Belmont Model 6D-111 Bakelite Radio (1946)

     

This beautiful streamline design from 1946 makes me think of Buck Rogers. The photos shown here are of the unrestored set, pulled out of the chassis for cleaning.

This is a six-tube set (12SK7 RF amp; 12SA7 converter; 12SK7 IF amp; 12SQ7 2nd det., AVC, 1st audio; 35Z5GT rectifier, and 35L6GT output).

Although it's not obvious when the radio's out of the cabinet, it has six pushbuttons that go in the horizontal slot under the half-moon shaped dial. The dial face is quite beautiful, with a gold sunburst pattern radiating up from the bottom. The bakelite cabinet is painted an ivory color. I believe the radio also came in unpainted brown bakelite.

I bought this radio over the Internet, and I was a bit disappointed in its condition. Although everything's there, you can see that the cabinet has some fair-sized paint chips on the top, the decal above the dial is almost worn away, and the speaker was crudely patched with some swatches of paper toweling. These aren't terrible defects, but since I was paying a premium price (wildly out of character, for me), I had expected something nicer. Still, it's a gorgeous radio, and it will get a nice restoration.

Coincidentally, a few days after buying this one, I found a second 6D-111 exactly like it, for a much more reasonable price. As crazy as it sounds, I bought that one too!

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