Non-Philco Radios in my collection.
1928 RCA Radiola 60
12-28-2017. I had been eyeballing this since I spotted it almost 3 years ago. Patience paid off. The seller finally lowered the price to what I was willing to pay. Bonus: all tubes were original RCA globe tubes, and they all tested good, and I got a bonus extra tube that was laying in the case. I have an RCA 103 speaker on order, which is the original speaker intended to be used with it. 1928 RCA Radiola 60. Now the oldest radio in my collection. 2018 means it is 90 years old this year.
1-24-2018. I was told that the RCA Radiola 60 I picked up last month was originally sold with the RCA Loudspeaker Model 103, so I got in touch with my parts guy, and he had one he was willing to sell. Here's a "studio shot" of the radio with both speakers.
1929 Sonora A-40
4-15-2018. I drove 1.5 hrs North from Fresno to Modesto to do a service call on one of my Pinball clients, to do some tune-up work on his machines before he packs up and moves from Crazyfornia to Oregon. He offered this to me, and I was hesitant since I don't need another console. We talked about knocking $50 off my bill for this. In the end, he gave me a $34 tip, and gave this to me! 1929 Sonora A-40 in remarkable condition as you can see from the pics. Of course my shop supervisor, Cleo, approves..
1930 Jackson-Bell Model 62 "Swan"
My Mom picked this up for me in a local consignment shop. It was marked $60, and she talked them down to $15. I had the speaker re-coned. It will be re-installed once I get the cabinet and radio restored.
Update: New grill cloth installed.
1930 Stewart-Warner "Consolette"
11-19-2016. This one I thought was a bit unusual. 2 dials! There's 1 for the AM band, and a separate chassis for the Shortwave band.
1930 Flint "San Gabriel" Cathedral
3-31-2017. I bought this from a local seller on the OfferUp APP. A 1930 Flint, made in Los Angeles at the same factory as Jackson-Bell and Guilfillan. Not well documented, but I did determine it was 1 of 2 models whose design was inspired by California Missions. This one being San Gabriel, I believe. I'm still doing research on this one, but have yet to find a schematic. This one may be difficult to restore without a schematic.
Unknown Brand "Berkshire" 1930s radio
10-6-2018. Picked up at the Annual Central California Historical Radio Society's Swap Meet, this is 1 of 3 radios I brought home this year. There's always a radio at a meet that cries out, "Rescue Me!". This year, this was it. Small and cute, I couldn't resist!
1932-35 Goodyear "Wings" Model 585R
8-10-2019. I spotted this in pictures at a local estate sale. It was missing the dial cover or escutcheon, but in December, a friend and fellow collector in New York spotted it in a box of parts and grabbed it for me. It has some veneer issues, and needs a complete restoration, but it's got a lot of character! I'm looking forward to when I have time to restore this!
1933 Emerson Model 250
Found this cute little Emerson while on vacation in Oregon in August 2016 at a swap meet for the Northwest Vintage Radio Society.
1934 Emerson Model 104 Tombstone
4-6-2014. My mom went to an Estate Sale, and called me when she spotted it. I headed over, only to find out they had closed up for the day. I went back the next morning, and it was still there. I got it for $25, which I thought was a great deal. The day before it was $50. It's an 8 tube monster, at 21" tall, and 17" wide. Not restored yet, I chip away at it every once in a while...
1934 RCA Model 118
8-14-2017. I'm a member of a local group on Facebook called Fresno's Past. August 13, I posted about a couple of my radios that have local ties, and some local history behind them related to the owners, or where they were serviced here in town. The next day, I got a message from a gentleman, who said he had a radio that's been collecting dust in his garage. He said it was mine if I was interested, for a nickel- yes, a nickel. Apparently his dad ran a radio-TV repair shop in town, and when he closed it down, the wife brought this home, probably sometime in the 1970s. It's been in the family since. All he wanted was to see it go to a good home where it would be valued and restored, as he probably would never get to it. So, I paid a nickel, shook hands, and he said "Now we both have a story. Enjoy it."
1930s Gilfillan, Unknown Model
This is a mystery set. Made in Los Angeles, in a factory that also manufactured the Flint radio, above, and a Jackson-Bell "Swan" I also have (Pics posting later). Restored and running. I briefly documented the restoration of this on the Philco Phorum:
1930s Unknown Make and Model, Factory "P", Chicago
10-1-2016. I picked this up at the Central Valley Historical Radio Society's swap meet in October 2016. It was crying "rescue me!". It may be a challenge to restore this, but I really like the almost oriental design of the grillwork. The only clue as to the make/model of this one is a label on the back that states it was made in Factory "P" in Chicago.
1935-37 Wards Airline Model 62-245
10-5-2019.. Attended the annual Radio Swap Met for the Central California Historical Radio Society. I brought 2 home. 1st up is this 1935-37 Wards Airline Model 62-245. Also known as the "Indian" or "Chief", due to the shape of the grill cut out. This one was already restored. I may eventually put a more vintage looking cloth cord and plug on it.
1936/1937 Packard-Bell Model 48
10-12-2017. I picked this up with the intention to restore and sell it eventually. It's rare to find a Packard-Bell console. In fact the only image I could find of this model was a catalogue image on RadioMuseum. It will need a lot of TLC before it's ready to sell.
1937 Zenith 5S119
6-27-2014. I picked this up for $42 at a thrift store. It was in original condition with the original knobs. About 3 weeks of work and it was up and running. Still would like to refinish the cabinet, but it presents well as it is.
1938 Zenith 12S245 "Chairside"
1-3-2020. Picked up this rare Zenith Chairside at an estate sale locally. A real diamond in the rough! I've been wanting a chair side radio and a shutter dial. Finally found both in one radio. Looking forward to when I can restore this one!
Update: July 2020. It's restored! However, some blushing later appeared on the finish. I have some lacquer blush remover, but haven't gotten around to fixing it.
1939 Packard Bell Model 46H
5-7-2016. I picked this up at an Estate Sale. I'll probably sell this one. It does have a green tuning eye, located in a small window in the center of the dial.
1939 Zenith 5S319 "Racetrack" dial
The cabinet on this one was in 7 pieces when I got this in October 2013. The radio is not up and running yet....
1941 General Electric L-660
5-21-2015. A nice little tabletop from 1941. I'll probably sell this one once restored....
1942 Zenith 6G601M Portable
Picked this up in an antique mall in Hanford, CA. This was made at the end of 1941. Most copies of this model have a sailboat stitched on the cloth. After Pear Harbor happened, they switched it to the bomber cloth. There's a date stamp on the speaker that says 12-41! This is a portable model that works off of a battery, or can plug in. Rare to find them with the original leather handle intact.
1946 General Electric Model 321
2-3-2015. My dad found this and shipped it out to me from Arkansas. This one will probably be sold once restored.
1948 Motorola 69L11
10-5-2019.. Attended the annual Radio Swap Met for the Central California Historical Radio Society. I brought 2 home. 2nd up is this 1948 portable (and plug in) Motorola. It screams Airplane Age from the front metal grill work. The dial indicator is a moving ribbon incorporated into the clear carrying handle. It'll be a while before I get to it, but looking forward to restoring someday!
1951 Zenith H500 Transoceanic
I picked this one up at an Estate Sale and it had the original Zenith battery still enclosed!
1955 Guild Model 556 "Country Belle"
10-1-2016. I picked this up at the Central Valley Historical Radio Society's swap meet in October 2016. Seller said it worked, but I serviced it anyway.