Vintage radio picture gallery

Vintage Radio Picture Gallery

Just scroll down the page or click on the date links below to see period examples of radios from bygone decades.

1920's	1930's	1940's	1950's
1960's & 70's	Novelty Sets	Record players & tape recorders	Future collectibles

As my collection is ever changing and increasing please check my pages again soon.

1920's Sets

Click Here for picture	One valve set 1920's Radionette one valve set. I bought this many years ago not quite complete. Now restored with genuine 1920's components.
Click Here for picture	Crystal set 1920's set by Gecophone. Near perfect example of how it all began. These sets provided 'something for nothing' as they required not batteries or mains power.
Click Here for picture	Graves two valve radio Complete with horn speaker and note the glass accumulator. I have fully restored this set and very surprised how well it works. The tone is very clear and it is quite loud.

1930's Sets

Click Here for picture	Ekco PB289 Motor tuned nine valve 1938. Great set this! Push a button and see the dial motor round to your favourite station. Fully restored by me and in first class working order.
Click Here for picture	HMV 1938 Three waveband Superhet. Superb case. Hours and hours spent on electrical restoration, a real challenge this one. Now in perfect order!
Click Here for picture	1930's Philips Superb 1936 Philips. Dial driven by flat steel ribbon. Usual high quality, but not an easy set to work on. Takes about three weeks to remove the chassis! One of my favourites this one, it's so typical of the thirties.
Click Here for picture	1930's Ultra radiogram Mid 1930's Ultra radiogram. Unusual walnut cabinet many hours of work done on this set to bring it up to first class condition. Just the job to listen to Al Bowly on.
Click Here for picture	1930's HMV 1936 HMV superb walnut case, with original expanded brass speaker fret. AC/DC model, fully overhauled.
Click Here for picture	1930's Philips 1936 Philips with unusual tilting dial. Restored from a heap of rubbish to a lovely looking and working radio.

1940's Sets

Click Here for picture	Canadian Dominion Electrohome 1940's radio in the form of a table with dummy drawers. Twin speakers at rear. Was 117v, converted and restored by me to 240v AC.
Click Here for picture	Murphy 146 'Baffle Set' Great floor standing model with large amplifier and 10" speaker. Used mainly now by my son to play guitar through. Sounds great.
Click Here for picture	Ekco round A22 I suppose all radio collectors have to own one of these, this one I have restored from a rotted hulk.
Click Here for picture	Venus Globe 1946 Champion Venus globe. Very rare radio in the shape of a spaceman's helmet. Fitted with a line cord ballast resistor ugh!
Click Here for picture	Marconi P20B portable My favourite portable of all time. Very small for a valve job, I have restored this to new condition and have even made a battery pack out of eight PP3's and one SP11.
Click Here for picture	Zenith Trans Oceanic Late 40's large and heavy multi-band set from the states. Quite rare over here. This one was a retirement gift for somebody. He must have been well thought of as these were very expensive.
Click Here for picture Restoration story	1940's HMV A 1940's HMV that was salvaged from two very sad looking examples (see retroration gallery). This set is unusual for its size as it has a push-pull output meaning it works better than others of a similar size.
Click Here for picture	Philips 1940's bakelite Philips excelent case, almost as new. Restored to full working order.

1950's Sets

Click Here for picture	Bush DAC90A Early 1950's transportable radio. Probably the most famous and familiar of all the just post-war sets. The only way to stop these sets working is to put an axe through them!
Click Here for picture	Bush VHF61 1950's Bush, one of the first small table radios to include the 'new' VHF / FM band. Piano key band selection, Bakelite case and magic-eye tuning.
Click Here for picture	Pye Fen man 1 This radio was a gift to me. It looked like your worst nightmare, but after many hours of work it has turned into a very smart set with excellent tonal qualities.
Click Here for picture	1958 Philips 1958 model with long low styling which was about the last style change in valve radios. It is in mint original condition and perfect working order. This must have been someone's pride and joy.
Click Here for picture	Telefunken portable 1958 valve portable snakeskin case with Bakelite and brass trim. Mains or battery. Designed to appeal to ladies. Includes short wave band.
Click Here for picture	1950 Pye Portable Battery model but I have converted it to mains. I like this set very much in spite of its quite low value. I think some of these portables are very undervalued just now.
Click Here for picture	KB FB10 'Toaster' Very popular with collectors because of the funky shape. Quite high value.
Click Here for picture	Bush portable Bakelite case with sliding dial cover, which also acts as on/off switch. Heavy and well made radio which worked first time!
Click Here for picture	Philips 1950's Philips mains/battery portable. Medium and two short wave bands plus RF stages and magic eye tuning indicator. This set seems to have been made for the european market. Superb almost unused condition. Another of my favourites.
Click Here for picture	Bush 1956 Bush VHF64 - superb early VHF valve radio. 4 band with magic eye tuning and thumb wheel tone controls with miniature moving music scales. Superb sound from three speakers, probably the best VHF table radio I've heard. Definately one I will keep.
Click Here for picture	Bush 1950's Bush - a gift from a relation now restored to full working order.
Click Here for picture	Ferguson 1950's Ferguson - neat little transportable radio with built-in aerial.
Click Here for picture	HMV 1950's HMV - unusual wedge shaped walnut cabinet. Twin pointer tuning scale, very good sound for its size. Restored from a £5 mess.
Click Here for picture	Vidor Mid fifties vidor mains / battery portable.

1960's & 70's Sets

Click Here for picture	Bush TR103 1960's transistor portable, always a popular radio with collectors and increasing in value all the time. Probably the most famous portable of the era. A lot of these sets are still around which speaks volumes about the design and construction. Everybody's Auntie used to own one of these!
Click Here for picture	Prinzsound spherical 8-track 1970's globe stereo radio and 8-track player. Much sought after due to the style. This one is in as new condition and works perfectly.
Click here for picture	Planetron 1970's Planetron radio and 8-track. Similar to the Prinzsound but rarer.
Click here for picture	Zenith transistor 1960's Zenith 3000FM. Superb 'all wave' radio with good performance. The Americans could make very good sets when they wanted to.
Click here for picture	KB Calypso Typical 1960's portable. Very sensitive and surprisingly good sound.
Click here for picture	Ever Ready Sky Leader One of Ever Ready's first transistor radios. Very good quality and it was still made around a metal chassis not P.C.B.
Click here for picture	Dansettes Three Dansette radios from the 60's. Quite cheap at the time but well made and attractive. Just the job for Radio Caroline!
Click here for picture	Grundig 3005 Multi band portable made by Grundig in the 60's. Very high quality radio with superb sound. Expensive when new but hard to better at the time.
Click here for picture	K.B portable 1960's quite sought after rather pretty radio. Looks new and works the same.
Click here for picture	Teleton Very high quality 1960's Teleton multi-band radio. Covers air and public service bands as well as normal long, medium and short. Restored to mint condition, must be a classic of the future.

Novelty Sets

Click Here for picture	Novelty sets A collection of 1960's and 70's novelty sets including: panda radio, dog radio, Earth shaped radio, and RADIO shaped radio! These are cute little sets that are starting to rise in value.
Click Here for picture	Sexy doll 1970's? I wonder if you can work out how to 'turn her on'! Not sure of date or origin of this one. If you can help please e-mail me.

Record players & tape recorders

Click Here for picture	Pye Black box Very well made early hi-fi 1950's record player. Push-pull output with two speakers. Nice piece of kit for keeping the neighbours awake!
Click here for picture	Dansette Yes, we all had these as teenagers, the cheap and cheerful Dansette record player. This one has stood the test of time very well.
Click here for picture	Elizabethan LZ32 1960's Elizabethan tape recorder - three speed deck giving fantasic sound. Bass and treble controls, superimpose function and magic eye recording level indicator. Still with original instruction book.
Click here for picture	Alba R17 1950's Alba R17 tape recorder - blue and white rexine case, very good sound for size. Hours and hours went into fixing this one, new valves and capacitors etc, the actual fault cured by the turn of a screw - doh!
Click here for picture	Grundig TK20 Typically fifties Grundig reel to reel tape recorder. Lovely stying with lots of brass - great set.
Click here for picture	Grundig TK23 1960's Grundig TK23 - a later version of the above incorporating PCBs along side the valves. This model is four track giving hours and hours of listening pleasure.

Future collectibles

Click Here for picture	Philips Moving Sound 'Moving Sound' radio cassette, made by Philips in the 1980's. Collectible due to the quirky shape. Picked up at a car boot sale for a few pounds
Click here for picture	Clock radio / T.V 1970's / 80's clock radio T.V. Bought for £3.00 at a car boot sale in perfect working order. One for the future.
Click here for picture	Reproduction Sparton mirror radio I make no apologies for including this one, reproduction of 1930's Sparton mirror radio. Very nice little set complete with C.D player that I am sure will become collectible over time.