1935 Detrola 501 Tombstone Skyscraper Wood Tube Radio. Please take a quick look at our video of this beautiful Detrola Tombstone Radio and then read all the details below! One of the original Imported from Detroit products its a beautiful representation of mid Art Deco design from a city that was famous for it! This 1935 Detrola Tombstone is considered a small to medium size it works great and I was able to get in several local stations with just a short wire antenna (not included). It even worked without the antenna, but the longer the antenna the better reception, as they say. I received 3 stations very well, and two stations more feint. No hum and no tuning dial slipping. Stations come in loud and clear up and down the dial. These models are rarely found in functioning condition much less electronically serviced or in such nice cosmetic condition. These early model Detrolas are very hard to come by, and this particular model was hard to research. Introduced during the Great Depression, you can be assured this radio was used to hear about such historical events as unemployment hitting 20% , Germany passing the Nuremburg laws, and Mussolini’s Italy invading Ethiopia! Also this was the year of the birth of “Swing” by Benny Goodman and the world was ready to boogie. ! Then scroll down below the video to finish reading all the details that makes this radio so exceptional! As you can hear from the video, this radio sounds amazing and the wood finish looks great. The volume control is smooth with no scratch or pop noises. The knobs work as designed with no slipping and there is no hum. T he Detrola Story. Detrola w as founded in 1931 in Detroit Michigan. Detrola built radios under a variety of private brand names as well as under their own moniker. Up to 90% of radio production was for private brand names. Detrola laid claim to having one of the worlds largest output of radios by the middle 1930′s. Some estimates claim their production may have been the 6th largest. The company merged with International Machine Tool, INC. During World War 2 resulting in a big conglomerate that was involved in many fields including building military equipment for the war effort. The new name of the company became International Detrola. Unfortunately, with increasing competition from mass market radio manufactures such as Philco, RCA, & Zenith, it was difficult to compete and the Detrola radio assembly lines fell silent by 1948. During their short run they made quite an impact and made a lot of radios. Today, Detrola radios are some of the most sought after antique radios by collectors – coveted for their unique Art Deco designs and due to their scarcity. Working examples are quite rare much less electronically restored examples like this one! As with any radio 80 years old there are going to be blemishes and imperfections on the top, sides, back, bottom, and front T. He electronics have been serviced. Including all tubes being tested and any weak ones replaced, any capacitors needing replacement were replaced as needed, the plug and cord were replaced with a newer on as the old one was considerably worn. The controls were lubed as well. Cosmetically, it is in very good condition. There is nothing that detracts from the overall look of the radio. It is a beautiful function piece of art perfect for any collector who loves Art Deco period design. You will love listening to it for many years to come. Dimension: 12.5″ in length X 15″ high X 7 in depth. Please all payments are due within 24. To stay up on all of our vintage radio listings! Thank again and good luck! The item “RESTORED Rare Antique Vintage DETROLA 501 Tombstone Tube Radio Works Perfect” is in sale since Thursday, January 07, 2016. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Radio, Phonograph, TV, Phone\Radios\Tube Radios\1930-49″. The seller is “agnes_radios” and is located in Rochester, Michigan. This item can be shipped to United States, to Canada, to United Kingdom, to China, to Germany, to Japan, to France, to Australia, DK, RO, SK, BG, CZ, FI, HU, LV, LT, MT, EE, GR, PT, CY, SI, SE, KR, to Taiwan, TH, to Belgium, to Hong Kong, to Ireland, to Netherlands, PL, to Spain, to Italy, to Austria, RU, IL, to Mexico, to New Zealand, SG, to Switzerland, NO, SA, AE, QA, KW, BH, HR.
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- mcm rare mint WWII deco: rare depression era old skyscraper chrome