I've started getting into hi-fi headphone audio, and my current amp (Garage1217 Project Sunrise III) allows for a lot of tube rolling, which means swapping in different vacuum tubes to alter the sound. I came across a lot of 300-400 vacuum tubes and a basic tester for $40 on CL. The tester and some of the "audiophile" tubes can fetch more than that on eBay. The problem is, I can't use many of the tubes in my amp. It takes dual triode 9-pin 6V and 12V tubes and 8-pin 6V tubes with an adapter. I plan on keeping the picks of the litter and selling off the audiophile tubes I don't need/like, but what about the other stuff? Put it all up on CL or eBay as a lot, or go through the trouble of testing them all and selling them individually? I'm sure I will get more money in the long run for the latter, but tubes that don't fit in guitar amps or audiophile equipment tend to linger.
On the slow moving stuff, undercut all the other lingering ones on ebay, you'll still make more than moving lots.
I guarantee there's a tube in that lot that someone is aching for.
Any 6X5GT or 6X5WGT? I could take a few of those off your hands.
http://www.wired.com/2009/07/vacuum-tube-chess-flickers-and-glows/
bigdaddylee82 wrote:
Any 6X5GT or 6X5WGT? I could take a few of those off your hands.
I might have a couple of those on hand. I will PM you if I find any.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote:
http://www.wired.com/2009/07/vacuum-tube-chess-flickers-and-glows/
Nifty! I have tons of 12AU7s and 12AT7s I can use for pawns. 
Even the dead ones are worth money to the steampunk crowd. Especially if you retrofit them with LEDs to make them look like they're glowing.
Ian F
MegaDork
8/31/15 9:36 a.m.
I suppose the question is how much money do you need/want to make off your CL find? How much effort can you invest? Are the tubes you've already picked out worth the $40 you spent?
Personally, I'd probably just put the rest on eBay with a $1 starting bid and let market forces determine worth.
That said, the chess set is really cool. 
bigdaddylee82 wrote:
Any 6X5GT or 6X5WGT? I could take a few of those off your hands.
Sorry, I have no 6X5GT tubes.
RexSeven wrote:
bigdaddylee82 wrote:
Any 6X5GT or 6X5WGT? I could take a few of those off your hands.
Sorry, I have no 6X5GT tubes.
Bummer.
I could use a 6T5 too, but I'd be a bad person if I didn't tell you they're worth a chunk to Zenith radio restorers. That's the OE "Eye Tube" for the Green Tuning Eye.
Are these used or NIB(new in box)?
Any chance you have any Nixie tubes set in your stash?
RossD
PowerDork
8/31/15 5:57 p.m.
I have boxes of tubes too. I just figured my son (whos not even a year old) will through them out when I die in 40/50 years. I only use the hifi ot guitar tubes too. I looked for the 6x5 or 6t5 and couldnt find any.
No Nixie tubes or Magic Eyes, I'm afraid. Some are NOS, some new with no boxes, but most are used. Just TV and radio stuff, although there were some military-grade tubes mixed in.
I wonder how many tubes it would take to run an efi system....
In reply to oldopelguy:
Digital efi? Bigger than the car.
I just thought of another niche market for my tubes - HAM Radio. I'm sure someone in this den of geekery is interested in it. I haven't a clue what types of tubes that equipment uses. Can anyone give me a rundown? If it's a long list of alphabet soup, please feel free to PM me instead of making a tl;Dr post.
Bumping for bigdaddylee82. PM sent.
