Aquamarine Turquoise 1957 Motorola Model 56H Vintage Vacuum Tube AM Radio Iconic Turbine Design!
DESCRIPTION: This vintage tabletop tube AM radio, manufactured by Motorola in 1957 is in excellent working condition. One of the most sought after mid century radio designs. Nicknamed the "turbine" Motorola for obvious reasons. The cabinet is factory original urea plastic which is a hard inflexible plastic that predates polycarbonate and styrene based plastics found everywhere today. These Moto turbines are getting snapped up by collectors. These are getting fewer and fewer to come by.
CABINET CONDITION: Cabinet is original factory molded aquamarine turquoise plastic through and through. Not repainted. No over spray. Not touched up. No chips or major scratches or missing pieces. These turbine models were very susceptible to heat cracks along the top. This one has a very tiny heat crack just beginning about 1/2" on top left back corner. Most examples have much larger heat crack. A heat shoield has been fabricated and attached underneath to prevent further heat cracking. Beautiful low sleek profile. Cabinet is glossy.
WORKING CONDITION: Picks up AM stations clearly and loudly up and down the dial without need of external antenna attachment. Nice deep rich tone.
CONE: The clear cone is shiny and securely attached no broken attach tabs no major scratches, no chips, no inclusions. The golden tuning dial metal cone is in excellent condition no rust, oxidation ore rubbed of numbers. Numbers are clear and readable, no missing material.
LOGO: M logo is in very good condition some chrome paint flaking.
KNOBS: The knobs are in excellent condition. Slightly yellowed to light pea green.
LETTERING: No missing ink, smudges, or rub-off on tuning dial lettering. The tuning dial works fine and smooth no slipping. Gold tuning cone rotates as you turn the tuning knob! Classic!
DIAL LIGHT: No dial light, not designed with one. But can be added for an extra charge.
SOUND QUALITY: There is no loud or pervasive hum. There is no loud or pervasive static between stations unless you operate near modern megahertz devices. The set has been aligned according to factory specifications.
INTERNAL ELECTRONICS: All out of tolerance paper and wax capacitors have been replaced with modern equivalents so this radio has another 50+ years or more of playing time! The tubes are working fine and secured into sockets with heat resistant film tape tp revent dislodging during shipping. Both Intermediate Frequency Transformers (IFTs) have been rebuilt to ensure static-free performance. All out-of-spec resistors have been replaced with modern correct value and voltage equivalents. The radio has been thoroughly cleaned and inspected. All wiring has been thoroughly checked for possible bridging and weak solder connection.
BACKING BOARD: Backing board is in excellent condition with crisp square corners and clear readable printing.
POWER CORD: The original power cord and plug are in very good original working condition with no cracks, or splits. Not stiff or brittle. No exposed wiring.
FACTORY LABEL: No missing factory labels.
COLOR: aquamarine turquoise
YOUTUBE VIDEO here
DIMENSIONS: Approximately 15" x 5" x 5.5" (l x w x h)
WEIGHT: 4lbs 3oz
ADD BLUETOOTH: See info here
ADD SMART SPEAKER: See info here
ADD DIAL LIGHT: See info here
Product: antique radio, vintage radio, retro radio, vacuum tube radio, AM radio, art deco, mid-century product.Category: radio
Cabinet construction: plastic
Period: 1950s
Country of manufacture: USA
Electronics: Mounted circuit board or chassis. Vacuum tube circuit.
Vacuum tubes: tested and working. Amplifier, converter, detector, pre-amplifier, rectifier