Does this add up?

The dial and valves?

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html...

Some have vivid imaginations as to what, twice the inflated value really is. The market is always the final arbiter and that is why I see no takers on the Airzone.

Marc

Last year I sold three complete Radiostars plus a spare chassis for about $700. Each cabinet had that familiar crack in the top. I think the prices shown on Ebay are fair though it is rare for a lot to get any bids when the starting price is higher than a few dollars.

Every time I sell on Ebay I start at no more than $50.

The only time I've seen a high starting price attract bids in the last few years is on an Astor console shown in this thread.

Do '50s radios use those valves?

Do '30s radios have that kind of dials?

Just to clarify, the link leads me to a page showing four Airzone radios. The dates shown in the headings seem accurate. I can't see a mention of the valves.

Sorry about that, it is this one

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Airzone-Radio-approx-1955-/301231024827....

I was going to say the rectifier and output valves look like a 5Y3G and 6V6G respectively however I just noticed that one of the other valves is a six pin job so the rectifier and outputs are more likely as per those shown in the circuit diagram, an 80 and a 42. I don't know why the ARTS&P isn't showing a prefix letter though. Octal valves came out in or around 1939 and serial number year prefixes went through to at least 1942 so there should definitely be a prefix letter on the label's serial number.

Thanks Brad. As the said in the description, the valves say one thing and the label says another. Confusing.

I'm suspicious of the ARTS&P sticker, it looks in too good a condition for the age of the set..
There seems to be some paint marks on the IF transformers, suggesting a repaint, so is it possible that the sticker is a repro, without the date code being taken into account?
Harold

I was very confused I must admit but I have just thought of something.

A while back, Steve Savell was selling reproduction ARTS&P stickers. It looks like this may be one of them. The back of the chassis looks like it is hammertone paint with a thick layer of enamel house paint over the top and the top coat doesn't look all that old. The ARTS&P label rarely survives treatment of this sort yet the one shown is flawless.

Considering this, my guess for date of manufacture for this radio is about 1938.

Great minds think alike!!
Take a look at the time of posting for the last 2 posts from Gandhn and Brad.
Harold

Beat me by six seconds.

This radio is way too plain to be an Airzone. Airzone designs are very stylish & ornate. This radio looks more like a budget generic set.

I too have been miffed by this radio as a lot of it doesn't make any sense. The styling of the cabinet and dial glass suggest early 1940's, possibly from around the time when radio production went into a lull because of the war. I also agree that the ARTS&P decal could be a repro.

The pre octal valves had largely disappeared from newly manufactured radios by 1939. In fact Airzone was one of first Australian manufacturer's to use octal (metal) valves back in 1936.

The chassis looks like it could be an Eclipse/Croyden or something else from the Radio Corp stable.

Perhaps the chassis isn't originally from this cabinet and someone has put the two together. Or maybe the radio was a wartime economy model, using out of date and obsolete parts

I agree that Airzone was more particular about detail in their designs. Most of their sets from the same period were still fitted with round tuning dials too. The escutcheon and dial on this one looks like a mid-forties no-namer. On closer inspection, the knobs on this set are found on dozens of different rebranded and no-name sets.

Chassis is definitely 30s though. Could be a cut and shut job - chassis from one radio, cabinet from another.

Thanks guys, very informative.