My sister had one of those 45 changers with a horrid sounding speaker and a built in radio. It did bring in alot of good AM stations after dark.
Need Help Identifying Appliances/Electronics: Late 1950s
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searsbest
Well-known member
What sweet memories of your childhood, everyone is aglow with happiness!
I had an RCA 45 record changer just like this one. You could plug these into a audio input jack in RCA TV’s and use the TV speaker too. Mine had belonged to my Grandpa, who used it every Christmas, along with a metal speaker, like the ones at Drive In restaurants in the 50’s, to play non stop Christmas carols in front of their house during the holidays.
I used it to play all the 45’s I bought with my weekly $1.00 allowance at Fowler’s Variety Store on Dam Rd. in El Sobrante, Calif. when I was in the 7th grade. I could get two for a dollar sometimes, but usually the newest and most popular ones were a dollar each.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 10/13/2019-21:30]
I used it to play all the 45’s I bought with my weekly $1.00 allowance at Fowler’s Variety Store on Dam Rd. in El Sobrante, Calif. when I was in the 7th grade. I could get two for a dollar sometimes, but usually the newest and most popular ones were a dollar each.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 10/13/2019-21:30]
norgeway
Well-known member
Range hood
Definitely a Nutone with push button control,I have one from 58, They were available with 2 fan assemblys, Either a rectangular box in the cabinet above with twin blowers in it or a single fan blade type.
Definitely a Nutone with push button control,I have one from 58, They were available with 2 fan assemblys, Either a rectangular box in the cabinet above with twin blowers in it or a single fan blade type.
My last post to this regard / Console TV is a Hotpoint
I suppose my forensic background is gnawing at me here. I think a common mistake by some is the presence of the chevron below the screen. RCA indeed used a chevron liberally when badging their electronic products, and that may easily make the TV look like an RCA at first glance.
However if you blow up the picture greatly (maybe my computer has a better capability of this) one can see a chevron with a red-colored insert and a dot of gold in the center.
That is what Hotpoint called “The Flying H “.
The Flying H is what Hotpoint called their logo.
Hard to detect and easily confusing.
I suppose my forensic background is gnawing at me here. I think a common mistake by some is the presence of the chevron below the screen. RCA indeed used a chevron liberally when badging their electronic products, and that may easily make the TV look like an RCA at first glance.
However if you blow up the picture greatly (maybe my computer has a better capability of this) one can see a chevron with a red-colored insert and a dot of gold in the center.
That is what Hotpoint called “The Flying H “.
The Flying H is what Hotpoint called their logo.
Hard to detect and easily confusing.
The TV is a 1956 Spartan TV, see the ebay link, its the exact same model as in the photo of Eugene’s childhood TV. Spartan was a subsidiary of Magnavox, and the design of this TV was inspired by Eames.
Eddie
http://www.tvhistory.tv/1956-Sparton-USA-brochure.jpg[this post was last edited: 10/14/2019-11:34]
Eddie
http://www.tvhistory.tv/1956-Sparton-USA-brochure.jpg[this post was last edited: 10/14/2019-11:34]
Thanks again for everyone’s efforts at brand identification! The TV seems to be a point of debate. There’s even this matter: Is it spelled ‘Spartan’ (as in the the E-bay item Eddie posted) or ‘Sparton’ as it is in the link he posted.
I’ve asked my sister quite a number of questions, but she had no interest in appliances, so has either no memories or very hazy ones in that regard.
I sent some of the photos in this thread to her and the phone rang immediately. “Who in their right mind sets a birthday party for a six year old with Fostoria?!” (Photo #2 above) Hadn’t even noticed ‘til she brought it up. Yep...that’s our mom. At any rate, she and I focus on different things in the same photos, LOL.
A bit of background: Our parents had settled in Italy (they met while dad was there in WWII) but came to the States after my dad’s mom suffered a debilitating stroke in 1947. My mom was 7-1/2 months pregnant crossing the ocean in a Red Cross boat. Anyway, they thought they’d be in the States for six months to a year, at which time they’d return to their place in Italy.
It soon became clear that my grandfather would not be able to care for his wife, so dad built the house shown above less than two blocks from his parents’ home. The family had lived with my grandparents up to that point. My mom’s English was always pretty rough and she never did learn to read and write English; nor did she ever become a citizen. She always hoped they’d return to Italy.
The household spoke Italian until the nuns at the Catholic school told my folks they needed to speak English to help my sister’s language skills when she entered 1st grade. In fact, Tippy (the ever-present dog) learned all her commands in Italian from my mom.
Funny story: My grandfather suffered from dementia and was in a nursing home the last few years of his life—he passed in ‘64. The last time I saw him alive, I trotted up the hall ahead of my folks, burst into his room and shouted, “Hi, Grandpa!” Startled, he pulled the lower plate of his dentures out of his mouth and threw it full force, beaning me right in the face. I started crying loudly, of course, and when my dad entered the room, realizing what had just transpired, he said slowly and loudly, “Dad! It’s Eugene!”
I’ve asked my sister quite a number of questions, but she had no interest in appliances, so has either no memories or very hazy ones in that regard.
I sent some of the photos in this thread to her and the phone rang immediately. “Who in their right mind sets a birthday party for a six year old with Fostoria?!” (Photo #2 above) Hadn’t even noticed ‘til she brought it up. Yep...that’s our mom. At any rate, she and I focus on different things in the same photos, LOL.
A bit of background: Our parents had settled in Italy (they met while dad was there in WWII) but came to the States after my dad’s mom suffered a debilitating stroke in 1947. My mom was 7-1/2 months pregnant crossing the ocean in a Red Cross boat. Anyway, they thought they’d be in the States for six months to a year, at which time they’d return to their place in Italy.
It soon became clear that my grandfather would not be able to care for his wife, so dad built the house shown above less than two blocks from his parents’ home. The family had lived with my grandparents up to that point. My mom’s English was always pretty rough and she never did learn to read and write English; nor did she ever become a citizen. She always hoped they’d return to Italy.
The household spoke Italian until the nuns at the Catholic school told my folks they needed to speak English to help my sister’s language skills when she entered 1st grade. In fact, Tippy (the ever-present dog) learned all her commands in Italian from my mom.
Funny story: My grandfather suffered from dementia and was in a nursing home the last few years of his life—he passed in ‘64. The last time I saw him alive, I trotted up the hall ahead of my folks, burst into his room and shouted, “Hi, Grandpa!” Startled, he pulled the lower plate of his dentures out of his mouth and threw it full force, beaning me right in the face. I started crying loudly, of course, and when my dad entered the room, realizing what had just transpired, he said slowly and loudly, “Dad! It’s Eugene!”
We had two of those swivel chairs your granpa is sitting on back in the 50s and 60s, . I used to spin like crazy on them.. For years afterwards they sat in my parents basement rek room. When we bought our house in Calgary with the big floor to ceiling living room window I thought they would look great in there so a couple of years later in the late 90s I drove home for a visit (from Alberta to Ontario) and brought them home with me. I'd kept them all the years until Pip as a pup chewed on one so bad I had to toss it out 10 years ago,, THe other I still have but the springs are gone and it needs reupholstering badly, some day.. It's in the garage for now.
Eugene,
I didn’t even notice the difference in the spelling of “Sparton” vs “Spartan”. I think the correct spelling must be with an “o”, as thats how its spelled in the advertisement. Probably the guy that put together the Photo Fact Folder used the Greek spelling of Spartan, but I would bet the rent that these TV’s are one in the same.
I can barely make out the “V” insignia with the small dash of red in the center in the photo of your family TV, as Paul pointed out. But all the ads that I saw for 1956-57 Hotpoint TV’s, the sets all had the controls on the front, except for maybe one of the portables. And I don’t believe that the Hotpoint logo was at the bottom of the picture tube frames in any of the photos. So, based on this I really do think that your set was a Spatron, “The Campbell” model, rather than either an RCA or a Hotpoint.
Thanks for sharing the story of your family history. Do you still speak any Italian? My husband David’s family on his fathers side is Italian-Swiss, they came from Northern Italy in 1849 during the Gold Rush, and instead of panning for gold the started a dairy ranch in West Marin Co. David knows a few words, mostly “basta” and “finito” when we wants me to stop beating the dead horse, and now I use these words too. LOL.
I was raised around Italians all my life, all my parents best friends were Italian. Its a culture I have a great affinity for.
Eddie
[this post was last edited: 10/14/2019-19:26]
I didn’t even notice the difference in the spelling of “Sparton” vs “Spartan”. I think the correct spelling must be with an “o”, as thats how its spelled in the advertisement. Probably the guy that put together the Photo Fact Folder used the Greek spelling of Spartan, but I would bet the rent that these TV’s are one in the same.
I can barely make out the “V” insignia with the small dash of red in the center in the photo of your family TV, as Paul pointed out. But all the ads that I saw for 1956-57 Hotpoint TV’s, the sets all had the controls on the front, except for maybe one of the portables. And I don’t believe that the Hotpoint logo was at the bottom of the picture tube frames in any of the photos. So, based on this I really do think that your set was a Spatron, “The Campbell” model, rather than either an RCA or a Hotpoint.
Thanks for sharing the story of your family history. Do you still speak any Italian? My husband David’s family on his fathers side is Italian-Swiss, they came from Northern Italy in 1849 during the Gold Rush, and instead of panning for gold the started a dairy ranch in West Marin Co. David knows a few words, mostly “basta” and “finito” when we wants me to stop beating the dead horse, and now I use these words too. LOL.
I was raised around Italians all my life, all my parents best friends were Italian. Its a culture I have a great affinity for.
Eddie
[this post was last edited: 10/14/2019-19:26]
And as if there wasn’t enough question about the brand of Eugene’s childhood TV, I have found yet another possibility, a 1956 Magnavox. And this one looks even more like Eugenes’ photo. But since Sparton was a subsidiary of Magnavox, its not a surprise that they both look very similar The finish on the Magnavox appears lighter than the Sparton, and more like the photo in question.
Eddie
Eddie
Pretty sure Sparton was not a subsidiary of Magnavox. Sparton was in business until fairly recently making sonobuoys for the Navy. That doesn’t preclude them making similar-looking sets, of course.
The Sparton Corp. was a Canadian company that sold its assets to Magnavox, who formed the Spartan Corp., so perhaps subsidiary is an incorrect term to use, but both companies did have a connection.
History of the manufacturer Sparks-Withington Co., (Sparton); Jackson, Michigan
ID = 3407
Name: Sparks-Withington Co., (Sparton); Jackson, Michigan (USA)
Brand: Jewel || Sparton
Abbreviation: sparks-wit
Products: Model types
Summary:
Sparks-Withington Co., (Sparton); Jackson, Michigan.
Founded: 1900
Production: 1925 - 1958
History:
The Sparton Corporation was founded as the Withington Company in 1900 in Jackson, Michigan, by Philip and Winthrop Withington. William Sparks became the third partner in the business a few years later and the company name was changed to the Sparks-Withington Company. Sparks-Withington began as a small manufacturer of steel parts for agricultural implements but as the automobile revolution began to sweep through Michigan in the early part of the century, Sparks-Withington added steel automotive stampings like hub caps and brake drums to their product line. By 1909, the company was manufacturing car radiator cooling fan assemblies, which quickly became a major part of the company's production output, reaching 275,000 units by 1917. It was during this period that Sparks-Withington began to make use of the trade name "Sparton," a contraction of the company name and an evocation of the disciplined Spartans of Ancient Greece. The company's first major product innovation came in 1911 when the all-electric car horn was developed by Sparks-Withington engineers. The Hudson Automobile Company soon adopted the Sparton electric horn as standard equipment for its automobiles, replacing the optional bulb horns that had characterized the early era of the automobile. Radio and Television Production in the 1930s and 1940s The Sparks-Withington Company was officially incorporated in Ohio in 1916 and then reincorporated in 1919 when shares in the company began to be sold on the New York Stock Exchange. After a brief period of military production during World War I, Sparks-Withington used its growing expertise in the electronics field to bring out a line of battery powered radios, followed in 1926 by production of the country's first all-electric radio, promoted as "Radio's Richest Voice." While many American companies suffered during the Great Depression, Sparks-Withington expanded. In 1930, the company formed a wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, Sparton of Canada, Ltd., to introduce the Sparton radio line in Canada.
Sparks-Withington Co.; Jackson, Michigan. - Trade names Jewel, Sparton. 1934/35 Sparton made also the tube VG-1 also called VisoGlo, a glow discharge tube (glow tube, glow light tube) as a tuning indicator (see Sparton Model 83) before the magic eye.
Sparton brand radios were produced by the Sparks-Withington Co. of Jackson Michigan. Originally involved in the manufacturing of automotive parts (particularly horns and radiator fans), the company had been formed in 1900 by General W. H. Withington and his sons Philip and Winthrop. William Sparks, a young immigrant from England joined the company shortly after it was formed.
Radio production was added to the company in 1925 under license from Roy Weagant, who formerly designed DeForest TRF sets. Sparton was one of the first to use Kellogg AC tubes. In the late 1920s, Sparton at first refused to license RCA's patents, which led Sparton into the business of making its own tubes under the Cardon brand to guarantee its supply. Sparton's Equasonne models in 1928 were another measure to avoid RCA's patents - these models used a special circuit licensed from Technidyne Corp. In 1929, Sparton finally negotiated a license with RCA - after showing that it had the capability and will to do without RCA if necessary. Once licensed by RCA, Sparton ceased making its own tubes.
Sparton was not particularly successful in the radio business after 1930, but continued to produce radios and TVs until 1956, when some of its assets were sold to Magnavox to form the "Spartan" (note different spelling) division of Magnavox. The name of the company changed from Sparks-Withington to Sparton Corp. in 1956, and it continues as a successful company today, making a variety of products in aerospace, defense, medical, and other product lines
Eddie
https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=3407[this post was last edited: 10/15/2019-01:11]
History of the manufacturer Sparks-Withington Co., (Sparton); Jackson, Michigan
ID = 3407
Name: Sparks-Withington Co., (Sparton); Jackson, Michigan (USA)
Brand: Jewel || Sparton
Abbreviation: sparks-wit
Products: Model types
Summary:
Sparks-Withington Co., (Sparton); Jackson, Michigan.
Founded: 1900
Production: 1925 - 1958
History:
The Sparton Corporation was founded as the Withington Company in 1900 in Jackson, Michigan, by Philip and Winthrop Withington. William Sparks became the third partner in the business a few years later and the company name was changed to the Sparks-Withington Company. Sparks-Withington began as a small manufacturer of steel parts for agricultural implements but as the automobile revolution began to sweep through Michigan in the early part of the century, Sparks-Withington added steel automotive stampings like hub caps and brake drums to their product line. By 1909, the company was manufacturing car radiator cooling fan assemblies, which quickly became a major part of the company's production output, reaching 275,000 units by 1917. It was during this period that Sparks-Withington began to make use of the trade name "Sparton," a contraction of the company name and an evocation of the disciplined Spartans of Ancient Greece. The company's first major product innovation came in 1911 when the all-electric car horn was developed by Sparks-Withington engineers. The Hudson Automobile Company soon adopted the Sparton electric horn as standard equipment for its automobiles, replacing the optional bulb horns that had characterized the early era of the automobile. Radio and Television Production in the 1930s and 1940s The Sparks-Withington Company was officially incorporated in Ohio in 1916 and then reincorporated in 1919 when shares in the company began to be sold on the New York Stock Exchange. After a brief period of military production during World War I, Sparks-Withington used its growing expertise in the electronics field to bring out a line of battery powered radios, followed in 1926 by production of the country's first all-electric radio, promoted as "Radio's Richest Voice." While many American companies suffered during the Great Depression, Sparks-Withington expanded. In 1930, the company formed a wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, Sparton of Canada, Ltd., to introduce the Sparton radio line in Canada.
Sparks-Withington Co.; Jackson, Michigan. - Trade names Jewel, Sparton. 1934/35 Sparton made also the tube VG-1 also called VisoGlo, a glow discharge tube (glow tube, glow light tube) as a tuning indicator (see Sparton Model 83) before the magic eye.
Sparton brand radios were produced by the Sparks-Withington Co. of Jackson Michigan. Originally involved in the manufacturing of automotive parts (particularly horns and radiator fans), the company had been formed in 1900 by General W. H. Withington and his sons Philip and Winthrop. William Sparks, a young immigrant from England joined the company shortly after it was formed.
Radio production was added to the company in 1925 under license from Roy Weagant, who formerly designed DeForest TRF sets. Sparton was one of the first to use Kellogg AC tubes. In the late 1920s, Sparton at first refused to license RCA's patents, which led Sparton into the business of making its own tubes under the Cardon brand to guarantee its supply. Sparton's Equasonne models in 1928 were another measure to avoid RCA's patents - these models used a special circuit licensed from Technidyne Corp. In 1929, Sparton finally negotiated a license with RCA - after showing that it had the capability and will to do without RCA if necessary. Once licensed by RCA, Sparton ceased making its own tubes.
Sparton was not particularly successful in the radio business after 1930, but continued to produce radios and TVs until 1956, when some of its assets were sold to Magnavox to form the "Spartan" (note different spelling) division of Magnavox. The name of the company changed from Sparks-Withington to Sparton Corp. in 1956, and it continues as a successful company today, making a variety of products in aerospace, defense, medical, and other product lines
Eddie
https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=3407[this post was last edited: 10/15/2019-01:11]
lordkenmore
Well-known member
Interesting history on Sparton. (I'm glad to see my assumption that Sparton name came from a contraction of the full company name was right--or, at the very least, a conclusion someone else has made).
Interesting, too, that they sold the name and a product line, but not the whole company. That trick seems so modern--think GE as an example--but it's interesting this sort of thing took place even in the 1950s.
Interesting, too, that they sold the name and a product line, but not the whole company. That trick seems so modern--think GE as an example--but it's interesting this sort of thing took place even in the 1950s.
