Product: antique radio, vintage radio, retro radio, vacuum tube radio, AM radio, art deco, mid-century product.
Category: radio
Cabinet construction: plastic
Period: 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s
Country of manufacture: USA
Electronics: Mounted circuit board or chassis. Vacuum tube circuit.
Vacuum tubes: tested and working. Amplifier, converter, detector, pre-amplifier, rectifier
BUTTERSCOTCH Retro Space Age 1955 Sylvania R5485-9211 Tube AM Clock Alarm Radio Almost Pristine!
DIMENSIONS: Approximately 13" x 6" x 7" (l x w x h)
COLOR: Factory molded butterscotch and factory painted brown contrasting grill
YOUTUBE VIDEO here
ADD BLUETOOTH MP3 for just $99: Plays MP3 with cable or wirelessly from any MP3 playing device over 30 ft. Includes 3.5mm to mono RCA cable. Just plug in your MP3 player or connect wirelessly via Bluetooth. Works with any iPod, iPAD, iPhone, or Android. Switch from MP3 to AM radio with rocker switch installed on back panel. See details here
See my story on CNN/Great Big Story here
DESCRIPTION: Tabletop tube AM clock radio alarm manufactured by Sylvania in 1955 timeframe in excellent+ almost pristine condition. Picks up AM stations clearly and loudly up and down the dial without need of external antenna attachment. Cabinet is in excellent condition with no cracks, splits, or missing plastic. No cracks on top (Amazing!) and still very glossy! This radio is over 60 years old! No dial light not designed with one. The volume and tuning knobs on the side are both present. The tuning knob is secure and doesn't slip. These side mounted plastic tuning knobs usually get stripped or cracked over the years due to some over-zealous tuning. The knobs are in excellent condition. The metal insert in the tuning knob is present. These often go missing over the years. The tuning numbers are as clear as day. These numbers usually fade or get faint over the years due to use but not this one. Also, this is a matching butterscotch tuning knob so it's practically impossible to find. This is probably the best surviving butterscotch tuning knob for this Sylvania series design on the the planet. Amazing! The three matching little clock knobs are securely attached. These little knobs frequently go missing over the years. No missing ink, smudges, or rub-off on clock dial lettering. The transparent clear clock bezel has a gold trim surround and is in perfect condition with no cracks and only slight yellowing. There is a small ding on the plastic clock face. The tuning dial works fine and smooth no slipping. There is a rubbed pimpl-y area towards the back right side behind the tuning knob. I purposely chose not to replace the filter capacitor or the beeswax capacitors in this unit because everything was all original and still working fine. There was no hum so I didn't want to lose the originality. I will be happy to replace the capacitors at the buyers request for no additional charge. The clock works and keep accurate time for a mechanical analog design. The alarm works. The buzzer works. The clock and alarm set function work. There is a appliance timer function in back. I'll bet it works if the alarm function works, but I cannot think of a good reason to use it nowadays. Pretty superfluous function even back in the fifties. The tubes are working fine. 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. Backing board is in good condition with crisp square corners. The power cord and plug are good original working condition with no cracks, or splits. No exposed wiring. The radio has been thoroughly cleaned and inspected. All wiring has been thoroughly checked for possible bridging and weak solder connection. Comes from non-smoking, mature, clean professional environment no pets. When this radio was new, tailfins were all the rage! This thing belongs in a museum!