My Vintage Radio Collection

[decojoe67]

A 1940 Mantola model R-419 luggage-style battery-only portable. I liked this one for the unusual name and the nice brown and gold art-deco dial. It's built so solid. I hooked-up modern batteries to it and it fired right up! These work their best when they get a recapping though.

 

[decojoe67]

I'm still researching this one. It's a Canadian 1947 (?) Westinghouse model 555 small 5-tube radio. It's wood covered in Tolex (was tweed, now straw yellow), brown/yellow swirled catalin handle, brown bakelite knobs, and brown painted wooden side panels. It's likely early post-war, but I'm not sure. It seems there was a slew of 555 models, all with a letter attached to them. I have not found another example of this particular model. It was rough when I got it and I did my best to fix it up.

 

[decojoe67]

Between 1938 and 1949, Arvin produced a slew of little rugged metal radios. This is the earliest (1938)

and toughest to find model 40. It's also the only one that sans the Arvin name for "Mighty-Mite" on the escutcheon. It has only two tubes that do the job of 4. When I saw the opportunity to acquire this excellent original ivory example, I went for it.
I put a typical 1960 transistor radio next to it for comparison, so you see just how small this cute set is!

 

[decojoe67]

An early battery only portable radio

from late 1938 or early 1939. I like the large bright silver sunburst dial and brass bezel. The only ID it has is a brass plate on the front that reads "Sportsman". It performs exceptionally well.

 

[decojoe67]

Here's a 1941 Dewald model 561 "Jewel" (AKA the "outline-grill" model) It's a more desirable model with the maroon grill insert, handle, and knobs (I actually need to find them - then one's on them look okay, but are incorrect) I found this set at a local barn sale for $50. It was totally untouched and "as-found" which is rare these days. I spent hours polishing it. A really cute set that I plan to have electronically restored soon. These set looks and feel like glass. Real eye-candy.

 

[SteveFord]

The civilized man's camfire.
There's an old Harman Kardon tube tuner in there bottom right.

 

[Edward Reed]

I purchased this wood 1941 Zenith Model 6D-525 AM Vacuum Tube Radio from retroradiofarm. Its in excellent working order and very good physical condition.
one of only three radios built for Zenith by the Ingraham Clock Company, the "oldest cabinet maker in the USA", in Bristol, Connecticut. I believe its walnut or could be mahogany.
All original parts and factory finish although the original finish is thin in spots on top edge. The dial light was replaced with LED rated for 50,000 hours.
All paper and wax capacitors were replaced with modern equivalents
All out-of-spec resistors replaced with modern correct value and voltage equivalents.
I had them install their Bluetooth 4.0 receiver option so I could stream 1940s radio or my large collection of 40's radio shows like GI Jill's GI Jive, The Chesterfield Moonlight Serenade Show or the Glenn Miller show! I can Switch from Bluetooth MP3 to AM radio with a rocker switch installed on back panel. It includes a 3.5mm to mono RCA cable if I want to plug in my iPod or my iPhone directly.
DIMENSIONS: Approximately 11" x 7" x 7"

 

[Edward Reed]

1941 Zenith Model 6D-525 AM Vacuum Tube Radio

 

[decojoe67]

Here's a more "mid-century" style radio rather than my usually art-deco finds. It's a NOS 1950 Motorola model 5X12U ivory painted radio that was found in the original box. It has a nice sparkly concave grille, silver satin dial ring and bent rod base, and hairpin style tuner pointers. The friend I purchased it from recapped the chassis and it plays great. You can picture this set atop the fridge in a modern post-war kitchen.

 

[Edward Reed]

Here's a more "mid-century" style radio rather than my usually art-deco finds. It's a NOS 1950 Motorola model 5X12U ivory painted radio that was found in the original box. It has a nice sparkly concave grille, silver satin dial ring and bent rod base, and hairpin style tuner pointers. The friend I purchased it from recapped the chassis and it plays great. You can picture this set atop the fridge in a modern post-war kitchen.
View attachment 226598

wow!!!! great find! you wouldn't think something like that could still be found NOS in original box!

 

[decojoe67]

wow!!!! great find! you wouldn't think something like that could still be found NOS in original box!

Thanks Edward. This collector friend I know searches out NOS sets. I really don't know where he finds them. The box has all it's inserts and literature, and a even it's thin paper liner that the set slides out of! It's a brand new 1950 radio.

 

[decojoe67]

Boredom is getting the better of me and I nabbed this 1935 Kadette Cameo model 90. There was 2 brown bakelite models. One had brown cameo's with all brown knobs and the other had black cameos with the small knobs in black. The military cadet silhouettes appear to be sterling silver. It very compact, but like lifting a brick! It has a View attachment 226830 wonderful solid feel to it. This one has been electronically restored and plays well for it's mini size.

 

[Edward Reed]

Boredom is getting the better of me and I nabbed this 1935 Kadette Cameo model 90. There was 2 brown bakelite models. One had brown cameo's with all brown knobs and the other had black cameos with the small knobs in black. The military cadet silhouettes appear to be sterling silver. It very compact, but like lifting a brick! It has a View attachment 226830 wonderful solid feel to it. This one has been electronically restored and plays well for it's mini size.

wow beautiful! and great shape for a 1935!
Well, I needed a Zenith ivory color radio knob to replace one that had a large chunk of bakelite missing on my Zenith Model 6D-525 and they are rather scarce unless I could buy a non working zenith radio for real cheap and even that is hard to find... a few brown color ones came up or the wrong connector end and they usually are listed for almost $60 a piece but today I scored well... I got the ivory knob with the correct connection for the splined slit round shaft and it only cost me with tax and shipping $17.70!
very happy about that considering I had been looking for one for months!

 

[decojoe67]

Good for you! It's a great feeling to get the knob you need to complete a set. I still have sets in my collection where I've never found a correct knob. It's funny that you can sometimes find what you need with one search of eBay, or it could take 10 years!

 

[decojoe67]

View attachment 227384 I did a trade with a local friend for a 1937 Airline 62-418 "movie dial" tabletop radio. This all-original set has 8 tubes, 3-bands, tuning eye, and a chromed chassis. The unique feature is, of course, is the mini projection unit used for tuning in which a film loop is project and magnified onto a ground glass screen. The loop raises and lowers when you change bands to project a certain section of the loop. There's even a spare projector bulb mounted inside the cabinet. There was many variants of this basic design - 6-tube, 8-tube, and battery farm versions. They're quality (in and out), great performing sets made by Well-Gardener for Montgomery-Wards stores.

 

[Edward Reed]

View attachment 227384 I did a trade with a local friend for a 1937 Airline 62-418 "movie dial" tabletop radio. This all-original set has 8 tubes, 3-bands, tuning eye, and a chromed chassis. The unique feature is, of course, is the mini projection unit used for tuning in which a film loop is project and magnified onto a ground glass screen. The loop raises and lowers when you change bands to project a certain section of the loop. There's even a spare projector bulb mounted inside the cabinet. There was many variants of this basic design - 6-tube, 8-tube, and battery farm versions. They're quality (in and out), great performing sets made by Well-Gardener for Montgomery-Wards stores.

wow! now THAT is cool! would love to see one working in person one day!

 

[decojoe67]

Thanks Ed. It is definitely one of the most unusual features put on a radio that available only in '36-'37. It's a complex little unit with mirrors, lenses, a viewing chute and all kinds of various adjustable rods and pully's! On either sides of the viewing screen is pointers for volume and tone. It performs like a console radio. This was a higher-end set in it's day.

 

[decojoe67]

Here's a photo of the refreshed 1937 Airline 62-418 with the flash on:

 

[Edward Reed]

Here's a photo of the refreshed 1937 Airline 62-418 with the flash on: View attachment 228925

that is just impeccable! so minty! love when the cabinet is still in such amazing condition... I may just have to keep an eye out for something like this!

 

[decojoe67]

that is just impeccable! so minty! love when the cabinet is still in such amazing condition... I may just have to keep an eye out for something like this!

Thank you. I try to acquire sets with a good original finish. I then clean it well and apply a 2-step application of Howards Restore-A-Finish. I then mist furniture spray polish on the set and buff with cheese-cloth. The new old-style grill cloth really wakes the set up to. These movie dial sets are fairly hard to find. You have to be sure the projection unit and film drum are complete and in good condition too. The tabletop versions, like mine, are big and quite heavy too. I wouldn't want to have one shipped. This was the first chance I ever had to acquire one locally.