Motorola Model 55L2 Tube Portable (1956)

Bold, asymmetrical, futuristic. What a wild looking radio! The radio is ruggedly constructed, with green leatherette over a steel case. It has four miniature tubes and operates on either AC or DC.

Motorola put out several steel-cased portables of this type in the mid-1950s, all with steel cases and some, like this one, with vaguely robot-like faces. The massive handle contains the antenna and can be rotated for best reception. An external antenna is necessary, of course, when you enclose the entire set in metal.

This set is pictured both in the The Collector's Guide to Antique Radios (3rd edition) and in The Portable Radio in American Life.