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C O N T E N T S |
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CCA Collins Grading Standards Grading Standards for Used Collins Amateur Equipment
The Condition of Collins Radios
The Sunday 20-meter technical and swap net is an official function of the Collins Collectors Association. In consideration of the privilege to
participate in that net, CCA members and non-members alike are encouraged and expected to follow these equipment grading standards when describing the condition of listed equipment.
Honesty and integrity cannot be legislated. However, when both buyer and seller use the same terms to describe a piece of equipment, the chances for misrepresentation, innocent or intentional, are greatly
reduced. All transactions made on the Collins Collectors Association nets are the sole responsibility of the buyer and seller. |
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The Condition of Collins Radios |
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The Sunday 20-meter technical and swap net is an official function of the Collins Collectors Association. In consideration of the privilege to
participate in that net, CCA members and non-members alike are encouraged and expected to follow these equipment grading standards when describing the condition of listed equipment. Honesty and integrity
cannot be legislated. However, when both buyer and seller use the same terms to describe a piece of equipment, the chances for misrepresentation, innocent or intentional, are greatly reduced. All
transactions made on the Collins Collectors Association nets are the sole responsibility of the buyer and seller. |
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Mint Condition |
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Mint condition is defined as the same condition in which the set left the factory when it was manufactured. A set in mint condition will be
functioning perfectly, there will be no damaged or missing parts, no signs of wear and tear, and the cabinet finish will be perfect without a single sign of use. A mint condition Collins Radio will be
accompanied by its original operating manual and may have the factory shipping carton as well. Mint condition radios may or may not have service bulletins incorporated. If so, the bulletins must all be those
approved by Collins and the workmanship must be equal to that of Collins. No other components, other than tubes, shall have been replaced. The phrase "mint condition" is a very over used one when
describing the condition of radio equipment. There are very few Collins radios which actually qualify as "mint". |
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Excellent Condition |
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Sets in excellent condition are completely functional, have no missing or damaged parts, show only minute (nearly undetectable) signs of wear and
tear, and the cabinet and front panel will be nearly perfect, without scratches or dents and there is minimal dust on the chassis. Original RCA and type "PJ" jacks are in their proper position and
show no signs of wear. The material from which certain parts are made may show physical age - for example, plastic parts may change color with age. The radio may have had components replaced but will have no
modifications installed which were not approved by Collins and the workmanship must be equal to that of Collins. |
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Very Good Condition |
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A set in very good condition will be completely functional, there will be signs of wear and tear and the front panel may be minimally scratched.
Damaged or missing parts may have been replaced. White insulator materials in RCA jacks show definite signs of wear and tear. The cabinet finish will have only minor damage (a few small scratches or signs of
wear but not into the metal) and dust may be expected in the chassis. The cabinet may have been repainted, quality equivalent to original but it shall be identified as a repaint. |
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Good Condition |
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A Collins radio in good condition will be either fully functional or easily repairable, there may be a few minor missing parts which are
relatively easy to obtain, there will be signs of normal wear and tear, and there may be extra holes drilled in the chassis and cabinet. Panel scratches may exist but are not extensive and the cabinet finish
may have scratches into the metal which will require touch up or refinishing. There may be minimal corrosion on the chassis in places. The radio may have had components replaced but will have no
modifications installed which were not approved by Collins. Workmanship may not be equal to that of Collins, but still of good quality. |
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Fair Condition |
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Collins Radios in fair condition will usually not be completely functional, but it will be repairable with considerable labor. There may
be a few missing parts which may be difficult to obtain. There will be signs of excessive wear and tear and lots of chassis grime due to prolonged use. The cabinet and front panel will probably require
refinishing and the chassis may have age related corrosion as a matter of routine. Non-Collins modifications may have been installed in the radio. |
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Poor Condition |
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A set in poor condition will probably not be functional and will probably require excessive labor to repair. There will probably be
several missing parts which are difficult to obtain . There will be signs of very excessive wear and tear which will probably be impossible to completely repair. The cabinet finish will probably have heavy
dents and scratches which are difficult or impossible to repair with refinishing. |
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Bad Condition |
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The proverbial "basket case." A Collins radio in bad condition is usually good for parts only. Critical components will
probably be burned out or damaged beyond repair, rendering the set permanently non-functional. There will probably be missing parts which are impossible to obtain. There will be irreparable damage and abuse.
The cabinet may be missing or damaged beyond repair. |
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Restored Equipment |
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It is necessary to evaluate the condition of Collins radios on the basis of this scale to determine if it is worth more or less than the
value specified. "Mint," "excellent," and "very good" sets are worth more than the prices stated. Of course, "fair," "poor," and "bad" sets are
worth much less. When a set has been properly restored, it may move to a much higher condition rating and its value can increase accordingly. However, it must be represented that the set has been restored. A
poorly done restoration will greatly reduce the value of an otherwise rare find. |
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Collins Collectors Association - P. O. Box 354 - Phoenix, MD 21131 |
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The Collins Radio logos contained herein are Trademarks of Rockwell Collins, Inc. and are used with permission.
This site contains Rockwell Collins, Inc. copyrighted information and is used with permission. Contact WEBMASTER
(KW6KW) with comments or questions regarding this site. © Copyright 2003, Collins Collectors Association, All rights reserved.
Web Site Design, Graphics, and Hosting: Reflections By Design Last modified - July 1, 2003 |
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