Radios Past

In 1938, Catalin radios became smaller with the introduction of Emerson’s “Little Miracle”.

The Emerson Model AX235 is just 9-inches wide, 5-inches high, and 4-inches deep.  That’s a small space to include all the workings of a tube radio in 1938.  The case is made of marbled Catalin plastic, and the grille and knobs are white Tenite.  Unfortunately, heat from the tubes and the slight shrinking of the Catalin case over time, tended to warp the grille.

As you can see, the yellow marbling in the red case makes for a striking look for the radio.  The Emerson Radio & Phonograph Corporation decided to offer customers multiple choices.  First of all, the Catalin came in several color combinations.

Here’s the same model, and this one looks like a “Halloween Version”.  Actually, it started as an alabaster white that has turned into an almost-orange patina.  Other Catalin colors included cases in blue, green, or black.  Plus, various swirled mixes of Catalin were poured into molds, and that gave us many interesting variations.  No two marbled Catalin radios are exactly alike.  The Tenite grilles and knobs also came in a variety of colors, including black, white, green, red, and orange.

But wait, there’s more!

Except for its same small size, the Plaskon version looks completely different (I love this design!).  It’s also from 1938, and Emerson used the same radio chassis, but a different dial.  You can see the case is much more intricate.  Catalin could never have all the shapes and lines you see here in the Model 246 “D-dial”.

And the choices didn’t stop there.

Wood had been the original choice for radio cases for many years, and Emerson came up with this cool version with a bullseye grille and a bullet-shaped case with green inlaid lines.  Again, the chassis is the same as the other two versions.  It shows how artistically varied radio designs were, even though from a practical standpoint they all did the same job…receiving radio stations.  This is the Model AX212, also from1938.  Even the wood model had choices, walnut or maple.

If you look closely on the right side of the above 2007 photo, you can see three of my little Emerson radios next to each other (photos enlarge with a click).

My wife, Jeannette, has always been supportive of my radio hobby, and enjoys our colorful collection.  This “Little Miracle” is her favorite of all the radios we’ve had over the years.  She likes the petite size, the shiny translucent case, and the dramatic red & white color combination.  Of course that last part might have something to do with our originally being from Nebraska.

Extra:  Here’s a photo of the printing on an Emerson box (from the book Classic Plastic Radios by John Sideli).

The photo confirms that “Little Miracle” was the official name of the radio (not just a nickname), that the model number does not have a hyphen, and unless it’s just hype, the radio was a big seller.

And here’s an old ad from Monsanto asking businesses to use the still-new medium of plastics…the way Emerson did with these radios.

One of the best designed small Catalin radios is the 1938 Crosley “Split Grille”.

Having that extra slash of color through the middle of the grille accents the contrasting maroon and butterscotch colors.  Other cool design features include the curved top & bottom, the flaring out of the case, the ribbing on the top and bottom sides, and those chunky Catalin knobs.  (Photos enlarge with a click.)

Besides this dramatic color combination, alternate colors of the Crosley Model G1465 were available, including these two versions:

It’s hard to see, but the black Crosley case has swirled yellow in it.  Here’s a better angle of the beautiful look.

(Photo by Decophobia)

The Crosley is about 9-Inches wide, under 6-inches high, and about 4-inches deep.  For comparison, here it is next to a Fada Bullet.

A year after Crosley (1939), Detrola came out with a similar split grille radio.

Instead of Catalin, this Detrola Model 274 is made of Plaskon with Tenite trim.  The radio came in several great color combinations (including some Catalin cases), which are very collectible and hard to find.  Other radio brands also released more versions of the split grille design.

When I did a major reduction of my radio collection several years ago, I couldn’t part with my Crosley “Split Grille”.  Here’s one more photo of it on an antique mirror.

The 1939 DeWald Catalin Model 561 “Jewel” is “somewhat obscure and difficult to find” according to Classic Plastic Radios of the 1930’s and 1940’s author John Sideli.  In fact, he only found one example for his book, a yellow and red model.

When I spotted the below radio on eBay many years ago, I wanted to buy it.

Except it didn’t look like that, and it wasn’t even listed as a radio.  Instead, it was in multiple listings, because the seller had taken the radio apart, and was selling it in pieces.  There were separate listings for the chassis, the case, the trim ring, the knobs, and the handle.  In order to get the radio, I had to win each auction.  The listing times were very close together, so it had to be done efficiently.  Of course any failure would be problematic.

I won the chassis.  I won the case.  I won the trim ring.  I won the knobs.  I lost the handle.  I had bid enough to win the handle, but there was a technical problem that made my bid late.  So, I contacted the buyer who had won the handle (for a bid that was actually quite low). He gave me a price that was double what the handle was worth, and about eight times what he had paid.  Eventually, I talked him into accepting a large percentage profit, but at about what the handle was worth to someone who needed it to complete a radio (half of what he originally wanted).

The case was perfect, although it had to be polished back to it’s original translucent green onyx color.  It came out beautifully.

It’s a great radio, but it was a little nerve wracking to buy.  By the way, the seller should have simply sold it in one complete auction, because I got the radio at quite a bargain.  According to Sideli, the DeWald 561 cases came in three colors, Onyx, Maroon, or White (which turned to yellow, or what is often called butterscotch).

This is the only other 561 I owned.  It wasn’t as nice as the Onyx, but it’s still a model that isn’t found in every collection.

Above is how the two DeWald radios displayed together in about 2006 (click to enlarge).  The DeWald Jewel is about 10” W, 6” H & 5” D.  Here are some of my other Catalin radios by DeWald.

The radios are…a red 1938 A501 “Harp”, a brown (with yellow swirls) “Harp”, and a 1938 A502 in Sand (with an insert grille).  The only DeWald radio I still have is the red Harp.

Some of the most popular collectible radios were made by Fada in the 1940’s.

At the start of the 1940’s, the Fada corporation began moving away from boxy designs (though their Catalin radios of the 30’s are beautiful), and came up with one of the most famous radios of all time, the Fada “Bullet”.

This is a streamlined 1940 Fada 115 Catalin radio that was originally an alabaster white with red trim. The Catalin case has oxidized over the years to a beautiful butterscotch.  Luckily, the red Catalin maintains its color.

Here’s an old Fada advertisement from 1941 that shows the original colors of the Bullets.  The largest photo in the ad is what the radio in the previous photo originally looked like.  Too bad I couldn’t have bought it for that $19.95 price!  The four basic colors of the cases were alabaster white, onyx green, maroon, and lapis blue.

This maroon Bullet is the first Catalin Fada I bought.  It’s the 1946 post-war Model 1000.  There are differences in the dial, the knobs, and the handle from the pre-war model.  A friend of mine sold it to me after he got it for a dirt cheap price at an auction.  Later, he became a radio collector, and eventually I sold it back to him (at the price he sold it to me).  The size is about 10” W, 6” H, 5” D.

Another original design that was started in 1940 and continued post-war was that of the Fada 252 & Fada 652.  The two models look nearly identical.  The 252 has gumdrop knobs, 8 grille slots, and three grooves around the case.  The 652 has pinwheel knobs, 7 grille slots, and two grooves around the case.  The nickname for this radio is the “Temple”.  It’s one of the larger Catalin Fadas, about 11” W, 7” H, 6” D.  The photo on top (butterscotch & red) is the first Temple I bought.  The second Temple I got was blue.  My individual photos of it are lost in some digital void, so the second photo is a Fada that was owned by a friend.  Both of these Temples are 652’s.

Here’s part of my collection from about two decades ago.  My first four Catalin Fadas are displayed and marked 1, 2, 3, & 4 below.  You can see the sizes of the Fadas compared with other radios in this old photo. (Click to enlarge.)

This is a 1946 Fada Model 711 “Diptop”.  It’s about the same size as the Bullet.  When I first bought it, the case had been polished back to its original alabaster white, but had started getting its patina back.  You can see how light it was in the large radio display above, and how it had returned to a butterscotch color in the lower photo.

Another 1946 model that was close to the size of the Bullet is the Model 700.  This one is a friend’s rare blue Catalin version.  I owned the more common maroon Catalin one…seen here on the right in an old photo.

As Fada transitioned their cases from Catalin to polystyrene in 1947, they came up with the “Cloud”.

You can see that the white swirled case of the Model 845 does look like a cloud.  The case is not quite as impressive as the Catalin models, but it still looks great, has a cool dial, and maintains the color it was meant to be.  It would’ve been cool if Fada had produced another round of Bullets in polystyrene in the 1941 colors, so they would have kept their colors as originally conceived.

Cool radio sighting:

So my wife and I are streaming the movie L.A. Confidential (which is set in the 1950’s), and we spot this Fada radio in the background.  The person in the hooded coat is Kim Basinger, who won an Oscar for her role.  At this point she’s probably admiring the radio (or maybe all those bottles in the liquor store).

The biggest problem with Catalin cases not keeping their color was with the blue models.  They turned green, and eventually brown.  Even after they’re taken back to blue through a careful sanding and polishing process, they’ll oxidize again to green/brown.  Polystyrene allowed Fada to have radios that stayed blue.  The above cobalt blue 1947 Model 1005 is a pretty rare radio.  It’s a shame radio makers didn’t produce more blue models, because they’re certainly popular with collectors (although rarity is part of the collecting equation).

The Fada corporation came up with some of the best designs for plastic radios, and the likely reason so many have survived is how cool they look.

Canada’s always been a good friend to the U.S.  They’re a very important trade partner, and gave us Neil Young & Joni Mitchell.  They also provided a couple of outstanding designs with their Addison radios.

The first Addison I was able to add to my collection (more than a couple decades ago) was this 1940 Model 2 (sometimes called A2).  It’s made of maroon Bakelite, with dramatically contrasting ivory Plaskon trim.  It’s a fairly small table radio, about 10” W, 6” H, & 5” D.  The style is very distinctive, with a “waterfall” grille, and a wide band of wraparound trim at the bottom.  By having these major design elements, Addison was able to provide many contrasting colors in a variety of plastics.  Here are some other A2’s I added to my collection.

This one has a black & white swirled Beetle plastic case with the same ivory trim.

Another one has a swirled Catalin case, with Catalin trim that started out ivory and changed to butterscotch over time.

Addison also used colored Plaskon, including this fairly rare blue-green one.

Here’s a shot of a two-page spread in the book Radios, The Golden Age that shows just some of the many color combinations.  By the way, Addison didn’t sell any painted A2’s, so painted ones are not original.

The look of the Addison Model 2 is so striking, it was used as the featured radio on the cover of this classic John Sideli book.

The other major Addison radio is the 1940 Model 5 (sometimes called A5).  Again, Addison came up with a design unlike any other radio.  It’s nicknamed “The Courthouse”.  It’s a larger radio, about 12” W, 9” H & 7” D.  Above is the first Catalin A5 I bought.  It’s beautiful, but since the trim wasn’t original, I replaced it with this one.

Radios, The Golden Age also did a spread of the major colors available with the Model 5.

The other cool version of “The Courthouse” is made of wood.  It’s basically the same size as the Catalin model, but if you look closely, you can see some minor differences in the way the wood is shaped.  The wood version is the original Model 5, and the Catalin versions were added later.

Canada didn’t produce anywhere near the variety of radios made in The United States, but they did design two of the best!

Extra: (Sept. ‘22)  Just came across an old photo of the first wooden Addison I had long ago.

When I started collecting radios in the late ‘90’s, it seemed like I wanted to buy almost any radio I spotted at a reasonable price.  In a short while, I decided to concentrate mostly on Bakelite, Catalin, and other types of plastic table radios.  Plastic was a new medium in the ‘30’s & ‘40’s and designers came up with such clever modern designs.  One radio that really caught my eye was a maroon Bakelite radio from Czechoslovakia, the Tesla Talisman 308U.

I’d seen a photo of it in a tabletop book on Bakelite, and the streamlined style really appealed to me.  An added attraction might have been that my grandparents on my mother’s side were from Czechoslovakia.  I never saw a Tesla in anyone’s collection at the time, and certainly never came across one at an antique store or auction.  Finally, I spotted one on eBay, but the auction had already ended.  I took a chance and sent an email to the seller, who was in Europe.  He had another one that he sold to me for the same price as the auction…only $200 plus shipping.  That’s the above radio.

Radio books have had trouble nailing down some of the details of the Tesla.  Above are two book listings.  The top one is from the 2014 book DecoRadio by Peter Sheridan.  It shows the Tesla as being from 1946.   The bottom photo is from the 1997 book Bakelite Style which was edited by Tessa Clark.  It says the Tesla was designed in the 1930’s, and produced in the 1940’s (which is what I believed because of it).  Apparently, both books are wrong.  The best information I could find online is that the Tesla Talisman was designed in the late 1940’s, and was produced from 1953 to 1958.  You can see the radio design fits in with the earlier Deco Era’s streamlined style.

Another interesting comment that was in the Bakelite Style book was that the Tesla was “highly desirable in the Iron Curtain days”…meaning that Teslas are less desirable now that they’re more available.  To me, the radio is as desirable as it always was, it’s just cheaper for collectors.  Tastes vary, but I think it’s one of the coolest radio designs ever.  The Tesla was also available in brown Bakelite & black Bakelite.  If you see one painted, it’s not original.  The Tesla can be easily switched between European and American voltages, and the plug works with an inexpensive adapter.

One unusual and cool feature is the dial.  It has the major cities of Europe printed right on the dial glass, along with the radio frequencies.  (The photo can be enlarged with a click.)

When I reduced my collection, the Tesla Talisman was one I couldn’t part with.  It’ll stay in the family.

Which way do you spell it?

Grilles (or Grills) come in so many shapes and styles.  They’re essential to let the sound from the speaker project through the case.  Designers figured out how to make them cool.  Sometimes they were cut right into the cases, and other times they were added pieces in contrasting colors.

Often on wooden radios, and sometimes on plastic ones, beneath the grill (or grille) was a cloth.  It was there to protect the speaker, let the sound pass through, and to add a touch of elegance.  For collectors who have to replace old worn and torn grille (or grill) cloths…it seems like there were as many cloth styles as there were radios that used them.  That doesn’t make it easy to find replacements!

So…should we spell it grill or grille?

According to one dictionary’s description, the word Grille is defined as the covering of an opening, such as a car grille.  The dictionary also defines Grill as a place to eat.  Don’t be fooled by places that have a sign saying Bar & Grille…they just thought the “e” made it seem fancier.  But like those bar owners, we can spell the word either way.

Whether they’re split or wavy, patriotic or exotic, you can call them grilles or grills…and that’s okay.  The classic Catalin book by John Sideli used the grille spelling, but far and away most other radio sources, such as sales on eBay, and descriptions by radio collectors tend to use grill as the spelling.

As long as we all know what we mean, it’s not critical how we spell it.