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Postwar Bakelite Radios
Click the smaller images to view a larger image.
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Arvin 544AR, 1946 |
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I picked this great Arvin up at a local antique mall for $25. I love the deco look of this radio.
The paint on the radio is in superb shape, without any chips
or nicks. In fact, when I first saw this radio,
I was sure that it had originally been a brown
radio that had been painted white. Why?
Well, how often do you see a white radio with
brown knobs? Much to my surprise, I found a picture of this very same radio in Stein's
Machine Age to Jet Age, Volume II (p. 66). So,
I guess they did come in white with
brown knobs after all! Another interesting feature of this radio is that the speaker is on the
right side of the case - you almost never see that!
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Automatic 614X, 1946 |
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This is one of my favorite bakelite radios. The case is flawless, a deep brown bakelite with
unique grille. The dial glass is a glass circle which rotates when the knob is turned. It is
in perfect shape, and looks great in the dark when lit from behind. The radio even has
its original back, which is in excellent shape. I have the wood version of this radio as well, it's currently
being restored.
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Bendix 55P3U, 1949 |
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I love the swoopy case of this Bendix, and I also have the
plaskon version in my collection. These
are both nice looking radios, not real valuable, but not very common
either.
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Coronado 43-8180, 1946 |
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This Coronado was found in a junk shop for $15, with a large
chip out of one side. It was probably overpriced! It has since been
repaired and restored to like new condition. Read about the restoration.
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Emerson 653B, 1950 |
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This Emerson is one of my favorite radios. I purchased it for the large sum of $4,
and it worked great as soon as I got it home. The dial cord needed a little attention,
and the case required a polish, but once that was done, it was all set to add to the
collection!
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Firestone 4A-25 "The Headliner", 1947 |
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"Ultra modern plastic design, ivory finish..." So reads the ad copy for
the Firestone Headliner
from 1947. This was one of the nicer Firestone bakelite sets from the 1947 line.
It was purchased with a large crack in the top, but has
been repaired, repainted and restored to like new condition. It worked
well when found. For more information, read about the restoration. Click the ad
to the right for a larger, more readable size.
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Firestone 4A-27, 1947 |
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This midget Firestone was purchased with a large chip in the rear. It has
been repaired, repainted and restored to like new condition.
Read about the restoration. |
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Meck 5A7-PB11 Bakelite Radio, 1948 |
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I purchased this great Meck radio off of E-bay (and I'm guessing on the model
number). Did I ever mention how much I like radios with handles? The radio case had a
crack on the top, as well as a few chips in the paint, but the radio did work. I have
since repaired and repainted the case. I really like this radio, it's one of the smallest
bakelite radios in my collection. Read about the restoration of this radio.
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Philco 46-420, 1946 |
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Some people call this the "Hippopotamus Radio" because of its
interesting shape. I had always wanted one, and I found this Philco in an antique shop in Madison, WI, during a visit.
It needed a new power cord, and a lot of cleaning, but now it works and
sounds great.
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Philco 49-500, 1949 |
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I picked up this beautiful Philco at a local antique mall for only $17. The case is ivory
painted bakelite, and as you can see from the photo, there are almost no chips in the
paint - quite a rarity for a 50 year old radio.
When purchased, the radio had a cord which was completely disintegrated, so it
was not safe to plug in. Once I got it home, I put a new cord on it, and was surprised to find out that it worked perfectly! The
only other repair consisted of replacing the type-47 pilot light which lights the dial. What a great find this one was!
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Stromberg Carlson 1400, 1949 |
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I picked this Stromberg Carlson radio up at a local antique mall. This one is a great
radio - excellent machine age, deco type styling with horizontal louvers. The dial
glass is reverse painted, and forms a handle from which the radio can be carried.
This radio worked fine when it was purchased. It had obviously been worked on
quite recently, as there was a new power cord installed. |
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