Radio Score

[danemodsandy]

There are those who will snicker at this, because some members here are very serious radio collectors and wouldn't spit on what I'm about to reveal. Well, to each his own, and I had special needs....

What I scored from eBay is a Crosley CR-51 reproduction radio made in 1998. It's a reproduction of a Crosley Coloradio from 1951, the 10 136E. That radio was an AM radio in black Bakelite.

Originals were made in Ebony, Chartreuse, Maroon, Aqua and Metallic Green; this copy is Ebony. The plastic is probably black ABS.

The repro is AM/FM and has a cassette player as well, which makes it perfect for my limited space. Being a recent, solid-state radio inside, it's not so likely to demand repair skills I don't possess. It's a decent physical copy of the Coloradio.

So, all you radio aficionados can hoot, but I am going to be very happy with this puppy gets here! First photo is the CR-51 repro I'm getting; the second photo is an original 10 136E.

 

[countryford]

Sandy, If you are happy with it, who cares what everyone else thinks(this coming from a die hard radio collector). It does look nice. I hope you got a good deal on it.

Oh, I do have a couple of reproduction radios in my collection.(Don't tell anyone).

Justin.

 

[hydralique]

Nifty . . .

Somewhere in storage I have the first radio I ever owned, it's the same as the photo below except the whole thing is metallic anthracite. It belonged to Marge, a friend of my parents and was kept on her kitchen counter. One day while cleaning she accidentally flipped a switch on the back that allowed use of an accessory phono, thus turning off the tuner. Since the radio was getting old she just figured it had died and gave it to me while she and my mother were visiting. Unlike her kids, I was allowed to plug things in even as a small child, my mother realized that given my love of vacuums, hair dryers, radios or anything like that it would be a losing battle to prohibit me messing with them. So I immediately put the thing on the floor next to an outlet, plugged it in and pushed, pulled and turned everything I could. In a moment it was working fine and I don't think Marge was too happy she'd given it away but she let me keep it. For me it was a prize and I loved listening to it.

 

[classiccaprice]

I have the CR-52 reproduction. You've seen it before on top of my refrigerator, but I know you've been looking at my range. Sometimes I use a cassette adapter from the car in it so I can auxillery input from my mp3 or Pandora. Other times, I just listen to the fm radio while I cook. Don't get me wrong, I prefer my vintage tube amps, but it does a nice job and I like the flexibility.[this post was last edited: 8/12/2014-00:05]

 

[classiccaprice]

Here's the original....

 

[NYCWriter]

We may sniff at Crosley ...

... but I applaud any company that celebrates timeless design and beautiful aesthetic!

 

[twintubdexter]

I like those Crosley reproductions

You get all the fun of an original with updated guts.. This box in my den is a reproduction. No different than those Crosley radios.

 

[danemodsandy]

I Feel Better!

I was really a bit hesitant to post this find, because so many people here have real collectible radios (especially Justin), so the encouraging feedback is appreciated.

Just for grits 'n giggles, here's a vintage catalog shot of the entire Coloradio line, showing all the colors. I have to say - that Maroon one is kind of fetching!

Does anyone here have a vintage Coloradio? I'd be interested in knowing how the repro's sound compares - if they managed to get that "fat" midcentury radio sound into it.

 

[classiccaprice]

I find the little radios don't get a great sound in my experience. I much prefer the big old console stereos, but that's a different story.[this post was last edited: 8/12/2014-08:42]

 

[hydralique]

You have to love a radio manufacturer who gives the choice of five different colors on one model, including chartreuse! I always thought the design of many '50s Crosleys looked automotive, mine always seemed redolent of the nose of a Buick. It is ironic that the design of Crosley cars wasn't nearly as stylish as their radios.

Why worry about whether or not a good looking and working radio is a reproduction? Unless one is an electronics enthusiast for whom those tubes have significance it shouldn’t make any difference, it’s a radio that functions as it should. From the photo it looks like the repro has FM which in my opinion is a huge plus.

 

[kb0nes]

Sandy,

Its a handsome radio, please check back in with your listening impressions when you receive it. Will you be using it more for AM or FM listening?

I have a few "American 5 tube" table radios, mine are all RCA and they are AM only of course. And they all sound great, far better on AM then most things you buy today. I will be curious to learn if the people that made this reproduction really designed in proper AM. Today most radios are pretty much built into a single IC and the AM mode is an afterthought that lacks full AM bandwidth. Perhaps since this bears some resemblance with Crosley they paid a bit more attention. Of course your unit will do better on FM then all my AM only radios combined!

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow, Sandy, that is a great-looking radio!  May you enjoy it for many, many years!

 

[danemodsandy]

Phil:

Most of my listening is Iowa Public Radio - the classical station, not NPR. I detest NPR, particularly All Things Considered and Then Endlessly Nattered About.

Anyhoo, I'm mostly an FM listener.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

My collection...

...currently in storage:

1929 Atwater-Kent model 55

1937 Crosley w/phonograph

1947/8 Philco console w/shortwave

Just 3, but hope to have them on display once I'm in my co-op!

Jim

 

[wayupnorth]

I have an old Crosley, what was called a dashboard radio in that blue/gray color. AM only and all tubes that Dad would put in the front window of what is my house, was our summer camp then, and listen to baseball and yell at us kids for swimming too far out. I keep it on top of my cabinets and remember him yelling at us to get in closer every time I look at it.

 

[carmine]

I have several old radios in my collection. These Crosley radios that have been posted are very nicely done. I'd have no problem using one of those in my house.

However, what I usually think of is one of these badly done repros (see photos) which look about as authentic as a $3 bill. Between the practically unsanded pine/glossy polyurethane, tacked on moldings from Home Depot, red LED displays and generic glue-on labels; they've given reproductions a pretty bad name.

I see them all the time at estate sales, priced as if they were Ye Olde Timey Antique CD players from 1932.

 

[circlew]

Some friends of the family had one of those "cathedral" radios from the early 30's; it resided on a shelf under the sideboard in their dining room. For some reason I was afraid of it when I was little. I still don't like the looks of them very much, even though I usually like most things from the 30's. I always thought they looked too old fashioned to be from that time period. I guess I expect everything from then to be streamline moderne style, which I like.

 

[danemodsandy]

We Have to Remember:

That those "cathedral" radios were the cheap 'n nasties of their day. They were an alternative to the much more expensive consoles, and they were considered to be at a lesser level of taste than consoles.

There are many, many collectibles fetching good money today that were not well thought-of when new. A comparatively recent example is the now-iconic Weltron spherical 8-track player/radio. They're coveted and expensive now. Back in the day, they were sold at Woolworth's.

 

[washman]

This is a Thomas Collectors Edition from 1989

Parentals got it for me for making Dean's list at University. It plays ok. Sort of. The volume knob is static and the tone range is very narrow indeed.It plays cassettes(!) and I put many hours listening to Suspense, Radio's Outstanding Theater of Thrills.