Vista Model NTR-6G Globe Transistor Radio (1960s)

How many radios have you seen in the shape of a globe? I own a couple of them, this model from the 1960s and the famous (and much more valuable) Colonial Globe from 1933.

If you look in the transistor collector guides, you'll find a transistor globe radio listed under the Fleetwood brand name. This one has the name Vista molded into its equatorial ring, and its owner's pamphlet identifies it only as the Globe Executive Six Transistor Radio, so I'm calling it a Vista for the time being. Perhaps, like many Japanese imports during the 1960s, the same radio was sold under several different names.

Inside the globe is a conventional six-transistor receiver powered by six AA batteries. This radio has a comparatively large 3-inch speaker. The speaker faces downward, toward the "South Pole." You can see the vents for the white plastic speaker grille in the first photo.

The controls are visible in the second photo. At the "North Pole" is the black power/volume control. The sliding tuner control extends from North to South poles. Directly below it, in the black plastic base, is a little jack for an earphone.

Built some 30-odd years after the Colonial Globe, this little radio avoids some of the difficulties of that earlier radio, which was more than twice as tall and much heavier.

Its globe markings are protected by a thick layer of tough, clear plastic, preventing the damage that is common to the Colonial's fragile paint. Its globe also mounts directly to the base, rather than through a gooseneck support, simplifying construction and making the whole assembly stronger and cheaper.

From a collecting standpoint, it's a little unfair to compare this inexpensive 1960s set to the stately and dramatic Colonial Globe. The Colonial is rare and highly desirable, easily worth several hundred dollars. This set is fairly common and worth much less: I would estimate $100 at most.

It's fun to have two globes in the house, however, no matter how different they are.