Radio Daze

Greetings from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, fellow audiophiles! One of the most nostalgic items in our home (other than me) is a floor model Crosley World Radio 819M. I've had it in our possession for more than 50 years. My grandparents, the late Walter and Priscilla Bishop, had it in their home; not sure when they acquired it. After Grandpa Bishop died, Grandma Bishop ("Nana") had it in her third story apartment in Doylestown, PA. I spent many idyllic hours there sitting and actually listening to the many radio serials that flooded the airwaves nightly - The Lone Ranger, Sky King, Jack Benny, Big John & Sparky, et. al., supplemented by shortwave band offerings. At some point, when Nana moved to a retirement community, she unexpectedly offered me the radio, which I could hardly refuse!

I hauled it out to Elkhart, Ind., in 1967 for my first job and had it in my office because there wasn't adequate room in my apartment, then brought it to Harrisonburg, VA when my spouse and I moved here in 1971. It's been "resting" and entertaining me with the "best of" AM radio for some time. I stopped playing it when I realized the main electrical cord and plug were in bad shape. Finally had an electrician replace the cord and plug, wondering if the end result would be a blown fuse or smoke rising from the set. Instead, it still works. The audio quality isn't what it used to be; there's a minor background hum, but the few AM stations in the area can be received rather decently. The illuminated dial still works, as do the station presets and the cabinet itself is in fairly decent repair.

I can't tell from other posts on this web site whether I have a 1932 or later Crosley model, so any insights along this line would be welcome. Any estimate of $$ value?

Here are several photos of my good Crosley companion and yours truly . . .

That's a 1940 model -- slide-rule dial, shortwave tuning, push-button selection, all characteristic of a mid-range radio of that time. Crosley was behind Philco, RCA, and Zenith in the marketplace, but they made a very good set for the money, and they perform very well when restored. Replacing the electrolytic capacitors would get rid of the hum.

Console radios tend not to be worth a whole lot of money in the present market, but the value of a set like this is more for its personal significance than for what it would bring in dollars. A price of $100-$125 might be reasonable, but most consoles, except the very highest of the high end -- E. H. Scott and similar custom-made sets, Zenith Stratospheres, Crosley's "WLW," etc. -- can be found for less than that.

Love that radio.