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Rare Philco 90 Lowboy 1931 Mini-Console Radio, near mint

Beautiful 1931 Philco 90 (2^nd version) Lowboy Mini-Console Radio, Serviced and Working

Introduction:
The timeline of Philco radios is found in ref.1 below. In 1931 Philco started to produce "midget" radios - table radios, the name of which sets them apart from console radios, which were the norm until then. They were also advertized as console radios in a table cabinet. Today these radios are called cathedral, beehive and tombstone style radios. In June 1931 the two models 70 and 90 with 7 and 9 tubes, respectively, were introduced, both based on the new Superheterodyne principle released by RCA, and both housed in new cabinets designed by Edward Combs. Philco built model 90 in 3 versions, cathedral, and the consoles lowboy and highboy with doors (pict.29). The chassis used are the same, the speaker, however was bigger (10") in the console models. The early version (before serial number 237000) used two type 45 tubes in the amplifier and had no Automatic Volume Control (AVC), the second version used one 47 and has AVC (as my radio), and the late version, introduced in Jan. 1932, used two 47 tubes and kept the tube count at 9 by combining the local oscillator and the mixer into one tube. The price tag of 89.75$ for the console (20$ more than the cathedral version) is a hefty 1320$ in today's currency.

Additional information:
ref.1: http://www.philcoradio.com
ref.2: http://www.tuberadioland.com/Philco90_type2_main.html
ref.3: http://www.nostalgiaair.org

About my radio
The cabinet has no cracks, chips, loose veneer or similar defects. It's very intact finish did not warrant refinishing, having only a few small and unoffending scratches. The radio has the original set of 4 colour-matched knobs, made from swirled bakelite (pict.24). The speaker cloth is original too, and is in excellent shape. The chassis has been electronically serviced, all tubes tested above average, all original Philco bakelite capacitors were ok, the filter condensors have been replaced by NOS types and mounted underfloor. The original Sprague condensor shells have been deactivated but left installed on the chassis' top. All contacts and pots have been treated with contact spray. Five of the 9 tubes are of the very collectible old globe style. The radio plays very well with good selectivity and sensitivity with a regular extended wire antenna (click on last thumbnail).

For the techies only:
There are no techies this time, the radio plays just fine. Same short note as for the Philco 70: The radio has been made in Canada. As usual Canadians make things differently, mostly they outdo their American mother companies. Look at the type plate (pict.12). It's not paper, it's metal!

Here are the specifications:

Technical Description of Item
Manufacturer	Philco Products Ltd., Toronto Canada
Model	90
Type	9-tube AM/BC Lowboy mini-console radio
Production Year	1931
Serial Number	534142
Cabinet	3-tone wood
Dials and knobs	Superhet 9 metal escutcheon, 4 original colour-matched swirled bakelite knobs
Frequency Range	AM 550-1500 kc
Controls	Tuning, tone, on/off , volume
Tube line-up	24(RF), 27(Osc.), 24(1^stDet.), 24(IF), 27(2^ndDet.), 27(Det.Amp.), 27(1^stAF), 47(AF), 80(Rect.)
Dimensions (WxDxH)	23" x 12" x 37½", speaker 10 "
Weight	54 lbs
Comment	Big brother of the famous Baby Grand 90 in exceptional condition, serviced and working