FYI, I'm the person in the video, When I took the back off of the radio, because it was tied to the chassis by very short wires, I was limited to where I could place the back and still balance the radio in one hand, so unfortunately, it ended up on top of the radio. I should have tried to place the top under the radio instead of on top. What you didn't see was ME cringing when the clip touched the top of the radio. I left this comment as a reply to an earlier comment but in response to everybody's continuing concerns about wether or not the top was scratched, I lucked out and the clips did not scratch the top, it still looks pristine. Thanks for ALL of the comments. I'm normally VERY careful with my radios and it's great that there is still such an appreciation for these old electronics, especially a "New Old Stock" radio.
Oooooooooooo i love it. I want to find somthing like that. Im never that lucky. I always end up with junk. I have a Chinese knock-off reproduction that I bought new and it's a big piece of junk sounds horrible turns itself on and off when it wants to remote don't work the company that made it won't stand behind their warranty neither
Isn’t it terrible that in today’s world you have people so petty as to not just be able to enjoy this antique frozen in time… but can ONLY focus on petty things that you did that they would have done differently!! I hope you have given it a once over, made any necessary changes and adjustments and are enjoying it thoroughly now!
I cringed as well! I'd personally leave this set alone, it's a very fine example of how these sets looked when new. If I had to power it up, I'd take it up on a variac with a current limiting light bulb. He's got a nice collection of radios.
The world was a lot different in 1949, when this radio rolled off the assembly line and was put inside that box. Pretty much *everything* was made in U.S.A. at that prosperous time, because most of the manufacturing industries in Europe and Japan were in rubble from the bombing of World War II. The nationwide U.S. unemployment rate was 5.9%. In those days, the unemployment numbers were crunched a little differently.
I contract for phone companies and when I started working in this field almost all equipment and materials was made in the USA and some Canadian,now mostly Asian manufactured. The old equipment was designed to last 40 to 50 years now it's out of date in 2 years.
That is so gorgeous! Like he mentioned, the copper finish on the dial. Thanks for making these videos. Imagine knowing what we know today and stocking up on Heathkits (especially their color TV kits) and boomboxes in a bunker somewhere as an investment.
Nice to see an unboxing of something so old, and really new in the box. so clean inside not heaps of dust cobwebs and the like. I liked the guy's colourbar shirt by the way,.
Wow this is totally amazing, I would have loved to be there when you open it the smell inside the box touching a radio that hasn't been touched in seventy plus years. I wanted to hear it so bad. You should scan all the paperwork and share that. I love when I find NOS parts and tubed in the box. Awesome video. Thanks WOW!
That Radio was purchased the Year I was born by my Great Grandmother we had it as early as I can remember: 12:00 Noon "Hello, America! I am Paul Harvey, and now for...NEWS!I have no idea what happened to it, she and her daughter raised me, she passed away in 1974 in a nursing home, in Hot Springs Arkansas and it was stolen by the 'staff" who even stole her False Teeth. The dial lights up and will Amaze you!
Man I wish I was alive in this era. Everything today is just so throwaway. Sure, its amazing that we can watch this video on a thin little slate in our pockets, but 5 years from now, it won't be worth anything.
Not entirely true, if you kept your mobile phone in its box and someone opened it up 60 years later people would be equally amazed and it'd be a collector's items. It's unlikely it'd power up, same as this radio. Back in the late 40s all the old people were moaning about how radio was doing away with live entertainment and roads were full of motorised vehicle's, it's always been the same, the landscape was being decimated and houses, roads and factories were being built on what was once vast open area's, power stations fueled by coal throwing soot up into the air. But people did live until they were around 60 at the time, compared with 50 in the early 1900s and today closer to 80. I miss the things from my childhood a long time ago, but I'm a realist and only looking at the good things via rose coloured glasses
That radio belongs in a museum so more people can appreciate what we have lost. I'd put it in an argon atmosphere with limited lighting. "Restoring" it would be like refinishing a Chippendale.
These are great little radios , but being an "All American 5" tube radio is a relatively common design from the 1940's to 1960's, and one of the easiest to restore electronically-John in Texas
@@TheGearhead222 This is a New Old Stock radio. It is as original an example as any. The only thing that might need to be done is remove, encapsulate, or otherwise isolate electrolytic capacitors against physical leakage to prevent corrosion of other components. I wouldn't put power to it. There are plenty of other All American Five radios to restore.
dam now that was cool . i found a hallicrafters 38-c like that back in 2012 . it was in a old radio tv shop in pa that closed in 1989 . i was the first one to open the box from the 60s win it was packed . so cool to find stuff like this .RIGHT POPPING THE CHERRY . thats right lol thanks for the vid shango
I remember this from the collection video....it's a great find to be sure. If I'm not mistaken, RCA was the first to use those slug-tuned IF cans in '48-'49, a sign of things to come.
ah, but they may be recapped, recorded and calibrated and tested already, tho cosmetics my be a little rough. Still, here's a museum piece- much more than a mere "collector's item" to the eye. but, it ain't a car, boat, guitar, extra-rare record etc.... just an NOS really old little crappy/cute table radio, born and yet to live.
Amazing how we for once actually see a tube/parts diagram with model numbers on the tag. THAT'S something probably long gone from not just radios, but MANY products today...
I have this same model! Not new though but it works. It's been out of its chassis for maybe a year and half now, but works and also I noticed he has a radio in a box that looks like an old computer have that too. The set/reset control wire is in bad shape, but works none the less.
Very nice find. Seems like every RCA product of that vintage was certified to have the voice of the Golden Throat and it was actually certified by D.D. Cole himself. I have one of those in my collection and used to use it as a garage radio when there was actually music on the AM band within range.
I enjoyed watching this because I just got an NIB RCA 8X521. The previous owner had already taken it out of the box and did a complete chassis resto. Mine had the same paperwork, but somehow had no deterioration to it. These small late '40's bakelite AA5 sets are actually very nice when you see them in person. Good performers too. By the way, an older repairman told me how to very slowly power-up a clean as-found set with the Variac. It slowly reforms the caps and you'll know to stop if any problems occur before full 120V.
Reforming caps is pretty much a myth. All paper caps dry out and become leaky after several years-never a good idea to operate a vintage radio with original wax/paper capacitors-John in Texas
@@TheGearhead222 It seems to be a belief with repairman who want to conserve their cap supply! LOL Honestly though, I have a few radios that are working perfectly on some or all of their old paper caps. Played sparingly, I never had one have a catastrophic failure. The bottom line is it's best to replace them all if you can.
I would never put that radio in today's voltage. I would stop at 110 volts. Second I would replace all the capacitors. Only the mica capacitors I would keep. All paper and the filter capacitors would get replaced. 73
That is a fanstastic looking radio. I cringed when I saw that back cover with those metal pieces on the top, I'm pretty sure that they are sharp enough to scratch that bakelite!
Really nice. Probably someone received one too many radios as a wedding gift. Would like to have found one of those. Interesting how the manufacturers just slapped on glue underneath to attach the label.
I had the one radio that was sitting on top of the box. Nice wooden cabinet. It really pulled in the radio stations. I used to listen to KDKA from Pittsburgh PA in central Florida. I should kick myself for getting rid of it. Most of these radios will be useless when AM radio goes digital. 73
What a miraculous find! Wonder what the odds are of finding another very old radio brand new in the box and never opened...has to be less than 1 in 10 million.
I have a Sentinel Model 118B, it is a farm radio, but it looks brand spanking new, inside and out. I would love to get a power supply hooked up to it and play it.
That is too nice to be considered junk. I would replace any bad capacitors and out of tolerance resistors and then do a variac and dim bulb tester power up on it.
Ever heard of the light bulb trick? Plug in a 300 watt (or whatever this unit is rated for) incandescent bulb in series with the radio. If something's gone bad the bulb will light up but no more current can pass through saving the radio. If the bulb goes dim and the tubes start warming up you have yourself an ok radio and could use new caps.
"People dont have the dexterity to put the knob these days", says the guy, while he scratches the top of the radio with the metal clips of the back panel, and after almost ripping off the antenna wires.
It makes me sad that we don't make stuff like this in the US anymore. The factory worker who put that together probably had a modest house and his wife didn't have to work. Now a factory worker can't get by with a studio apartment.
This is a really tough decision. Most or all of the paper capacitors in that radio are certain to be defective. It would be a shame for this radio never to play, but repairing it would make it inauthentic. On the other hand, all of those capacitors are hidden under the chassis.
why did you re run this video.. love your repair videos and mine explore videos. I seen this fully about 4 weeks ago.. very boring a second time and the radio still not powered up.
I would like to ask for tips or some advice where I should radio / tube radio from 30s 40s 50s. For a long time I was looking for a good vintage radio, but unfortunately I could not find anything except radio, which was completely destroyed or which cost over $ 500
4:55 I'm surprised they shipped an AA5 with the knob off; someone could have accidentally binned the "union" envelope, grabbed the shaft with a pair of pliers and gotten a nasty shock. I wonder if that glossy coating is what attracts those paper bugs; they do seem very finicky about what they eat. Also, I suspect that the warranty label was RCA's way of telling the customer "Don't even think about complaining to us if the set is past the 90 day limit." At least it didn't have the "shipping and handling" charges that amounted to most of the original purchase price on some of the latter import brands.
Paid only $40 for this? That's like next to nothing. The cost of two bags of pistachios I order from Amazon. I would have thought a mint piece in the box would be hundreds or even thousands of dollars. I see worthless vintage toys and worthless collectables in mint in the box go for thousands of dollars.
FYI, I'm the person in the video, When I took the back off of the radio, because it was tied to the chassis by very short wires, I was limited to where I could place the back and still balance the radio in one hand, so unfortunately, it ended up on top of the radio. I should have tried to place the top under the radio instead of on top. What you didn't see was ME cringing when the clip touched the top of the radio. I left this comment as a reply to an earlier comment but in response to everybody's continuing concerns about wether or not the top was scratched, I lucked out and the clips did not scratch the top, it still looks pristine. Thanks for ALL of the comments. I'm normally VERY careful with my radios and it's great that there is still such an appreciation for these old electronics, especially a "New Old Stock" radio.
Is there video of it working David?
Saw this video today.Awesome 👍 Nothing one see every day thats for sure. Hope it works fine. Thanks for sharing.
Oooooooooooo i love it.
I want to find somthing like that.
Im never that lucky.
I always end up with junk.
I have a Chinese knock-off reproduction that I bought new and it's a big piece of junk sounds horrible turns itself on and off when it wants to remote don't work the company that made it won't stand behind their warranty neither
Isn’t it terrible that in today’s world you have people so petty as to not just be able to enjoy this antique frozen in time… but can ONLY focus on petty things that you did that they would have done differently!! I hope you have given it a once over, made any necessary changes and adjustments and are enjoying it thoroughly now!
LOL I was yelling “stop it stop it stop it ahhhhhh! 😂 nice to know no damage.🤙
That's one amazing time capsule from the 1940's. Thank you for uploading this video. Ultra neat find and a great piece for the collection.
am I the only one who cringed with the back on the top and those metal clips scratching at the cabinet?
You are NOT! It hurt to watch it.
that got me too. lol
watched this a month ago and I know exactly what you mean. annoys me. saw this and thought whaaaaaaat? maybe he's a good guy, but this was stupid
I cringed as well! I'd personally leave this set alone, it's a very fine example of how these sets looked when new. If I had to power it up, I'd take it up on a variac with a current limiting light bulb. He's got a nice collection of radios.
My thought too. Ouch! Also when the knob fell onto the top of the radio.
Beautiful old radio 📻. I love ❤️ your term of "Popping The Cherry". 😌🍒
Just awesome... It always blows my mind a bit when people find... anything NOS from like the 30s or 40s...
What a fine and for $40 no less very very nice radio Shango as always you have a good night
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful piece. She's a beaut.
The world was a lot different in 1949, when this radio rolled off the assembly line and was put inside that box. Pretty much *everything* was made in U.S.A. at that prosperous time, because most of the manufacturing industries in Europe and Japan were in rubble from the bombing of World War II. The nationwide U.S. unemployment rate was 5.9%. In those days, the unemployment numbers were crunched a little differently.
Chet Pomeroy 1949 was the year my mum was born. LOL 👶🏼
I wish they would have plugged it in. What is the point of owning a radio that you cannot plug in?
I contract for phone companies and when I started working in this field almost all equipment and materials was made in the USA and some Canadian,now mostly Asian manufactured.
The old equipment was designed to last 40 to 50 years now it's out of date in 2 years.
@@MsCori76 The year the prc became a thing
@@tarstarkusz You must replace the filter caps (at a minimum) as they dry out and can open or short out over the years-John in Texas
That is so gorgeous! Like he mentioned, the copper finish on the dial. Thanks for making these videos. Imagine knowing what we know today and stocking up on Heathkits (especially their color TV kits) and boomboxes in a bunker somewhere as an investment.
Nice to see an unboxing of something so old, and really new in the box. so clean inside not heaps of dust cobwebs and the like.
I liked the guy's colourbar shirt by the way,.
wonderful! i like how you can see on thr bottom where someone slathered glue all over to put the stickers on. i would put that right back in the box.
Wow this is totally amazing, I would have loved to be there when you open it the smell inside the box touching a radio that hasn't been touched in seventy plus years. I wanted to hear it so bad. You should scan all the paperwork and share that. I love when I find NOS parts and tubed in the box. Awesome video. Thanks WOW!
That Radio was purchased the Year I was born by my Great Grandmother we had it as early as I can remember: 12:00 Noon "Hello, America! I am Paul Harvey, and now for...NEWS!I have no idea what happened to it, she and her daughter raised me, she passed away in 1974 in a nursing home, in Hot Springs Arkansas and it was stolen by the 'staff" who even stole her False Teeth. The dial lights up and will Amaze you!
My parents had a radio just like this one. When I was a kid in the early 1970s I would listen to out of town radio stations on it.
Have the same radio- still works great!
Man I wish I was alive in this era. Everything today is just so throwaway. Sure, its amazing that we can watch this video on a thin little slate in our pockets, but 5 years from now, it won't be worth anything.
Not entirely true, if you kept your mobile phone in its box and someone opened it up 60 years later people would be equally amazed and it'd be a collector's items.
It's unlikely it'd power up, same as this radio.
Back in the late 40s all the old people were moaning about how radio was doing away with live entertainment and roads were full of motorised vehicle's, it's always been the same, the landscape was being decimated and houses, roads and factories were being built on what was once vast open area's, power stations fueled by coal throwing soot up into the air.
But people did live until they were around 60 at the time, compared with 50 in the early 1900s and today closer to 80.
I miss the things from my childhood a long time ago, but I'm a realist and only looking at the good things via rose coloured glasses
I am watching on a 2010 mac book pro.
That radio belongs in a museum so more people can appreciate what we have lost. I'd put it in an argon atmosphere with limited lighting. "Restoring" it would be like refinishing a Chippendale.
These are great little radios , but being an "All American 5" tube radio is a relatively common design from the 1940's to 1960's, and one of the easiest to restore electronically-John in Texas
@@TheGearhead222 This is a New Old Stock radio. It is as original an example as any. The only thing that might need to be done is remove, encapsulate, or otherwise isolate electrolytic capacitors against physical leakage to prevent corrosion of other components. I wouldn't put power to it. There are plenty of other All American Five radios to restore.
dam now that was cool . i found a hallicrafters 38-c like that back in 2012 . it was in a old radio tv shop in pa that closed in 1989 . i was the first one to open the box from the 60s win it was packed . so cool to find stuff like this .RIGHT POPPING THE CHERRY . thats right lol thanks for the vid shango
I remember this from the collection video....it's a great find to be sure. If I'm not mistaken, RCA was the first to use those slug-tuned IF cans in '48-'49, a sign of things to come.
You got a great deal. Radios like that in much worse condition go for $50 on eBay.
ah, but they may be recapped, recorded and calibrated and tested already, tho cosmetics my be a little rough. Still, here's a museum piece- much more than a mere "collector's item" to the eye. but, it ain't a car, boat, guitar, extra-rare record etc.... just an NOS really old little crappy/cute table radio, born and yet to live.
Amazing how we for once actually see a tube/parts diagram with model numbers on the tag. THAT'S something probably long gone from not just radios, but MANY products today...
I have this same model! Not new though but it works. It's been out of its chassis for maybe a year and half now, but works and also I noticed he has a radio in a box that looks like an old computer have that too. The set/reset control wire is in bad shape, but works none the less.
Lovely, thanks for showing this guy's.
I have one of these, the 2 tone version and it works great, fully restored, even the dial light. $60 + tax + shipping.
Even the filter caps are good,no hum! Just a cracked cabinet on the right top. Power cord is in good shape,no cracks. Even the dial light still works!
I watched the entire original on this but still it's quite a deal to have a brand new radio from 1949 that's never been used.
What a beautiful old radio :D
Fucking BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Thanks Shango man for uploading!
P.S. I LOVE "Bakelite" BTW!
I cannot believe that radio stayed in storage unopened in a warehouse for over 68 years. That is unbelievable beyond belief.
It makes you wonder what else is out there in the basements and attics laying undisturbed.
"It belongs in a museum..."- Dr. Henry (Indiana) Jones Jr.
Very nice find. Seems like every RCA product of that vintage was certified to have the voice of the Golden Throat and it was actually certified by D.D. Cole himself. I have one of those in my collection and used to use it as a garage radio when there was actually music on the AM band within range.
So true about rca paper, silverfish love the inner sleeves of Elvis records 🤨
The most mint of all mint, nice!
I enjoyed watching this because I just got an NIB RCA 8X521. The previous owner had already taken it out of the box and did a complete chassis resto. Mine had the same paperwork, but somehow had no deterioration to it. These small late '40's bakelite AA5 sets are actually very nice when you see them in person. Good performers too. By the way, an older repairman told me how to very slowly power-up a clean as-found set with the Variac. It slowly reforms the caps and you'll know to stop if any problems occur before full 120V.
Reforming caps is pretty much a myth. All paper caps dry out and become leaky after several years-never a good idea to operate a vintage radio with original wax/paper capacitors-John in Texas
@@TheGearhead222 It seems to be a belief with repairman who want to conserve their cap supply! LOL Honestly though, I have a few radios that are working perfectly on some or all of their old paper caps. Played sparingly, I never had one have a catastrophic failure. The bottom line is it's best to replace them all if you can.
I would never put that radio in today's voltage. I would stop at 110 volts. Second I would replace all the capacitors. Only the mica capacitors I would keep. All paper and the filter capacitors would get replaced. 73
That is a fanstastic looking radio. I cringed when I saw that back cover with those metal pieces on the top, I'm pretty sure that they are sharp enough to scratch that bakelite!
That’s to nice of a radio to hook up with out a bulb. Love old school.
I have the same radio in ivory and just sold a fabulous like new brown one like this.
What a shining piece of history..
It's like going back in time.
That is a thing of beauty!
Love these "time machine" videos!! I also am curious about that Pepsi machine radio. I assume that's what that is.
The 1949 RCA is a treasure!
Really nice. Probably someone received one too many radios as a wedding gift. Would like to have found one of those. Interesting how the manufacturers just slapped on glue underneath to attach the label.
Man..amazing
You live a charmed life ,I would love to own that ,what a rare find ,but I would haveturned it on,or recap then turn on
I had the one radio that was sitting on top of the box. Nice wooden cabinet. It really pulled in the radio stations. I used to listen to KDKA from Pittsburgh PA in central Florida. I should kick myself for getting rid of it. Most of these radios will be useless when AM radio goes digital. 73
What a miraculous find! Wonder what the odds are of finding another very old radio brand new in the box and never opened...has to be less than 1 in 10 million.
I wonder why this radio sat in the box for over 67 years and was never unpacked.
That is a beautiful radio.
rerun. lol buddy's goin to get "irritated"
Thanks for posting!! How awesome is this? Did I hear him say 40$ ? WOW
I have a Sentinel Model 118B, it is a farm radio, but it looks brand spanking new, inside and out. I would love to get a power supply hooked up to it and play it.
That's like the the tube radio kit I found ,in a electronics store ,it was a fun build ,still works ,except my exwife has it..
It's actually a 1948 model. My dad had one in his office in the early 70's.
It would be so cool if that beautiful radio could be 'gently' Shango'd back to life.
That is too nice to be considered junk. I would replace any bad capacitors and out of tolerance resistors and then do a variac and dim bulb tester power up on it.
wow, those were beautiful
Nice radio.
Dexterity and skill you say, that guy is scratching the hell out of that nice radio cabinet, made me sick watching it.
Es una hermosa radio,hojalá sea para sintonizar noticias ala mañána.
nice radios
It must be summer rerun time (in the fall!)
That radio 📻 is the same age as me...
When they were musing "Where's the knob?" I was saying " RTFM! "
That's true. i had a hunch that the knob was in a bag or similar inside that shipping box. That radio is mint!
So beautiful
Wow - this is amazing!
I use to collect them 😊
What a pretty thing!
Ever heard of the light bulb trick? Plug in a 300 watt (or whatever this unit is rated for) incandescent bulb in series with the radio. If something's gone bad the bulb will light up but no more current can pass through saving the radio. If the bulb goes dim and the tubes start warming up you have yourself an ok radio and could use new caps.
"People dont have the dexterity to put the knob these days", says the guy, while he scratches the top of the radio with the metal clips of the back panel, and after almost ripping off the antenna wires.
Turn it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
boy he did mark up the top of the cover with the clips dam!
nos COOL!
sweet
nice
Such a beautiful piece. Is there a kind of surge protector you could plug it into and get it working , or is that still too risky?
Does it have that new electronics smell?
Geez! Broken battered ones go for that much on eBay!
I have that exact model golden throat radio . buzzes bad needs re-cap .
It makes me sad that we don't make stuff like this in the US anymore. The factory worker who put that together probably had a modest house and his wife didn't have to work. Now a factory worker can't get by with a studio apartment.
I think this is a rerun
Amazing! Who would sell that.. for a reasonable price?
Only $40.00 The seller gave it to him.
This is a really tough decision. Most or all of the paper capacitors in that radio are certain to be defective. It would be a shame for this radio never to play, but repairing it would make it inauthentic. On the other hand, all of those capacitors are hidden under the chassis.
why did you re run this video.. love your repair videos and mine explore videos. I seen this fully about 4 weeks ago.. very boring a second time and the radio still not powered up.
Seriously, oooo, ahhhhh.
I would like to ask for tips or some advice where I should radio / tube radio from 30s 40s 50s. For a long time I was looking for a good vintage radio, but unfortunately I could not find anything except radio, which was completely destroyed or which cost over $ 500
Did you plug it in and play some 1950’s Christmas music yet????
That’s the only time I would play Her
The cord is deteriorated....Take it back.
That radio looks like Darth vader
I wish my body had been kept in a box
Hi…..use an ESR meter across the capacitor and and others!…...simple...*john
3:25 I WANT A SMPTE SHIRT too!
Then go buy one
@@TechHowden Get a sense of humor! COVID must have destroyed yours
@@Zickcermacity it did
Is this the fictionalized origin of Nipper and His Master's Voice? Lauritz Melchior Prize Song from Wagner's Die Meistersinger (youtube)
Can I have it?..... Well it was worth asking.... : )
I would like to see you work on that...any chance?
Those metal clips are digging the top all up??
Amazing how you guys know how to create curiosity ? Haa. Drag. Get wiews !!
4:55 I'm surprised they shipped an AA5 with the knob off; someone could have accidentally binned the "union" envelope, grabbed the shaft with a pair of pliers and gotten a nasty shock. I wonder if that glossy coating is what attracts those paper bugs; they do seem very finicky about what they eat. Also, I suspect that the warranty label was RCA's way of telling the customer "Don't even think about complaining to us if the set is past the 90 day limit." At least it didn't have the "shipping and handling" charges that amounted to most of the original purchase price on some of the latter import brands.
like
Paid only $40 for this? That's like next to nothing. The cost of two bags of pistachios I order from Amazon. I would have thought a mint piece in the box would be hundreds or even thousands of dollars. I see worthless vintage toys and worthless collectables in mint in the box go for thousands of dollars.
Quality. Made in USA be real Americans. Never again….
Does the RCA radio work?