Just following on about collecting and I kinda knew collecting can get expensive
but geez..

RADIOLETTE EMPIRE STATE MARBLED BEETLED BAKELITE Case Only

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RARE-AUSTRALIAN-AWA....

(I do wonder what happened to the Guts thought...???)

Generally speaking here
makes you wonder what use to sit on the sides of gutters but maybe thats what makes things so expensive...all those that ended up land fill..

A Radio's (or case) is worth what you will pay I guess, if its something in your heart you truly want and desire

I know that feeling....

one radio I'd like to have thought, just cause I like the looks of them.... but I guess so does everybody else

That one's expensive because of the colouring. I've not seen one like it.

A fellow I know who owned a radio sales and repair shop back in the day said he tossed out dozens of these so-called Empire State radios when they were traded-in instead of re-selling them as performance-wise they were -- in his words -- "rubbish".

I can see the beauty in this particular case but otherwise I don't find these radios at all attractive.

This cabinet will go for about $4,000.00 I reckon. The marbled cream ones are the second most expensive of the Empire State Radiolettes, with the soapy green ones being the most valuable.

Pricing has gone down though, three years ago this cabinet would go for around $8,000.00.

It's not common for this model to sport a cabinet without a chassis, usually the other way around as cabinets for many models come into short supply due to receivers being dropped or handled badly.

As for looks, when I first started collecting I could have bought more than a dozen of these models in various colours for little more than a few quid. They had almost no appeal at the time and I wasn't so fussed about the shape of the cabinet so I never bothered. That would turn out to be a big mistake because the model is worth a fortune now and are highly desired around the world.

A collector's larder is often said to be complete if he has a full set of 1930s Radiolettes on display in good working order and condition.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

I seen one complete... it went for $ 3,800...

Brad, wow as much as $8,000...I knew the green were quite collectable... I dont like then that much LOL

I just like the look of them green or the cream doesnt look bad ...yeah no idea on line up but GTC... still a few now would be a nice idea ...

Anyway was just cruising Ebay looking at whats available
that caught my eye at the bidding price

I kinda hate to see Antique radios go the way like old strats... were its just only those with big bank accounts that can afford them...really just cause they are old doesnt necessarily mean they were built better
Anyway lets hope most stay at affordable levels
I guess the more that get restored the more they will stay lower in value...supply demand type thing

I like the ones that come in many colours like your Radiolettes

Id like a White Beehive...maybe one day who knows

The highest price I've seen a green one go for was $21,000.00, money paid in full too. I know the seller and managed to confirm a successful sale. The radio was in mint condition.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Gee Brad ...amazing ...price... but I suppose even more amazing one survived so long in that condition wow

The green ones are rare indeed in that condition. Coloured Bakelite is quite unstable. Light can ruin it over the years, especially when there are high amounts of ultra-violet light. The weak point on Radiolettes of the era in any colour is the control knobs - not enough 'meat' around the screws that hold the knobs on the control shafts.

In the case of marbled or mottled colouring, cracks can form along the fault lines created by the merge of two colours - due to either a chemical imbalance or darker colours cooling slower than lighter colours when the cabinets come out of the press. Such faults are hurried along by the heat of the valves within.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

It's not surprising, you could fill it with the guts of a plain black one and there's your money
(depending on what the knobs looked like).

QUOTE: The highest price I've seen a green one go for was $21,000.00, money paid in full too.

Was it restored to full functional operation? At that price, it would be a fringe benefit...

Yes sunlight does tend to fade all it touches

Thanks for the tips on how the mechanism of that works thought
yes dissimilar colours I suppose to have different absorption rated for heats


It's not surprising, you could fill it with the guts of a plain black one and there's your money

Art,
yes... as for the Guts I am sure theres one out there for it...
thought that doesn't sit quite right with me... still it should be a working Radio..its a bit pointless other wise

not sure if it was mentioned.. knobs... but a very good point...seems not... no mention and the logos missing too,
only that it was turned into a clock and was from (sadly ) a deceased estate...so seems years ago it broke down and the guts was removed & probably turfed

Wa2ise
Was it restored to full functional operation? At that price...

Thats an interesting point actually... would anybody pay for a completely original and most likely not working radio?

I do wonder though if regularly used but very lightly use how long could a radio of that era actually last..
considering how stable the conditions must have been for it to survived in pretty much mint condition..
(I am assuming that was the case..caps etc of that model I've no idea on)

I like the idea of originality still if you want working you do what you got to do and caps etc dont last forever...
so somethings have to be replace and there goes some of that originality..

Seems with Vintage guitar amps... the collectors want the bag of dud original parts...little have your cake and eat it too.

A playable safe amp.... but its all original bits..

Anyway $2025 atm the case

So I suppose it was working... but guess Brad will know

Was it restored to full functional operation?

Yes, mint cabinet and fully operational. The thing is, these radios weren't exactly stellar performers despite being a five valver with reflexing. There was room for a 150mm speaker but made do with one of about 90mm. Only some of the timber consoles and timber mantel versions badged as AGE Bandmasters were fitted with the larger speakers.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Sold for $3,376.18 with 20 bids.

Wonder if seller will now list the matching knobs? (LOL!)

GTC
Wonder if seller will now list the matching knobs? (LOL!)

Agree maybe one at a time

$3,376 *faints*...wow Thanks GTC I hadn't got a chance to look at what it got

just on my wondering comment thought..on survival

since I tend to think the 60's were yesterday at times and the 30/40's not that far away sometimes

While sitting at the hospital I did a calculation

3 hr a week over 70 years thats 10,920 hours service

So I wont say impossible ...but "Highly highly improbable!" that anything would last that long and any radio would have had to have been serviced at lest once in its life

looking at it ..I think a lot of these old radios have done pretty darn well as I am sure few would have double that mileage + on the clocks

Thanks Brad for the info.

We have a mottled cream one in our collection.

http://i.imgur.com/P4F5HqN.jpg.

2 other brown ones, one is just a case with no innards.

I was under the impression the green one was a one off prototype?

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Erika Taylor. Managing collections at the Tweed Regional Museum, Murwillumbah, NSW.

We have a mottled cream one in our collection

Keep it locked up!