The unboxed ones are most likely used, pulled from equipment, possibly working, possibly weak or dead. A few appear to be TV tubes, others could be from radios, or something else. Some have bent pins, and there's a variety of brands, some branded to match the sets they were likely sold in, all of which suggests they're mostly used tubes.
Seconded. The set of tubes still wrapped in shields implies much of the lot were most likely pulled from scrap sets "back in the day" - I've cleared out plenty of estates with caddies or boxes full of tubes in this condition. Also, some of the tubes are branded DuMont, Motorola, etc., which were brands almost exclusively seen on OEM tubes that the sets came with when brand new, not so much tubes sold on the aftermarket. Most of the time they're still in usable shape, but you never know the condition of the sets they were pulled from, so value for used tubes is basically on the floor. There's just so much NOS stock still floating around on the open market most people will pay a few extra bucks for a tube they know is good. I like to re-use used stock when I can, just because I like to minimize waste with restorations, but the reality is they can be very difficult to liquidate from a seller's perspective. All the best, CJ On Wed, Sep 2, 2026 at 11:04 PM Gary Strait via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
A list with type numbers, or a photo where the type numbers are visible would be more useful. Only a few of them happen to be arranged so the type number is visible. There's many types of tubes. Without the number, they could be anything. The type number is usually number-letters-numbers, and sometimes more letters. There are exceptions, especially for early types.
The unboxed ones are most likely used, pulled from equipment, possibly working, possibly weak or dead. A few appear to be TV tubes, others could be from radios, or something else. Some have bent pins, and there's a variety of brands, some branded to match the sets they were likely sold in, all of which suggests they're mostly used tubes.
The radio museum at InfoAge probably has a tube tester, and I picked one up at VCF East consignment a couple of years ago. Mine tests earlier types. Newer testers may not test the oldest types.
Taking one example I can read in your photo: a 6W6GT, introduced in 1939. This can be used as a vertical amplifier for a TV set, or as an audio amplifier. $5 to $20 on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/226393356788, some new old stock, some used, tested. You can look up data on tubes by type number online, like for this 6W6GT: https://www.r-type.org/exhib/acf0310.htm A few others look like they're likely from TV sets, but for most of them, it's hard to say from what I can see in the pictures. The smaller ones without molded bases are generally newer (as in post-WWII).
Some tubes are becoming rare and could be more valuable, other used tubes may not be worth a whole lot. Someone at the radio museum at InfoAge, if you're in that area, could give you an idea of how desirable or valuable they are. There are vintage radio and TV collectors, they might be interested, individually or the whole lot, if they're commonly sought types for replacements. Earlier ones, like the bigger ones with molded bases, are probably more rare and desirable these days.
On 9/2/2026 9:54 PM, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
i would be interested in so far as I have a tube tester and I am happy to take them and if anyone needs one I can share them and they'd be tested. I go to ft washington weekly so I can stop by relatively soon Bill
On Wed, Sep 2, 2026 at 9:38 PM Bob Shuster via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
Hopefully I can post a link, but I finally got around to laying out the tubes and taking some photos (link below.) Any interest? I’m near the Fort Washington Exit of the PA Turnpike - just outside of the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. There are 166 tubes in total, 8 are boxed, plus clips, sleeves, and sockets, plus a boxed Series 200 Relay Coil Assembly.
- Bob Shuster
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14eD4bBqvaYx5AgVcnEKYGIePCNHwJlOa?usp...

On Sun, Aug 9, 2026 at 12:53 PM Bob Shuster via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
In going through my FIL’s things I came across a box with a few hundred vacuum tubes, most just loose in the box. For reference, my FIL was a PhD electrical engineer who worked at RCA - on NASA and other projects - but also liked to build his own speakers and amplifiers. I do not have a tester and in fact my electrical knowledge starts with transistors. I don’t want to give these away - I’m sure he spent hundreds if not more on them - but I also don’t want to go through the process of packing them all for shipping. There are some monster 13cm x 5cm tubes down to smaller c. 5cm tubes. I will lay them out and take photos and try to do some ID, but does anyone have any thoughts on these - or perhaps any interest?
- Bob Shuster