# Huffy Radio Bike estimated value?



## Jonswan (Aug 26, 2019)

Long story short, I am helping someone sell some old bicycles and looking for recent sales of a Huffy Radio Bike to estimate its value before we list it. Ebay has not had any sold in the last 90 days to use as a comparable. Estimates? Recent auction sales or private sales? Any information based on recent sales is appreciated, thank you.

I was in this shed just for a minute to see the Huffy, a 1950's Panther, Phantom, and and earlier truss rod cantilever frame and tank Schwinn. I'm buying the Panther and helping sell the rest and should be able to pull them all out this weekend to get the serial numbers, determine condition, and take better images. Stay tuned.


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## ZE52414 (Aug 26, 2019)

@partsguy


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## ZE52414 (Aug 26, 2019)

I’d be curious to see the blue bike. 

Radio bike will probably fetch a nice chunk. Do some homework and list them here on the cabe.  It will save you some money in fees. Where are you located at?


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## partsguy (Aug 26, 2019)

Nice finds! The Radiobike could be worth more than anything there with the Schwinn Phantom in a close second. But here’s some factors to consider.

The Radiobike was made between 1955-58, with a total of 8,500 total production. Model years don’t matter a whole lot on value, but the optional 2-speed bikes are worth more. Green also tends be valuable and blue is the Holy Grail, not enough history to appraise a blue one.

Overall, your bike is in good condition. The tank alone is worth about $1,500 - $2,000.

Your bike is a 1957-58 model. Rather rare. Your bike has great paint, and very little rust. There’s a few things that will definitely hurt the value though.

1) Your wheels have been swapped. Go look at my photo gallery and you will see the catalog with this bike. The factory rims are long gone.

2) Headlight is not original, and correct ones are expensive and hard to come by.

3) Original battery cover is gone, but accurate repops are on eBay. The tuning knob is gone and that is not reproduced. I have blueprints made to get quotes but unfortunately have no time.

I would estimate this bike, in an auction, would bring about $1,800 - $3,000.


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## Jonswan (Aug 27, 2019)

Thanks all, I will learn more this weekend when I can actually pull these bikes out of the shed. The Panther and Phantom are fairly complete but both have had bad spray paint touch ups with lots of overspray, poor pin stripping, decal repaint, and their chrome fenders have been spray painted silver, ugh.

The seller tracked me down because he saw me riding one of my Phantoms near his house. Fortunate for both of us. He mentioned he as at least 50 original books, manuals, and catalogues he would like to sell too. I'll keep you posted.

The bikes are in Winona, MN 55987.


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## partsguy (Aug 27, 2019)

Jonswan said:


> Thanks all, I will learn more this weekend when I can actually pull these bikes out of the shed. The Panther and Phantom are fairly complete but both have had bad spray paint touch ups with lots of overspray, poor pin stripping, decal repaint, and their chrome fenders have been spray painted silver, ugh.
> 
> The seller tracked me down because he saw me riding one of my Phantoms near his house. Fortunate for both of us. He mentioned he as at least 50 original books, manuals, and catalogues he would like to sell too. I'll keep you posted.
> 
> The bikes are in Winona, MN 55987.




Hit me up. I am after a 1956 and 1957 Huffy catalog.


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## higgens (Aug 28, 2019)

If you are actually trying to sell it I think it would bring 1200 to 1500


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## Jonswan (Aug 30, 2019)

I was able to shoot photos this morning, please take a look and tell me what you can. Obviously there are crude paint touch ups, missing power pack, wrong rims etc but anything you can add will be helpful, thanks again.


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## Jonswan (Sep 1, 2019)

@partsguy


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## Leadheavy52 (Sep 1, 2019)

Beautiful bike!


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## partsguy (Sep 2, 2019)

1955 model, first year. Those rims are definitely swapped.

This bike has very nice original paint. You can replace or replace chrome, nickel, and zinc, but you can’t replace paint!!

I think the value I posted earlier could be a little on the high side, but in an auction setting, expect around $1,400 - $2,000.

Closer to $3k if it had at least the power pak and tuner knob.


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## Jonswan (Sep 2, 2019)

Thanks partsguy, I am going to have a friend look at the radio and power it up to test it. He is a expert in all things vintage radio, tube amp, and much, much more. I want to test the radio and confirm its condition before I sell it.


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## John (Sep 3, 2019)

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335809022&icep_item=183935813326+
tuner knob


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## vincev (Sep 3, 2019)

John said:


> https://www.ebay.com/itm/1950s-Huff...813326?hash=item2ad36dc6ce:g:n5oAAOSw6Otdad4g+
> tuner knob
> View attachment 1057498



Waiting for this rocket to take off in 3 days


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## Jonswan (Sep 3, 2019)

How do I power up the radio with a missing battery pack? What is the power supply? D cell batteries or? Thanks.


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## CeeBee (Sep 5, 2019)

That cover for the battery pack is someone's folk art attempt at metal forming.....
Partsguy can probably tell you the specifics, but the original batteries are a combination of obsolete sizes and voltages so be very careful trying to power it up.


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## partsguy (Sep 6, 2019)

Jonswan said:


> How do I power up the radio with a missing battery pack? What is the power supply? D cell batteries or? Thanks.





For this question, I joined a couple of antique radio forums.

They use an “AB” battery pack. Unfortunately for you, you’re missing the factory male plug. So, you’ll probably have to fashion a hard wired battery.

This bike took about 93 volts of power. x9 9v batteries in a series, which power the capacitors and actual radio components, then 3 volts from x2 D-Cell batteries. I’ll try to get some photos of my set up, I’m off sick today.

Be careful not to shock yourself!


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## partsguy (Sep 6, 2019)

I have a couple of threads in the Restoration Tips and the Project Rides forums about my technical info and my progress rebuilding my own bikes.


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## partsguy (Sep 6, 2019)

Also, I would see about cleaning all of that rust from the inside of the tank, probably would impede a good ground.

Take the tank completely apart, knobs, radio chassis, everything. Scrape off the old schematic and clean under that too. Pull it apart and clean that rust or it definitely will not work.

Put a wax on it. DON’T clear coat, I learned the hard way that clear coat acts as an insulator. I sell reproductions of the wire schematic so you could replace that easily after you’re finished.


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## Freqman1 (Sep 6, 2019)

Personally I'd leave the original paper label alone. This is not going to affect the ground and a repo label on a fairly original bike just don't look right to me. V/r Shawn


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## cyclingday (Sep 6, 2019)

Yeah, original condition is King.
Especially if your plan is to resell the bike.
Nobody buying that model really cares if the AM Radio is working.
It’s more of a novelty than anything else.
You’ll turn it on so that some low fidelity sound comes out, just to prove to onlookers that it works, but that’s really about it.
I’d just try to replace the cosmetic pieces that are missing, and call it good.
Especially if resale is the ultimate goal,
Any scraping ie EFing with it that you do, will just devalue it to a potential buyer.
Besides, there are plenty of Bluetooth type options if you just want it to look the part, but play a wide array of music.
That’s just my 2cents, on it, and I know, that’s not worth much.


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## partsguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Freqman1 said:


> Personally I'd leave the original paper label alone. This is not going to affect the ground and a repo label on a fairly original bike just don't look right to me. V/r Shawn




It’s not the label that will affect the ground, it’s the rust under and around it. The radio chassis is grounded to the tank and brackets.


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## partsguy (Sep 7, 2019)

cyclingday said:


> Yeah, original condition is King.
> Especially if your plan is to resell the bike.
> Nobody buying that model really cares if the AM Radio is working.
> It’s more of a novelty than anything else.
> ...




I agree to a point. The bike is still valuable as it sits, but if the radio can be made and proven to work, why wouldn’t that increase the value?


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## Roger Henning (Sep 7, 2019)

It will increase the value but how much?  If it increases the value $500 for example but cost $1000 to fix it is that a good deal?  Roger


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## partsguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Roger Henning said:


> It will increase the value but how much?  If it increases the value $500 for example but cost $1000 to fix it is that a good deal?  Roger




These radios are very simple to work on, and most of the components were industry standard parts. The tubes are easily obtainable, even as NOS, and cheap. Capacitors and resistors, if needed. The only part for the radios that is truly a YSI and Huffy part is the antenna assembly. If you’re missing that, then don’t bother trying to repair if resale is the goal.

I tried to remake the antenna itself but was unsuccessful, but I was able to make the bracket and housing assembly.


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## Jonswan (Sep 7, 2019)

Thank you all for chiming in, especially @partsguy, I am Ebaying it and we will see what the market demands. I had my Radio guy look at briefly and he said it appears complete with common parts of the era, but one wire is loose, and the power wire and antenna may not be original. Without a proper AB power supply we did not test it. Selling as is, watch it go: https://www.ebay.com/itm/264457190311


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## partsguy (Sep 7, 2019)

The antenna housing doesn’t look original but as long as the actual antenna itself is intact inside, that is the key.

Anyway, GLWS!


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## Jonswan (Sep 8, 2019)

partsguy said:


> Hit me up. I am after a 1956 and 1957 Huffy catalog.



Sorry, no Huffy literature, but I will try to sort through it all and list them this week.


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