My Vintage Radio Collection

[decojoe67]

Another portable. A 1941 Imperial. This was a catalog radio sold by Paramount Supplies. It originated in Chicago and was sold under several brand names. The imitation alligator covering is pretty convincing. It was a popular look next to the tweed/striped airplane luggage covering. This set has a nice compact battery eliminator within the cabinet and can be plugged into an AC outlet. It's a nice upgrade eliminating using expensive batteries.

 

[decojoe67]

This is historic small portable radio. It's a 1940 RCA Victor model BP-10 battery only "Personal Portable". It and a Sonora model were the first sets to come onto the market using new miniature tubes. This allowed it to be very compact. They were often called "camera" portable radios. These were designed by the famous streamline-design industrial designer of the '30's - John Vassos. He did a nice job with it's sleek black plastic and chrome case. Opening of the case top automatically turns it on and off. Pretty cool for 1940!

 

[rdnzl]

Here is another of mine. A Philco 16B Cathedral.

 

[rdnzl]

Here's one more.

It's an RCA 111K

 

[rdnzl]

And another....

A St. Regis 661 made by International Kadette.

 

[rdnzl]

One more.

G.E. E-81

 

[rdnzl]

Zenith 10s-160

 

[rdnzl]

Philco 116X

 

[decojoe67]

Another airplane-luggage battery only portable. A 1939 Stewart Warner "Companion Radio" model 02-41. The gold starburst dial is nice. I got it with 3 Burgess batteries still in it dated 1942. I had to pry them out, although they had not leaked. Amazing it works decent as-is with modern batteries! just tuned in "The Avenger" tonight from Canada. I will have the chassis gone over by my friend soon anyway to make it play as new.

 

[decojoe67]

Here's a set that I got very reasonably due to a stress crack that developed on the front left from just sitting on the shelf. These catalin cabinets are beautifully swirled, thick and glass like, and some of the most valuable radios in existence. Unfortunately the material is quite unstable making for undamaged examples becoming rarer and more valuable as the years pass. These rare examples need a very stable climate, chassis screws left loose, and not played. This is a 1938 DeWald A-501 "Harp" or "Lyre" model. It has a nice swirled yellow-orange cabinet with brown swirled knobs. I can just play this set and enjoy it without worry and it it's still beautiful!

 

[decojoe67]

Another "luggage-style" battery only portable - a 1940 Philco 82-T. Granted, these will never be very desirable, but still this a fairly scarce one. Small and nicely styled with that classic red-pointer Philco dial. The front door needs to be handled delicately as it is hinged with only the brittle Tolex material. My friend got it working beautifully with modern batteries and I installed a new handle up top.

 

[Kermit]

Hi,
My CDB (Charron Bellanger Duchamp) early 1920 radio.

 

[decojoe67]

I acquired this 1931 Brunswick 12A small "consolette" high-boy from a friend. The set is entirely original, with the exception that the grill cloth was tastefully replaced likely in the '40's when the speaker was upgraded to a nice big Jensen. With about 4 hours of refreshing the set really shines. My repairman just replaced a few components and it came to life playing nicely. The small center knob is on/off/volume. It pulls out in three positions. Each position gives a different tone and lights the dial in different soft colors through small opaque colored panels!

 

[decojoe67]

This is a situation where the story about the radio surpasses what the set actually is. This 1939 Sky Chief battery-only portable (model unknown) was found in a back room of a long-closed electronics repair shop in Moundridge, Kansas. The repairman did a labor-of-love full chassis restoration which included a repaired secondary winding on the oscillator coil, open primary winding in the speaker output transformer, and expertly winding an antenna coil, which was missing. The set now works like new. It's a primitive looking tweed-and-stripes portable with the simple tuner plate. I just had to get it and preserve it!
Oh, and the repairman made a booklet with every detail and pic of the chassis, which I received with the set.

 

[decojoe67]

This one is metal and only about 7" long and 4 1/2" high. It's a 1940 Arvin model 502. It has a wonderful solid, quality feel to it. The amazing thing is that's it's not repainted. I thoroughly buffed it out and touched up and few flea-bite chips. It came out like new. The color is warm buttercream ivory. It has the little metal louvered back too. Arvin made several of these, but this one is the best with it's 5-tubes and lit dial. The chassis is clean and will get a recap soon.

 

[decojoe67]

..... through small translucent colored panels! View attachment 180175

 

[decojoe67]

The top pic is a nearly mint 1939 FADA model P40. I hooked it up to modern batteries and it plays excellent as-is on all it's original 80 year old components! It's a nice small compact set in tweed and stripes Tolex, and the dial/pointer is very stylish.

The second set was a fixer-upper that I decided to save. It's a 1939 Emerson CE263. I had my repairman friend recap this one for me. Not the most attractive model, but it's the best performing battery portable you'll ever hear. The sensitivity, tone, and volume range is as good as any typical period AC table set!

 

[decojoe67]

This is a rare one that I recently refinished/restored. It's a 1932 Jackson-Bell "Peter Pan" model 25, made in Los Angeles, CA (only sold in western states). It's a small or "midget" tombstone-style radio advertised as "perfect for the apartment". It's a good player with it's 5 tubes, large speaker and robust chassis. I saw this radio on a Little Rascals episode when I was about 10 and always wanted one. It took over 40 years to finally get one!

 

[decojoe67]

This 1937 Detrola model 159 radio was on a shelf in my friend/repairman's shop for many years. The cabinet had been butchered to make a front audio input with a front switch. I liked the styling and asked my friend if he'd sell it. He just gave it to me and told me to see what I could do. As this is only my second full cabinet resto, I was unsure what to do. To make the fix unnoticeable, I gave the set "deluxe" trim with the contrasting faux veneer bands. It actually looks more attractive than without them, as was factory. It's a really appealing set and smaller than the typical period tabletop radio. It was recapped some time ago and works well. It's really satisfying to save an old set like this.

 

[decojoe67]

This model L "Zenette" (It's written that way on the escutcheon) was one of 3 first Zenith cathedral radios offered by the company. Although they were known at this time for high quality sets, they had to follow suite to stay competitive and offer low cost "compact" or "midget" sets due to the depression. Zenith did not skimp on it. The cabinet is solid as a rock with a thick large back brace, and the performance is much better than my other early cathedrals. Crisp, clear, and sensitive. The cabinet has an appealing simple design with the ornate front trim. I like the

rippled veneer pattern on them and the darker toner highlights. The set is all original and is very well preserved