1923 RCA Radiola Special In Rare Factory Mahogany Cabinet With Factory Gold-Plated Hardware
$1,500.00
1923 RCA Radiola Special In Mahogany Cabinet With Gold-Plated Hardware
Made for RCA by the Wireless Specialty Apparatus Company, the Radiola Special was an attempt to re-purpose (for use with newly released dry cell UV-99 tubes) several hundred Radiola Concert Crystal sets that were failing in the marketplace due to their high price and poor performance. An engraved sheet metal panel was laid over the Radiola Concert’s original hard rubber panel, the crystal detector was removed, a tube socket was added, and the panel controls were modified appropriately.
This limited edition of the Radiola Special featured factory gold-plated hardware and was housed in a factory mahogany cabinet. It was an attempt to make the radio look less industrial, but its numbers must have been small, as hardly any have survived.
Condition is good, and the cabinet finish is clean and original. The gold plating on the hardware and pointers is worn but still in reasonably good condition. The chassis is original, with no modifications.
Comes with a working pair of Western Electric headphones and a good emissions UV-99 tube but is otherwise offered for historical purposes only, with no assurances stated or implied that the radio is still suitable for broadcast reception.
SOLD
