VINTAGE RADIOS: EYE CANDY OR EAR CANDY?

I’m no radio buff, but I do appreciate design and I have a nostalgic streak—no surprise there! Be forewarned you are going to see lots of examples of Art Deco; modern design for a thoroughly modern product, right? Never mind I adore Art Deco.

So let’s check out some fun audio devices that look as good as they sound! Well, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions…

(Click on the photo to enlarge, click on highlighted text to view the source of the photo.)

The Emerson BD-197. It became known as the Mae West for some reason. Memorable isn’t it?

This model is so sweet and demure after the Emerson Mae West radio above! I love the celadon green and white…I actually want to hug this one.

The Majestic Park Avenue is a floor model the size of a small refrigerator, but I WANT ONE!

Behold the Sparton Nocturne designed by Walter Dorwin Teague one of my favorite designers from the 1930’s. Made of blue mirror and chrome, this is actually a floor model!!! A model in poor condition was auctioned by the Michigan Antique Radio Club in July 2012 for $34,000! The moral of the story? Not everything that looks like junk is garbage! See the backstory and auction on YouTube. A photo of the piece as found is at :31, and bidding starts at 5:10.  Sparton Nocturne Auction

 

I just think this is beautiful.

RCA Model 6K10, a fantastic chrome and black floor model designed by John Vassos.

I dig the triple Venn diagram motif on this stunner.

This Admiral radio is perfect for your Christmas holiday décor!

The Ecko AD-65, and English model…I’m sure Buck Rogers had one of these!

Sigh.

It’s a Philco Twin Speaker model! Can you say mid-century modern?

The transistor radio…Walkman’s grandfather!

Hello 1970’s. The Panasonic Panapet ball radio on a chain, and the Panasonic Toot-a-Loop radio.  The Toot-a-Loop closed into a circle, but when open it could be positioned any groovy way you like!

Now I’m really walking down memory lane! The 8-Track player becomes a radio component; the Aquatron by Weltron is super-spacey!  The blue number is solely an 8-Track, the Realistic Stereo Portiplay 8…I had to include it because I got this same exact one for my tenth birthday! Best present ever!

The jambox.  This takes me back to my ol’ pom squad days! Practice in the hallway requires a portable cassette player, but we didn’t have a fancy model like this…with a TV in it!

I leave you with my Blaupunkt! It was my grandfathers, and I think of him whenever I look at it. I remember those buttons being really hard to resist as a kid!

What is your favorite radio? Are you tied to the transistor or the jam box? Share your radio memories in the comments!