Unique vintage refrigerator

[estatesale_gary]

Is this really from 1958? Wonder why the buyer would have opted for this refrigerator vs. an American brand during that timeframe.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/app/3418567029.html

 

[hydralique]

Beautiful little refrigerator for sure. I'd bet it has a history going back to a purchase by an American GI stationed somewhere in the Pacific area, very possibly Okinawa. The military bases would have US spec 120v 60 cycle current. Local manufacturers had a good incentive to supply products to the bases as they could do it much cheaper than shipping US made products over.

 

Another possibility is that it was a market test by Hitachi that didn't pan out. The US was the world's favorite market in the '50s and '60s and plenty of foreign companies sent all kinds of stuff here, some of which just wasn't appropriate and thus discontinued quickly. That would explain why it is such a deluxe looking model.

 

[norgeway]

Looks like!

The rating plate says 100 volts...??? Thats odd!

 

[ronhic]

Electricity in Japan

Is standard at 100V and runs at either 50 OR 60 hz depending on where in the country you are, this being a legacy of where the generating equipment initially came from and persists to this day.

As a result North America is one of the few countrys that can run older style Japanese appliances without converters or internal changes as they tend to be either switchable between 50/60Hz or, do it automatically.

 

[maytagbear]

It could be 1958,

but I think it's possibly more like 1964.

In the late 60s, early 70s, I remember a lot of imported fridges. We'd consider them to be compact or secondary fridges, however, while elsewhere, they'd be "full sized."

Brands that came to my attention then include Indensit and Delmonico.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[paulg]

100 VAC typical for Japan

100 VAC is pretty standard for Japanese appliances to this day.

 

[petek]

I don't know if I'd date it as being 1958 either. To me it looks more mid to late 60's. The era when Japanese companies like Hitachi, Sanyo, Toshiba were just beginning to push into the US/Cda market after their success with radios and tvs etc.