What do you know about a WESTERN ELECTRIC 86-A amp ??

Good luck finding 300A tubes for it! I hope the tubes are strong if you plan on using it. I'm sure it's worth a lot if you decide to sell it. It's likely not many have been privileged to hear this amp or asses it's sound quality.

Modifying it (by replacing capacitors) will destroy its value, so don’t touch anything, including the wiring (WE wire is highly prized by collectors).

The most famous WE collectors are in Tokyo and South Korea, so I guess that’s where it would fetch the highest price. I would not listen to it, out of concern for capacitor failure, which would burn up the irreplaceable power transformer.

The sonics of this kind of amplifier are very strongly affected by the parts within ... transformers and caps especially ... and these 1930’s parts use technologies that are no longer in use, and cannot be exactly replicated today. A part that visually matches the 85-year-old original will not sound the same, and collectors know that.

I believe that a local dealer put two reconditioned 86 amps into an ultra expensive system.  I heard the amps playing in a different horn-based system at the dealership.  This dealer has a number of other Western Electric 300B amps, so I am not certain of the model I heard.  I liked what I heard, but, I think I liked the Western Electric 124 amps that this same dealer has also reconditioned (350B output tube) more.  The 124 sounds more punchy and tighter sounding.  As for that expensive pair going to the customer, it has engraved base 300B tubes in it.  The dealer has collected two 300A tubes, and if he gets two more, that customer will "upgrade" to the 300A. 

The REALLY crazy tube amp that this dealer has is the 59A.  This is easily one of the best amps I've heard.  The output tubes in this amp are the 252 (meshplate version) which is similar to a 300B.  But, if you think 300A's are expensive, try finding meshplate 252s.