The Nation's First TV Auction Debuts... Geumseongsa VD-191

Model Similar to National Registered Cultural Heritage Product... Starting Price 25 Million Won

The oldest television product made in Korea has appeared at auction. It is the 19-inch black-and-white TV Geumseongsa VD-191, released in August 1966. Kobe Auction announced on the 6th that it was listed in an online auction held from the 7th to the 16th. It is the same model as the product registered as a national registered cultural heritage in August 2013. VD stands for the first two letters of the English term "Vacuum Desk Type," referring to the vacuum tube system. 191 signifies the first 19-inch television. The device for manually turning the channel and the volume adjustment terminal are placed on the front. At the bottom, there are support legs called "Hakdari."

The starting price is 25 million won. In the past, the same model was sold for 30 million won at Kobe Auction. An official explained, "It is a product that an individual has owned," adding, "There is also a light purple screen protector, which adds to its rarity." They further explained, "The release price was over five times the average monthly income of 12,000 won at the time, around 60,000 won," and added, "It was very expensive but so popular that it was sold by lottery."