Category Archives: Vintage Receiver Articles

Wall Mounted Wine Rack – Show Off Your Vintage Proudly

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For many people, give them a good vintage bottle of wine and their in what I call euphoric bliss. In order to truly understand why wine is so popular around the world, you would have to collect wine as a hobby. Then after years of personal experience tasting a variety of different wines you would become what is known as a wine connoisseur.

For those of you, and you know who you are, who have collections of fine wine in your home, you are aware that you must store you wine properly in order to preserve the quality of your collection. It is far too easy to let a fabulous vintage turn to vinegar in no time at all.

For those of you who are just starting out, you need to know what you have to do in order to keep your bottled wine from spoiling. It is often said that ignorance is bliss, but ignore your collection of fine wine by standing the bottles straight on a shelf and you will soon see (and taste) how good wine is not supposed to taste.

For the novice wine collector, you are the individual who has a need to know that you have to preserve the cork in the wine bottle by placing the bottle on its side. This will keep the cork from drying out and breaking the seal to the precious wine inside.

You must also know that keeping wine at a cool temperature is a must. Temperatures too warm or too cook will damage your wine. The result is an embarrassing moment when you have friends over, you pop open a treasured vintage and a distasteful expression appears on their faces.

None of this will ever happen if you take good care of your wine collection. An easy way to take care of your vintage wine is to store your wine on a wall mounted wine rack. These wall mounted wine racks are easy to install. Depending on the amount of wine bottles in your collection, you have a variety of sizes, styles and features to make each and every wine bottle in your collection extremely happy to live a long and tasteful life.

So now let’s go over your options and you can see for yourself what type of wall mounted wine rack best fits into your wine collecting lifestyle.

I’m going to start with the Cioso wall-mounted wine bottle holder. This simple straight vertical bar wine bottle holder has eight rings integrated into the bar. There are, of course, enough rings to hold eight bottles of wine by inserting the bottle neck.

If you have a larger collection of vintage wine, then the Deluxe wine & glass wall wine r rack may be something that you may be interested in. This 3-tiered wrought iron wine rack has three shelves that hold 4 bottles per shelf. Also, the bottom of this rack is a wine glass holder that holds the wine glasses upside down by sliding the inverted glass base into the provided slots. Very decorative.

For my last example today, let’s take a look at the Series Twenty-Seven bottle wall mounted wine rack. You guessed it. This wall mounted unit holds 27 bottles of your prime vintage. Much like the Cioso wall-mounted wine bottle holder, this wall mounted rack boasts superior air flow, so all bottles will receive the proper temperature although they are stored three bottles side by side and nine rows tall. Perfect wall mounted unit for slightly larger wine collections.

If you are looking to store larger collections of wine, you might want to look into floor standing wine racks.

Wall mounted wine racks serve two purpose. They help keep your vintage wine from spoiling over time. They also can add a decorative charm to a kitchen or dining room. Those of you who have a passion for fine wine will want to have a wall mounted wine rack in order to show off your good taste.

Barbara Tobiasz is an expert in interior/exterior decorating. Along with her husband Joe, they own and operate Wall-Decor-Concepts.com. For more information on Wall Mounted Wine Racks, go to Wall Accessories at: http://www.Wall-Decor-Concepts.com

A Woman’s Fashion: What About Vintage Trendy Fashion?

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While BeverlyLane.com has everything a stylish modern woman could want in new clothes, sometimes a vintage piece is exactly what you need to complement your new trendy fashion clothes. Besides, vintage fashion can save you a lot of money if you do it right. Here we present five of the best tips going for getting the most our of your quest for quality vintage gear:

 

#1 A woman’s fashion vintage tip: Don’t expect too much

 

Vintage is great, but you have to start out with realistic expectations. Those dreams of finding a trendy fashion designer suit for peanuts are unlikely to come true, if only because everyone else looking is hunting for the same sorts of things. A more realistic expectation is that you will find at least one thing you’ll enjoy wearing for a great price ever time you go vintage shopping. Our experience is that this is entirely achievable.

 

#2 A woman’s fashion vintage tip: Give yourself plenty of time

 

Shopping for vintage clothes can be a time-consuming process, because the clothes aren’t laid out neatly and with plenty of room like in a regular store. In fact, often vintage clothes are crammed together on racks or shelves, and you’ll need to sort through them yourself to find the gems. Also, vintage stores won’t be all together in a row like new trendy fashion clothing stores in a mall, so it will take you time just to get between one vintage store and the next.

 

#3 A woman’s fashion vintage tip: Learn the routines

 

Different thrift and vintage stores will receive deliveries of new (old) clothes on different days. Take the time to get to know the staff, and they’ll happily let you know the best days and times to come in so that you have first pick of the new trendy fashion stock. These days there are often professional eBay traders combing thrift stores for designer pieces to resell, so you need to be quick!

 

#4 A woman’s fashion vintage tip: Remember about alterations

 

If you find a great vintage piece in a vintage or thrift store, but it seems to be the wrong size or shape for you, don’t forget that you can always have a tailor alter the piece to your specifications. Tailors can’t work miracles, but at long as what you find is well-made and not much too small for you, they can usually help turn your vintage finds into wearable trendy fashion for you.

 

#5 A woman’s fashion vintage tip: Be accommodating and persistent

 

The best way to shop for vintage clothes is on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. This gives the thrift and vintage stores enough time to get in new stock to refresh their racks. Even then though, you’re rarely going to find exactly what you what. So rather than go into vintage shopping with a clear idea of what you want to find, like you might when shopping for new items, just browse, and look out for what is beautiful and of quality. Also, be persistent – sometimes when you shop vintage you’ll spend a fruitless hour, and walk away with nothing. This is all part of the game, so don’t let it discourage you. The next great vintage find could be just around the corner.

For all your Woman’s fashion needs, take a look around BeverlyLane. Here you will find the latest in trendy fashion .

Choosing A Vintage Style Engagement Ring

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Vintage style engagement rings are a popular choice for brides who love the romantic Victoria era or the ornate settings of antique design. Vintage style engagement rings can be true antiques or they can be modern creations fashioned after the old style rings of another era.

Finding a Vintage Style Engagement Ring

There are jewellery designers who will create a vintage style engagement ring for you from a new design. They may already have several on display or in their portfolio from which you can choose. However, if you want to find a genuine antique diamond ring, you can often find them at estate sales and auctions.

The Internet has made accessing estate sales and auctions from all around the world easily accessible to couples anywhere. You need to be careful of some online auctions and choose to deal only with the most well-known and reputable auction sites. You are dealing with an expensive item that could easily be represented as something it is not online. Good auction sites with authenticate it’s buyers and sellers and provide a means for users to rate and comment on the goods and services they have received.

If you find a vintage style setting at an auction or estate sale and don’t think the diamond is up the size or quality, it is easy enough to replace it with a new diamond of your choice. Since diamonds can be purchased as loose stones, separate from any setting, you don’t need to limit your purchase of a vintage style engagement ring simply because you don’t like the stone.

You don’t even need to limit yourself to rings that were previously engagement rings. You can choose any ring setting you like and turn it into your own custom engagement ring. Other jewellery works well for this idea too. Large vintage earrings can be fashioned into a ring, have a diamond set it them and then they instantly become one of the most beautiful vintage style engagement rings.

Peter Wilson publishes for the internet site http://www.antique-engagement-rings-guide.com. The writer is writing on subjects such as vintage style engagement rings .

The 80s: A Decade That Inspires Funny Vintage T Shirts and More

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With the possible exception of the 70s, there is no decade that’s been on the receiving end of more scorn and abuse than the 80s. If I see one more soda commercial making fun of the infamous Flock of Seagulls haircut, I swear I’m gonna retch! It seems that no-one appreciates the fact that A Flock of Seagulls sold millions of records and scored dozens of awards, including a Grammy. The way these guys get batted around, you’d think they were ABBA or the Bee-Gees or something. Oh, wait- I see the irony in that…

My self-appointed task in this life is to educate people about the 80s, to foster an appreciation for the decade that seems to have been destined to spend the rest of the century as the butt of jokes.

What good came out of those 10 years between 1980 and 1990? How about the console that brought Nintendo to the forefront of video gaming, dethroning Atari and introducing popular characters like Mario to the world? The system that set the stage for the Wii. That’s right; the NES was introduced in 1983, eventually selling over 63 million units. Nintendo also launched the era of portable gaming with 1989’s GameBoy. While we’re on the subject of technology, you’re probably aware that the Mac is the coolest computer around these days, with Apple Stores in New York and other cities becoming a Mecca for technology. Well, the first Mac was released in 1984.

You need look no further than my closet for a short list of 80s movies that were not only good then, but considered classics today, with characters worthy of tee-shirt status: A Christmas Story, Aliens, Back To The Future, Blade Runner, Caddyshack, E.T., The Empire Strikes Back, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Friday The 13th, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, The Karate Kid- really, is there any need for me to hit up L though Z? I didn’t think so. What’s the biggest summer blockbuster for 2009 expect to be? Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, perhaps? Well, I wonder when Transformers first came to life. Oh, that would be 1984.

We’ve already touched on music but here are a few more acts that peaked during that special decade: The Police, The Clash, U2, INXS, Duran Duran, the Go-Go’s and Talking Heads. Despite what advertisers would have you think, the 80s wasn’t all bad hair and synthesizers.

Corey Kain is not one of the infamous “Corys,” although his sensibilities do lie in the 80s. Corey has become known for his frequent postings on 80s culture, including funny vintage t shirts that reference cultural icons from that period. While professing a preference for musical memorabilia and movie collectibles, Corey also boasts a sizable collection of funny t shirts sporting all manner of insider references. To contact Corey, please use e-mail or the following info:

Address: 274 North Goodman Street
Suite D 242 A
Rochester, NY 14607
Phone #: 585-750-7911

Tiffany Vintage & Contemporary Silver Jewelry – How to Identify a Fake

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There is nothing more understated and elegant which screams chic than sterling silver jewelry from Tiffany & Co. The Styles & quality of this silver jewellry is universally recognized, but never equaled. Many unscrupulous jewelry makers have tried to copy their designs, but, have almost always fallen short.

At Tiffany & Co., you pay a huge premium for their unsurpassed reputation and Quality. However, you can find great deals on authentic Tiffany silver necklaces, bracelets, an other items on eBay. In rare instances, you may see an item being sold as new if for instance, the seller is stating it is a recent gift or purchase which was never worn. You can expect a small discount from retail. Most items you will see are used. However, these used items are a great place to catch a bargain.

Whether bidding on a newer item, such as a Return To Tiffany & Co. silver necklace or used, vintage Tiffany & Co. silver ring, make sure it is authentic. To help you be a more informed consumer, and get the most out of your jewelry purchase, I would like to offer you these tips on how to ensure you are buying an authentic piece of silver jewelry.

Lobster Clasps

On Tiffany & Co silver link bracelets, the clasp is referred to as a lobster claw clasp because of its shape. This clasp is beefy and thick and along with other Tiffany & Co. clasps, it has .925 stamped on its base. On fake items, the clasp is cheap looking and made from thin, stamped metal.

Bracelet and Necklace Links

The sterling silver links on an authentic item are solid and soldered smooth. On fake items, the links are pinched together and have uneven gaps. Link bracelets and necklaces come in only one size and can only be sized by a Tiffany jeweler. If a seller offers you different sizes, you are probably buying a fake.

Sterling Silver Quality

All of the Tiffany & Co. silver jewelry is .925 sterling. It is solid, and not silver plate. Fake silver is plated with rhodium, is very shiny and lacks the luster of sterling silver. Also, many of the fake items have been manufactured with steel and therefore, will be magnetic.

Quantity Of Items Available & Price

Be very wary of a seller selling multiple identical items. This is a definite sign item is fake since authentic items are hand made and few in number. Also, if a seller states they received items from a wholesaler, they are lying to you. Tiffany & Co. does not distribute their items through wholesalers. Tiffany & Co, never has sales.

If there is a Buy-It-Now price on the item, as a general rule, be wary of any item priced less than one third of the retail price. In regards to auctions, it is very common for authentic items to be sold at starting prices of $1.00.

Communicating with Seller

Do not be afraid to ask the seller questions about the item for sale. If seller does not respond, or seems evasive, find another seller. Also, avoid a seller who has chosen to hide their feedback since you can find out a lot by reading feedback from other buyers.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you take your time and do your homework, you will ensure your purchase decision is a wise choice. Now go out there and start shopping!!!

Please stop by my website and search for that unique and chic Tiffany silver necklace or Tiffany silver Bracelet you always dreamed of. Tiffany Silver Auctions

My Favorite Three Picks for the Best Antique and Vintage Jewelry Price Guides and Authors

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I have been collecting Antique and Vintage Costume and Fine Jewelry for over three decades. Most of what I bought was from the Saturday and Sunday flea markets at the local drive-in theater and at a once a month massive open air antique market held in the mountains near where I grew up. I never paid much, a quarter here, a dime there and sometimes a few dollars however over the years until I really became a serious collector, I probably had no more than $500.00 in an amazing collection of over 2,500-3,000 pieces. 

Over the years I have collected many types of jewelry. At first it was bracelets, then rings and when I got out of college and pursued my career as an interior designer, I found pins and earrings to be practical and suitable. In the mid-60’s to early 70’s I bought a lot of colorful and heavy “plastic” pieces and most were bracelets. I just loved the dull clunk they made when they hit against my desk… well I am sure you know where this is going… you’re right most were Bakelite. One in particular is a wonderful art deco black, red, orange, yellow and green fins clamper bracelet and it is like having a carnival on your arm. It fits great and feels sturdy andit brings me joy. It wasn’t until I received Harrice Simons-Miller 2002 third edition Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry, that I realized the bracelet is called “Philadelphia” and has a market value of up to $5,000 making it the Holy Grail of Bakelite jewelry.

I also became quite passionate for the charm bracelets made in the 1960’s by Napier. At one point I had over 30 of them and I rarely wore them I just loved holding them. I had the colored fruit, the Asian theme, and my favorites was the marine theme with seashells and seahorses. Over the years I paid between $1.00 – $5.00 each for them and in early 2000, I sold them individually on eBay for $125.00 and up to 245.00 each. What a great return, right. Well yes but a day does not go by that I regret selling them. They gave me more happiness than the monies they brought.

As I became more sophisticated in my jewelry search I began to love all things Miriam Haskell, Eisenberg, Pennino and Boucher. All of these names seemed to come with a higher price but still affordable and all quite luxurious. Then there came Staret, McClelland-Barclay, Schreiner, Dujay, DeMario, Reja, Deja and Alfred Philippe and Alfred Spaney’s extra special pieces made for Crown Trifari. Needless to say I was smitten and would never turn back. After a while and as I was getting older, I started to understand the beauty of 19C Victorian and Art Nouveau and in particular the mourning pieces made during and after the Civil War. The Art Deco period pieces also caught my attention because of their architectural angled designs. Well enough about me… 

Throughout the years it was truly guesswork as to what I should pay for a piece and then the harder part came when trying to find out how much a piece was worth. As a result I found that the public library had many jewelry price guides and I poured through them all for days on end and would pick out my next piece I was obsessing for. Through this research, I found three authors who stood out as being the best at giving the right information for just about anything you might need to know as an antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry collector or dealer.

The first is Jeanenne Bell. Jeanenne Bell has been on Antiques Roadshow as a jewelry appraiser and is one of America’s leading authorities on antique jewelry. She has written many books and the first book I bought of hers was “How to be a Jewelry Detective”. This book is filled to the brim with priceless information about the clues to solving jewelry mysteries. She gives easy to understand tips for testing materials, gem cuts, hardware and findings throughout the ages, marks and a whole lot more. I have recommended this book to literally 100’s of my buyers on eBay who may not be sure what gutta percha is, or is it ivory or bone and what is a briolette cut stone. She answers them all and she even has a small pocket size field guide to take along to the shops and flea markets.

My favorite book of hers is Collecting Victorian Jewelry which is a real treat for the eyes and is beautiful enough to be left out for others to peruse. In this book she shows an amazing range of incredible museum quality pieces of Costume and Fine jewelry. Each piece is a work of art and each has an easy to understand description and value assigned. She imparts the history associated with the Victorian era and who all of the main characters were. She enlightens the reader about this period in time that was all about romance, passion and heartache. Very good read and a very good aid to the serious period piece collector.

My next favorite author is Harrice Simons-Miller. I have two of her price guides, Costume Jewelry 2nd edition and Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry 3rd edition. What I love about her books is that she knows her stuff as it relates to costume jewelry dating from early Art Deco up to the present. Her books are very good for identifying the major players in the costume and fashion design industries. She really clarifies what each jewelry designer’s signature look is and her photographs and descriptions will give you an edge when you are out in the field. Her values are truly representative of retail in fine antique or jewelry boutiques and give the reader the parameters as to what to spend to get your jewelry collection “fix”. She has bought from me on eBay on a couple of occasions and each piece she purchased was always a little odd and unexpected, making me think she knew of or was creating a trend which others were yet aware.

My third favorite author is Roseann Ettinger. She has a series of price guides that are not only about jewelry but other vintage collectibles with a lot of concentration on fashion and the fifties. Her jewelry price guides include her “popular” series and include “Forties and Fifties Popular Jewelry”, “Popular Jewelry of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s” and my all time favorite of hers “1840-1940 Popular Jewelry” the revised 3rd edition. Her price guide covers jewelry pieces that you actually might come across and be able to own for not a lot of money. Unlike Bell and Simons-Miller who are showing museum quality and hard to find pieces, the pieces shown in Ettingers are really quite attainable and I have actually had many of her pieces that she has described. Her photographs are quite large making it easy to see the details of the pieces and she doesn’t dwell on the glitzier side of jewelry but the real down to earth stuff that most of our mothers and grandmothers would have worn.

There are many great costume jewelry price guides out there from Nancy Schiffer, Lillian Baker, Christie Romero for Warman’s, Cheri Simonds, Ronna Lee Atkins and more, but my first three will give the beginner or even well seasoned antique and vintage costume or fine jewelry collector or dealer a well rounded wealth of knowledge and pricing guidelines.

For even more super jewelry tips and great jewelry to buy, visit Vintage Gems Emporium at www.vintagegemsemporium.com. Registration is free and easy.

About the Author: My name is Candace Daugherty and I live near Charleston, South Carolina. I am an entrepreneur and have worked as a retail design and marketing consultant with many internationally known retailers and fashion designers over the past 30 years. My true passion however is Antique and Vintage Costume and Fine Jewelry. I have collected jewelry for over 35 years and own many incredibly fabulous book pieces as shown in the many of the jewelry price guides discussed above.

Since October 1, 2008,  I along with three others have founded the first of its kind, an exclusive auction boutique for antique, vintage and new costume and fine jewelry. We started Vintagel Gems Emporium at www.vintagegemsemporium.com with three philosophies in mind. The first is to be a specialty boutique in an Auction Venue just for the collector and specialist of antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry. The second is to be the lowest cost auction or fixed price venue on the internet. And the third is to put the entire Virtual Gems Emporium community first with unbelievable customer service and fair equal treatment of all trading partners.

www.vintagegemsemporium.com

 

My name is Candace Daugherty and I live near Charleston, South Carolina. Since Mid September -October 2008 I along with three others have founded the first of its kind, an exclusive auction boutique for antique, vintage and new costume and fine jewelry. We started Vintage Gems Emporium at www.vintagegemsemporium.com with three concepts in mind. One, a special boutique environment in an Auction Venue just for the collector and specialist of antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry. Two, to be the lowest cost auction or fixed price venue on the internet. And three to put the entire Vintage Gems Emporium community first with unbelievable customer service and fair equal treatment of all trading partners.

Ideas for Vintage Style Gifts

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If you want to be able to give someone a gift that truly means something, not just something you picked up on the way home or on the way to the party, then what you should do is to find a vintage style item to give them or create something that will make them think of the past. Vintage style gifts are fast becoming popular these days due to their whimsical appeal and the memories that they bring to the people who receive them. Some of these old fashioned gifts may include replicas of old car decors, toys, kitchen ware, magnets, books and even clothes. Companies that specialize in the recreation of these gifts often have lists of them for you to look through and you may easily find that perfect retro inspired gift from such a list.

You will find categories like clothing or fashion, kitchen ware, décor, collectibles and candy machines from people who sell these novelty and old fashioned products. You can take your pick from these items and may even find yourself buying one of these for your own home. Gumball machines, old fashioned lunch boxes, old fashioned novelty clocks and even retro glasses and bags can all be easily seen as merchandise you can purchase and give away as retro inspired gifts.

If you want to give vintage style gifts that are classier and more functional, you can opt for those old fashioned ceramic and blown glass decorations that are patterned after items that were made in the 50s and the 60s. You can find pastel colored cookie jars or clear blown glass jars in retro colors of green and blue for your mom’s birthday or glass serving trays or cheese platters for your sister. There are also blown glass wall vases and colored glass candle trays and holders that are reminiscent of the 70s that you can buy from manufacturers that specialize in these items. Most of the old fashioned glass items that have that retro appeal are often those that come in colors like green, purple, blue, yellow or brown, colors that were popular in the 70s when it came to glassware and bottles.

If vintage fashion is what you want to give to someone, then you can hit a lot of the many thrift stores and vintage stores that are around for authentic vintage style gifts that people can wear. Old slogan shirts, old ties, retro jewelry, retro pants and even old fashioned psychedelic scarves can also make good gifts for people who love old fashioned items. Peace t-shirts, smiley shirts, funny slogan shirts and even shirts with pictures of old bands can also make good gifts. If you can find bags that are in good condition despite their being rather old, or if you can find new bags that have that classic retro look, these too can make good vintage style presents for people you care about. All it takes is to find the right old fashioned item that you can give as a retro inspired gift and you have a vintage inspired gift that any person will be happy to receive.

Are you looking for the best vintage style gifts at a very low price? Visit http://www.tshirts-gifts.com today and find anything and everything you are looking for!

The Origins Of Our Lcd Screens And High Definiton Plasma TV In Vintage Computer Monitors

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It may be amazing to current computer users who are used to small compact LCD monitors. Not only were initial computer monitors large and cumbersome but that the early monitors used by computer enthusiasts were Cathode Ray Monitors that were not color,

Initial vintage monitors were monochrome – one color only not the brilliant color displays that we take for granted today.

Some of these monochrome monitors were green or orange iridescent. Others were similar to a black and white television that is grey scale.

It is taken for granted now by young computer surfers and gamers that television was always “color”, not so.

Initially TV broadcasts were in “black and white “.

Color TV had been developed but the technology but the widespread use did not arise till the early 1970′s and even later in some areas.

The broadcasts were seen as black and white on those sets and color on color sets.
Color TVs could receive programs that were in the black and white mode as well. Sort of the backwards compatibility of the day.

What then would be the difference between the picture qualities of a television set a monitor has vastly greater resolution than standard TV sets.

The TV sets of that time (as opposed to current high end LCD and plasma high definition TVs) were basically 1950′s technology – even the newer color TV sets. .

A monitor’s screen display should be stable and of good quality, since the computer user may sit very close to the monitor and spend many hours reading the display.

If the images are fuzzy (low resolution) or waver constantly, you would have a throbbing headache and wavering eyes in no time.

Monitors have knobs to adjust for clarity. On vintage monochrome monitors these usually include a brightness knob which adjusts the illumination of the entire screen, and a contrast knob which makes the letters lighter or darker in relation to the background screen newer color monitors will have additional adjustments for color.

The question will arise – how did the vintage CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors initially handle the color technology which came later and became the accepted standard.

A typical color monitor screen worked in much the same way as a standard CRT television.

The inside of the picture tube is coated with three different phosphors: red, green and blue.

Phosphors are special chemical compounds that glow with characteristic colors when bombarded a stream of electrons.

The phosphor gets “excited” and thanks to the additive properties of the color wheel the different colored lights resulting get mixed and that all types of combinations of the three primary colors result.

The end result is that virtually any color of the rainbow can be produced.

And as for the color white the eyes play a useful trick. When all three colors are mixed together in equal quantities, the eye sees this as “white light”.

Finally the sharpness of the CRT color monitor or a TV set’s image is determined by three factors: the monitor’s bandwidth, its dot pitch, and the accuracy of its convergence.

Although the bandwidth and dot pitch are important to determine a good monitor, convergence is the real measurement.

Indeed we have come a long way from the initial simple vintage monochrome monitors. What we now take for granted with LCD monitors and indeed our high definition TV sets all originated with simple CRT monochrome monitor technology which was merged with the technology and tricks gleaned from the color TV industry.

We should all be grateful. We owe much to “Uncle Miltie”.

Art Fellon
Vintage Computer Enthusiast mailto:vintagecomputermanuals@yahoo.com Blog http://www.vintageomputers.com http://www.vintagecomputermanuals.com

Some Vintage Car Stereo Speakers

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Music is the food for soul that arms us against all the distress and disasters that the world threatens us with. The dryness of urban life and the speed and the hazards of day to day living build inside us a thirst for a fresh breeze where we can breathe freely. But where is the time when we can indulge in something that the heart desires! We are always in a hurry. The extreme pressure and tension of work and other petty matters make us forget our own lives. After all, we are not machines, but human beings.


That is the feeling and philosophy that initiated the incorporation of music systems inside a car. Even within the very busy schedule of your daily life, you may spend a few casual moments while traveling and while driving your car. Your car becomes the only place where you can relax and where you can taste the real flavor of life. This is the realization that led the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation to install a radio inside cars. Before that people used to carry their own domestic music system or radio system inside the car for pure fun and relaxed entertainment. The oldest form of car stereo speakers came to the market as Motorola 5T71. That was the first commercial form of car radio. This was priced in the range of $110 to $130.


The popularity of this model encouraged the original manufacturer and some others to develop the car stereo speaker system. To touch the popularity of Motorola at that time many companies introduced same sounding products like Victorola, and Radiola. And the vintage car music system as the form of jukeboxes came to the market as Rockola. Even in other spheres such as the film industry, the craze became contagious and they adopted the name Moviola for a film-editing machine.


The wind of change reached the international market. In 1932 a German company named Blaupunkt installed their first old form of car stereo speakers inside a Studebaker. In 1952 Blaupunkt became the first company again to install an FM receiver inside a car. This became another milestone in the development of car stereo speakers into its modern forms and specifications.


The vintage car stereo speakers used to use low configuration and low capacity models of transformers, vibrators, capacitors and amplifiers. With the introduction of 12 volt battery cars, the capacity of the fitted music system also increased. This saw the emergence of Ford’s popular ‘Town and Country’ model. The installation of semiconductors facilitated the advancement from the old forms to the new forms of the car stereo speaker. In 1956 the first modern versions of car speakers hit the market when Motorola fitted a 45 rpm disc player inside a Chryslers car. The old reel to reel system of cassette player also was tried, but its popularity was limited because of its clumsiness. But this also took a step ahead when Philips introduced compact cassette in the market in 1964.


The vintage car stereo speakers were the simple home audio speakers. But as they were not suitable for extreme heat and vibration of the car, modified versions were introduced in the market. Extra audio amplifiers began to be used for high sound quality. The real competition began in 1980s when various manufacturers attempted to produce the loudest or the most extravagant car stereo speaker systems. Wayne Harris developed a vintage model of Cadillac Hearse in 1960 to incorporate three subwoofers of 24 inch and eight of 12 inch. The experimentation with sound quality began in 1990s with leading manufacturers like IASCA invading the market.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for used DVDs, used movies, and Moviola, Victorola, Blaupunkt, vintage stereos.

Early Vintage Computer Buses Have Their Influences On Your Computer Today

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The term “expansion bus “is a frequent term in vintage computer terminology which requires elaboration. Much of the legacy of vintage bus systems are in our current computer systems today.

To begin with the “expansion bus” is a data highway for computer data information to travel on: the bandwidth is in essence the number of lanes. The bigger the bandwidth the more data can be sent. As examples, an 8 megabyte bandwidth means that data can be sent in 8 bits chunks. Our current systems use between 32 bit and now 64 bit bandwidth.

An expansion bus is where cards connect to the computer; Cards have an expansion edge, which fits snugly into the bus much like an electrical plug fits into a wall socket.

When cards are plugged into the bus, they communicate with the system, sometimes through the BIOS and others not. (The BIOS is the basic input /output system that tells the computer how to move data from the different components.) The 8, 16 or 32 bit bandwidth is an important consideration due to communication time between the cards. For example you have a 16 bit vintage 286 PC and it is sending out data at 16 bits a: your video card is also 8 bits. If you have an older 8 bit bus, such as in early IBM PCs and clones, the bus will become a bottleneck in the system; it is like having a 4 lane highway connected to another 4 lane highway by way of a 1 lane road. At most times regardless of the faster 4 lane highway traffic will be slow – limited by the single lane connection road.

There were basically 3 types of expansion bus available in vintage computers: ISA, MCA, EISA systems.

Each early development in major ways paved the way for the later systems which indeed we take for granted today. This was both in terms of hardware and basic concepts in our computer systems and technology as well as computer marketing that we take for granted today as simple basic facts of life without any consideration due.

Basically the newer buses offered increased performance over the older technology buses.

The basic explanations of the buses are as follows:

The 3 bus standards to note were Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) .Micro Channel Channel Architecture (MSA) and Extended Industry Standard (EISA) bus systems.

Industry Standard Architecture (ISA). This was the original AT bus also called an ISA bus. It was the original 8 bit IBM PC bus which was bumped up to 16 bits at some point in its later development. Fine for a 16 bit 286 or very early 386 computers

Micro Channel Architecture (MSA). This was an early 32 bit bus system which was not received well but set the stage for an industry consortium of the major non IBM computer manufacturers ( at the time referred to as “The Group of Nine) to develop the EISA standard bus.

Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA). The EISA bus standard was a standard of its own right which was 32 bit, included bus mastering and importantly remained compatible with previous older expansion cards. 32 bit systems were first to incorporate in later 386 systems. The 486 line solidified and standardized the 32 bit systems in the established software of the day.

Backward compatibility at the time was a novel new concept which has remained an important consideration in the computer industry.

EISA slots would accommodate both the ISA and EISA expansion slots to allow hardware upgrades, However the EISA expansion boards would be of little advantage and would seldom work in the older ISA expansion slots.

On the other hand the Micro Channel setup was not backward compatible. On the one hand the Micro Channel developers were free to initiate new radical changes in computer development and hardware which would have allowed for major new useful features in computer software. However owners of previous systems would have been left with then obsolete vintage useless hardware which would have been of no use and certainly little financial value.

Hence there was a lot of resistance to the Micro Channel bus setup.

It died a lingering death with its legacy living on in the aspirations of features offered in future developments and standards.

Thus the die was set for future hardware standards and software function as well as standard computer marketing concepts that we take for granted like mother’s milk today.

Arthur Z. Felon
Vintage Computer Historian
Vintage Computer Manuals
http://www.badgerlinux.net
http://www.vintagecomputermanuals.com