Jet Black on Black Ebony 1955 Motorola 56CE1 Tube AM Clock Radio Pristine!
DESCRIPTION: This vintage beauty must have come out of a time machine from 1955. It is in nearly dead stock mint condition. It is possibly a factory prototype previously unseen never knew existed never sold to the public. Not a blemish. No cracks, no chips, no major scratches. Very rare to find in all black colorway. Black on black. Like AMG black series. Like American Express Black card. Usually, a black cabinet model in this series would have a white clock face. The black clock face is elegantly contrasted with vertical precision pinstripe pattern for a high tech look that resonates with the vertical grill slats. Unusual original backing board is in excellent condition with crisp square corners. None of the typical factory printing depicting Motorola, tube layout diagram, other mfg small print, etc appears on this backing board. The UL sticker was found on the inside of this cabinet! Weird. The backing board is almost blank. No factory labels on the bottom. Seems to suggest this was a limited model offering, maybe a prototype? The backing board also has pre-cut indentations for calendar knob. This model series was never offered with calendar option like model 56/57CC. It's like the Motorola designers crafted a model concept and shipped to marketing department before all the features, fine print, color options, and specification were ironed out. No heat crack on top which is common for this model. Picks up AM stations clearly and loudly up and down the dial without need of external antenna attachment. This radio is 65 years old! The Motorola label on front speaker grill is pristine with clear and crisp letters, no waviness no rust or rub off. The knobs are in excellent condition. The clear tuning knob surround is clear with no rub off lettering. No missing center gold metal inserts. These sometimes pop off over the years. The clear dial face has no stress cracks or scratches. Please see the photo close-up. No missing ink, smudges, or rub-off on clock dial lettering. The tuning dial works fine and smooth no slipping. All paper and wax capacitors have been replaced with modern equivalents so this radio has another 50+ years or more of playing time! The clock works and keep accurate time. The alarm works. The clock and alarm set function work. The Radio-On-Off-Alarm markings are clear no rub off. The Radio-On-Off switch works perfectly with crisp indentations. The tubes are tested and all work 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. 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.
DIMENSIONS: Approximately 15" x 5" x 5.5" (l x w x h)
COLOR: Black
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Product: antique radio, vintage radio, retro radio, vacuum tube radio, AM radio, art deco, mid-century product.
Category: radio
Cabinet construction: urea plastic , predecessor of modern poly and styrene based plastic. Highly heat resistance, color does not fade
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