Welcome to Rare Antiques Collectibles and Memorabilia.
I can still vividly recall when i was just about 5 years old ,i used to listen music and local soap opera to our big wooden boxed radio. I had many good times with that radio.
I can still remember when i took off the back covering of the radio, there were protruding glass tubes.Yes those were the years when the microchip wasn't invented yet and nano-technology was just a figment of someone's imagination.
Now there's that nagging question as whatever happened to my beloved radio? It would really seem nice just to have one of those antique radios around the house. Antiques radios are great conversation pieces and the nostalgia that it would have brought will be greatly welcome.
Unlike modern transistor radios, old radios were designed not only to receive radio waves, but also to be attractive pieces of furniture.
In Britain broadcasting began around 1920 so there were commercial models before this time. But of course the principles have been practised since the turn of a century ago. It was the invention of the radio valve by fleming in 1904 that paved the way to broadcasting.
The earliest models were little more than plain wooden boxes but in no time the radio housing became the focal point for designers and cabinetmakers who produced furnitures which while dated, is still a marvel of workmanship in mahogany, teak,lacquer and other finishes.
In addition this was the era of early plastics, including bakelite which is a collecting subject in its own right.
if we take as a guideline the assumption that antique radios are only of those of the valve era then our collecting period ends just after 1948 when the transistor was invented.
Most mechanical collectibles like typewriters, sewing machines, clocks and radios are better investment collection if they are still working.
So it is much better preferred that you have the knowhow to fix your own "machine". And if you have any interest in the repair and construction side of radios there are other areas that could open up for you.
I can only predict that there will be an increasing demand for radios as collectibles, but a demand for people who can service them as well.
In conjunction with the collecting of radios, keep an eye for literature on the subject. Pre war books in particular are available if you are creative and resourceful enough to find them.
Find the ones with circuit diagrams, for the price will swiftly rise as old radios become more popular.
Remember for all your collecting ideas drop by Rare Antiques Collectibles and Memorabilia.
