Admiral Model 5F21N Tube Portable (1951)
I rescued this portable radio from
a local shop for a parts-only price. It seemed too
nice to let it go into somebody else's junkbox.
The cabinet is a beautiful maroon and gold plastic,
with the sort of "robot face" appearance that was
popular during the 1950s. There's an integrated
handle on top, and the cover swings up to reveal the
controls and speaker grille. The robot's toothy smile
is formed with copper-plated letters which spell the
name Admiral. The letter "I" forms
a clever clasp that releases the cover when you
push the letter down.
Inside, you'll find a conventional 5-tube portable
set from the 1950s, with all-glass miniature tubes
and storage for two batteries as well as an AC line
cord.
An interesting feature of this set is its
upside-down chassis. In most tube radios, the
chassis sits at the bottom and the tubes point up.
This set's chassis is mounted from the top,
right under the handle, and the tubes hang down.
At the bottom of the cabinet is the space for the
batteries.
This particular model is not listed in the Slusser collector
guide. Based on similar models, I'm estimating the manufacture
date at around 1951.
|
©1995-2023 Philip I. Nelson, all rights reserved
|