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This item is a vintage vacuum tube caddy, a repairman's carrying case used by ham radio enthusiasts, printed "We use RCA Tubes" on the lid in gold lettering. Inside, a fold-out multi-tier tray system is stamped "RCA TUBES FOR QUALITY SERVICE" and "RCA TELEVISION TUBES ... for The Picture of Quality," and the case is genuinely loaded with individually boxed vacuum tubes spanning many respected manufacturers — RCA, General Electric, Raytheon, Sylvania, CBS Hytron, Westinghouse, Tung-Sol, National Union, Emerson, M.R.S., Olson Radio, and others, plus a bottom compartment of assorted service supplies.
Construction: Black case with a fiber/canvas-covered exterior, metal corner protectors, working top latches, and a molded top handle. The interior has a hinged, tiered fold-out tray for organized tube storage plus a lower storage compartment.
Tube inventory (identified from the box labels):
Fold-out tray, roughly 90+ boxed tubes:- Westinghouse: 6BA11, 3AT2- Raytheon: 6J5, 25L6GT, 25BQ6GT- General Electric ("Electronic Tube" boxes): 1LH4, 35Y4, 6W4GT- RCA: 12SJ7, 6K6GT, 6AU5GT, 5Y3, 6SJ7- National Union: 25W4GT- CBS Hytron: 6W4GT- Tung-Sol: 6BL7GT- Unbranded/generic "Electronic Tube" boxes: 7A5, 6AU4GTA, plus one GE-family tube whose exact number wasn't fully legible (reads close to 6AQ7GT/6BQ7A)
- RCA: 6R77, a 10BE6-family tube, 6AB4 (x2), 6AQ6 (x2), 12BD6- General Electric: 6AB4, 6BQ7A, 1X2A, 6AH5, plus an EF183/6EH7-type tube- Raytheon: 6R77, 12BH7, a 6BN7-family tube (Olson/Akrad relabel)- CBS Hytron: 6AL5, 12AU7, 12AV7- Sylvania: 12AX7A (ECC83 equivalent)- Tung-Sol: a 12BA7-family tube- Emerson (Hytron-branded): 6AL5- M.R.S. Radio Tube: a 10BE6-family tube, 6BJ6, 12AL5- Westinghouse: 1V2- A few additional boxes whose printed numbers could not be confirmed from photos
Loose/bottom compartment: mostly unboxed loose tubes mixed with hardware, plus a few still-boxed tubes read clearly as GE 6JS6C, RCA 5U4GB, and Westinghouse 6BK4C/6EL4A.
Total tube count is approximately 90+ individually boxed tubes across the case, plus additional loose tubes in the bottom compartment.
What's included:- The tube caddy case itself- The tube inventory and additional items visible in images.
Condition:The case shows honest age wear, scuffing, some fading, and general handling wear on the exterior covering, with the metal corners and latches intact and functional. The interior trays and tube boxes show their age (soiling, some box wear) but are intact.
