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Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only. |
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18th Jun 2021, 3:02 pm | #1 |
Dekatron
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Department store radios
Inspired by the current post about the unknown radio - most probably a Barkers Department store one - what other department stores sold radios ostensibly under their own name/brand but manufactured for them by a CEM? It would be interesting to create a list or small knowledge base.
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18th Jun 2021, 3:12 pm | #2 |
Octode
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Re: Department store radios
What about the Jonell radios sold from the 1940s to the 1950s for the John Lewis stores, these too were made by Plessey and were built on a similar brief to the Barker 88 sets.
Neil
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18th Jun 2021, 3:43 pm | #3 |
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Re: Department store radios
"Defiant" - sold by stores of the Co-Op - is the first one that comes to mind.
"Westminster" was the in-house brand for Currys in the immediate post-war period; Plessey made a lot of the insides, with cabinets bought-in from the High Wycombe furniture-trade. |
18th Jun 2021, 5:47 pm | #4 |
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Re: Department store radios
JG Graves, a jewellers shop in Sheffield I believe - essentially a rebranded Raymond electric F17. Most beautiful radio dial ever made imo
Last edited by Gabe001; 18th Jun 2021 at 5:56 pm. |
19th Jun 2021, 12:06 am | #5 |
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Re: Department store radios
JG Graves was the Argos of its day, quite literally, as they were taken over by Universal, who also took over Argos..who ironically ended up with Bush as its in-house radio/tv brand.
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19th Jun 2021, 8:47 am | #6 |
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Re: Department store radios
Any relation to the early Graves Vulcan radio?
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19th Jun 2021, 9:10 am | #7 |
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Re: Department store radios
Yes Steve, same company as far as I’m aware. They were a very successful mail order company which sold a wide range of goods. I believe some of the radio sets may have been sold as kits, but I might be mistaken.
Here is a picture of my late ‘30’s JG Graves ‘Aeriel AC Superhet’. SimonT.
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19th Jun 2021, 10:12 am | #8 |
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Re: Department store radios
I don't know if they would be classed as a department store as such but Boots sold a lot of Transistor radios as "Boots audio". cheap imports mostly as I remember.
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19th Jun 2021, 10:22 am | #9 |
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Re: Department store radios
Here is a photo of what I believe could be the earliest J.G.Graves valve radio (incomplete, note J.G.G. on panel). I have definitely seen an advert by Graves for this set in a mid-20's radio magazine I have somewhere, unable to locate it at present.
Mike. |
19th Jun 2021, 10:55 am | #10 | |
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Re: Department store radios
Quote:
https://vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=49145 and Philips... https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=61261 Among definite department stores, Gamages offered quite a number of radios under their own name in the '20s and after. Seems RM Electric of Gateshead were manufacturing for them around 1950: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=141167 Paul |
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19th Jun 2021, 11:13 am | #11 |
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Re: Department store radios
I'm not sure if Derwent would qualify; they had a retail outlet. Another Raymond f17, with a custom dial.
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19th Jun 2021, 12:15 pm | #12 |
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Re: Department store radios
Department stores, retail outlets, shops, they're all of interest.
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19th Jun 2021, 12:20 pm | #13 |
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Re: Department store radios
Spinney was a Littlewoods / Kays / Index brand for lots of things including radios. This one was made by perdio.
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19th Jun 2021, 1:48 pm | #14 |
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Re: Department store radios
Most of the American catalogue companies & larger department stores offered radios under their own branding.
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19th Jun 2021, 2:20 pm | #15 |
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Re: Department store radios
Gamage radios from Gamage's department store in London. (closed 1970's)
Barkers as already mentioned, must say I have not encountered a Selfridge or Harrod radio perhaps not the right clientele John |
19th Jun 2021, 3:16 pm | #16 |
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Re: Department store radios
Not strictly a department store but with their own brands was Currys.
Early sets were branded Currys then later Westminster. May have been others. Cheers Mike T
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19th Jun 2021, 4:10 pm | #17 |
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Re: Department store radios
Yes I've got one of the huge PWR2 Westminster Bakelite Radios [1947]. There's a few threads on it, like Old Geezers in 2014 where I said I'd seen one sold at £60 [another offered at £300] but that seemed ridiculous. I'd not paid very much, maybe probably less than £10. I don't think I knew the Curry's background then but it's confirmed on Radio Museum. As Steve said they are all of interest. A chain store was not the same as a Department one but the definition goes to it being a home brand product I suppose. Ferranti is a bit of an anomaly perhaps. They did heavy engineering of course but the Radios they once seemed to dabble with were their own brand.
Dave W |
19th Jun 2021, 6:50 pm | #18 |
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Re: Department store radios
The first radio I knew was a Westminster CTA5350, my grandmother's set, which I still have lurking somewhere: it became unreliable in about '68 and lost its place on her sideboard to a Fidelity Rad 11.
Is there a department store connection for Ferranti? I suspect their radio involvement began with transformers, but the radio and TV division became a serious part of the business for a few decades until Ekco took it over: I think I've read (The Setmakers?) that at least in the last few years it was stubbornly unprofitable. |
20th Jun 2021, 11:18 am | #19 |
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Re: Department store radios
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20th Jun 2021, 11:28 am | #20 |
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Re: Department store radios
Was Matsui a brand of Dixons, and I think Currys had their own brand of transistor radios, cant remember what they were called. I think they may have been clones of the Dixons models. It made price matching difficult as they were different models.
Mike |