-miles from the Antique Radio Swap Meet that I will be attending in Greenfield, IN on Saturday. After the swap meet, I will be traveling back home to Milwaukee, WI so that I can get up around 5am Sunday morning to setup for a radio swap meet near the Milwaukee General Michell International Airport. I will actually be selling at that show. Needless to say, it has been and will continue to be an event-filled few days. That is all for now, more will be revealed soon....

Berwick, PA & Greenfield, IN Trips

2008-10-08T17:08:00.001-07:00

It’s about 7pm Wednesday evening and I drove about 8-hours today on my way to pick up the newly purchased treasures I mentioned previously. I plan to arrive in Berwick, PA around 1pm tomorrow and am really excited about seeing the vintage accordion and amplifiers in person. Once I pick the items up, I will be turning around and heading toward Greenfield, IN for the Radio Swap Meet on Saturday. I plan to update this blog as events transpire. Thank you for reading and have a great day. Peace, Patrick

Side Note

2008-10-07T10:31:00.001-07:00

Hello Again, as soon as I finished the last blog post, I realized that I left out some very important information regarding my history. What I left out was that my current lifestyle would not be possible without the full support of my loving and beautiful wife Dawn. Dawn and I have been married for over 14-years now and not a day goes by that she does not support my passions in one way or another. It may be hard to believe but I love her more today than I did when I first married her. Not only does she support my “adventures” she also actually has her own interest in vintage/antique radios and was the catalyst which directed my antique’s resale business to focus more specifically on vintage electronics. I owe a great deal to my wife who stands behind all of my decisions, no matter how unrealistic they may appear at the time. I truly believe that Dawn and I are soul mates and that we not only belong together, but we allow for each other’s passions and strengths to truly shine as brightly as possible. I cannot say enough regarding how wonderful, caring, and considerate my wife truly is, which gives me daily inspiration and courage to follow my own dreams. Dawn’s gorgeous outer appearance is outshined only by her capacity to give unconditional love. She is my angel in human form. Stay tuned, more vintage radio related adventures to come…….

Greenfield, IN Radio Swap Meet & Side Trip: Part 1

2008-10-03T10:38:00.001-07:00

Well, today is Tuesday (10/7) and, as my last post stated, I was planning on going to the Greenfield, IN Radio Swap Meet this Saturday. I had planned on leaving Friday and staying overnight near the meet however, as happens quite regularly in my life, I became distracted and will be going on a side trip to Berwick, PA before going to the Greenfield, IN show. Let me explain how this side trip came about. First, a bit of history may be in order. I am the type of person who has learned, through hard experience, that it is best to allow life to unfold in its own unique way rather than trying to force life around my will. That being said, I have also learned that, when I allow life to unfold effortlessly and syncronistically, no matter how unrealistic the outer circumstances appear surrounding an experience, great things happen. Let me explain how this applies to my current plans to travel to Berwick, PA, which will take me close to 13-hours one way, rather than just going to the Greenfield, IN meet, which is only about 5-hours from my home. About a month ago, my Father made his transition rather unexpectedly. My Dad was a great man with many talents and passions, one of them being able to play the accordion very well. In addition, his Dad, my Grandfather played accordions and had a collection of well over 300 accordions at one time. I had learned to play accordion when I was a child but, since then, have not really had any interest in it. However, after my Dad made his transition, that interest was piqued once again and I found that I am still able to play the accordion as well as I did when I had taken lessons (probably over 30-years ago). Since my Dad’s passing, I have received many signs from him relating to his current well-being, which has done much to console me and to help me deal with his transition. I now know that he is still very much alive and well in his new home. Anyway, back to the story at hand (I told you that I am easily distracted at times, didn’t I?). I was recently thinking about my Father and his accordions and the thought came into my mind about a particular accordion and amplifier that my Grandfather had owned. I did not think much of the thought at the time however, the following night I had a dream about my Father which, among other things, also related to this particular accordion of my Grandfather's. Again, I still did not think too much about it afterward however, I was able to remember the dream very clearly. The day after I had the dream, I was doing a search on eBay, which I do on a regular basis in order to find out what particular types of items are currently selling for as research for my resale vintage electronics business, and I did a simple search for “tube amps.” Vacuum tube amplifiers are one of my favorite areas of my vintage electronics business and collection. After scrolling through a number of pages of guitar amps and home stereo amps, I came across and auction for the exact same type of accordion that my Grandfather had owned, in addition to three amplifiers to go with it. Again, this is not something I was particularly looking for however, life seems to works in mysterious ways at times and I have learned to go with the flow for the best results. After reading the eBay auction description for the accordion and tube amps, I realized that the “Buy It Now” price for the auction was probably less than what just the accordion itself was worth and therefore I went ahead and purchased the items. After purchasing the item, I then decided to look at the shipping terms and found out that these items could only be picked up, not shipped. I still did not think much of it however, I then looked at where the items were located and found out they were in Berwick, PA (almost 13-hours from my home). At first I did panic a bit however, from past experience with these types of synchronistic events, I knew that not only all would be well but, in fact, all would be fantastic in the end. So, long story shorter, I will be leaving Wednesday 10/8 and will drive half way to Berwick and will then drive the rest of the way on Thursday morning and will pick up the items Thursday afternoon. After picking up the items, I will then turn around and head toward the Greenfield, IN radio swap meet. I plan to arrive in Greenfield Friday afternoon, which will give me a bit of time to relax before the swap meet Saturday morning. Some of you may be thinking, “is this person nuts for doing all of this driving for a few items, which he has not actually even seen in person, especially with gas prices where their currently are at?” All that I can say to that is that yes, I may be partially “nuts” but I have learned to rely on my intuition and faith in allowing life to guide me and this philosophy has never failed me. I honestly look at this trip, and many others I have taken, as a great, exciting, adventure and one in which I am truly grateful to be able to pursue as part of my business and passion. I have learned that following my passions will never lead me astray. Although I currently do not know all of the details, regarding how this entire situation will play out, I do know, without a doubt, that it will be beyond my wildest expectations. I am truly blessed to be able to do what I love and get paid for it. Being able to drop everything and leave on a 13-hour road trip is something I never dreamt I would be able to do in the not so distant past however, it is now my reality and I just love it. Needless to say, my Father and Grandfather will be accompanying my every step of the way on this trip so I know I am in for a real treat and many unexpected surprises. I think I have gone on long enough for today. Please feel free to check out my website at http://www.simplyspiritsales.com/ in addition to my other vintage electronic related sites at http://www.vintagewesternelectric.com/ and http://www.catalin-radios.com/. Stay tuned, there is more adventure to come soon……

Henderson, TN Radio Swap Meet: Part 1

2008-09-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

I left Milwaukee, WI today on my journey to an antique radio swap meet in Henderson, TN. This event starts Saturday morning and I look forward to aquiring additional items for my collection and my resale business at www.simplyspiritsales.com. I drove approximately 6-hours of the 10-hour trip today and am staying in Marion, IL this evening. This is the first trip in my new 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan and the ride was fantastic so far. The weather has been gorgeous with no rain and mid-80 degree temps. This is the first radio swap meet I will be attending in over a month and I am really looking forward to it. I have not been to this particular event previously, so that also adds a bit more excitement to it. I look forward to posting additional details of this trip in the days to follow and plan to post similar details of my travels throughout the US attending various antique radio swap meets and auctions. More to come soon...

Henderson, TN Radio Swap Meet Trip Part 2

2008-09-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not being able to write the second part of this post until now. My online sales business has been keeping me very busy lately. The Henderson, TN radio show was rather small, about 8 sellers were setup however, I did end up purchasing a number of nice table radios in addition to other vintage radio related items for a total of 10 items. I got to the radio show around 7am and the show was in full swing by about 9am. However, after 9am, not much else was happening. The weather was fantastic with clear skys and mid-80 degree temps. I was actually interviewed by a reporter for the local newspaper who may or may not end up using my interview for a story she is writing. I spent about 3-hours at the radio show and then started my journey back to Milwaukee. I drove about 7-hours back on the day of the show (Saturday) and the rest of the way on Sunday, staying at a nice hotel a couple hours South of Chicago. Feel free to go to my website at www.simplyspiritsales.com to check out some of the items I purchased at this show. The next radio swap meet, which I plan to attend, will be in Greenfield, IN on October 11, 2008. This show is about 5-hours from my home-base in Milwaukee, WI and I can't wait to check it out and find some cool treasures. Stay tuned, more to come.......