Astor Mickey Mouse

I've thrown this one in as a surprise bonus. The Astor Mickey Mouse needs no introduction but it'll get one tonight. This is the radio that Radio Corporation and Walt Disney fought over in court. Disney accused Radio Corporation of trademark infringement and the result was that Radio Corporation had to remove the word 'Mouse' from the brand of their receivers. Thus, the Astor Mickey Mouse became the Astor Mickey in later years, in fact from 1940 right up until the early 1960s.

This model, the EC and its sister, the BP which featured Mickey Mouse on the tuning dial, are highly prized possessions amongst collectors because of the Astor Mickey Mouse folklore and the fact that these models in particular are fairly rare now. The bakelite cabinet was one of the smallest for the time yet the gauge of the cabinet is quite thick, making this radio impervious to shocks that would render most other radios liable to a trip to the tip.

This radio is complete but requires restoration so I have removed the power cord. As can be seen in the photos, this radio is in very good condition apart from a very shallow crack on the left side. This crack is clean, meaning that the cabinet is still very much in one piece, and could be easily repaired by an experienced bakelite repairer. Most radio clubs have members who can do this work well. Despite the crack, this radio still displays very well and the cabinet retains most of its original shine.

The grille is also in very good condition and the control knobs show no signs of cracking or excessive wear. For those looking for a rare radio that would be much appreciated in any collection, you should look no further than the Astor Mickey Mouse.

Price: $850.00

ASTOR JJ

The Astor JJ series were large but exceptionally well-made radios. The bakelite is thick all through the cabinet and a few different variations were available as can be seen here. The Astor JJ is more of a table model than a mantel. That said, these radios are all four valvers except the second one which has five. The first and second radios are AC models. The third is a 6 volt model and the fourth runs a 1.4 volt A Battery and 67.5 volt or 90 volt B Battery. The fifth set is just a spare cabinet and it can go to anyone that buys these as a job lot.

All cabinets are in good condition with no cracks or large chips. All but one cabinet retains their original shine and the other one should be able to be buffed back to a good shine. You be the judge of whether you can do this or not. All cabinets have a few surface scratches but nothing that cannot be polished out. The fourth radio has no dial glass and has a damaged speaker. The dial glass on the spare cabinet would need to be screenprinted but it is still in one piece. I believe that apart from these issues, all radios are complete.

What we have here is a collection of Astor JJs that pretty much reflect the model variations offered by Radio Corporation at the time. All these radios require at least some restoration and will be sold without power cords.

Price: $200.00 for each radio and $80.00 for the spare cabinet or $600.00 for the lot.



This equipment must be inspected and/or serviced by a competent person and declared safe by that competent person before being operated. This equipment should only be operated as intended by the manufacturer.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Hi Brad, I am interested in your pink Airzone Cub .....
Would you except $430 for it ?
Regards
Paul

G'day Paul,

Due to the condition of it I am hoping to go a little higher. It'd be the result of a bidding war if it went on Ebay. I once saw a mottled blue one with the same pattern go for around $800 so there is already a discount.

I also have a mottled green one though it was the previous model with a different look, same chassis but fitted with octal valves. That one has a small crack in the top of the case though.

Colour variations such as this usually cause bakelite to become unstable and delicate, especially when it is mis-treated and this is why the good ones end up attracting higher prices. The green Bell Colt about 5/6ths the way down the linked page sold for almost $600.00 without the mottling effect. These were Airzone cabinets with NZ chassis in them.

I'll note your offer and see how things go over the next few days.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Hi Brad,

Happy to offer $460 on the pink Airzone.

Regards.

Ralph

G'day Ralph,

Your offer is noted.

By Saturday I will let everyone know how this will go.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

There will be another lot of radios to be offered for sale on Sunday.

Amongst these will be about ten console receivers (not including the AWA receiver already offered), a mottled green Airzone Cub, a taupe Astor Mickey (slight cabinet damage), timber STC table radio and two Ferris portable car radios.

This will then bring to an end the radios to be offered and whilst some have already been sold there are many still for sale in this thread and prices are below market values.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Brad,
Believe you may be offering a couple of Ferris 104's for sale ?

If so I would be interested.

Cheers

G'day Simplex,

I think one of mine is a 104 though I am not certain as I don't routinely collect car radios and the two I have were from a job lot of radios and parts I purchased a while back.

The one on the left is an AC/battery receiver and the one on the right is an AC/6 volt set that would have plugged into a lighter socket.

The one on the left has a small crack in one of the plastic side panels which is repairable and surface rust on the front and rear panels. All else seems in good condition. The one on the right is in good condition throughout.

Price: $60.00 each or $100.00 for the pair including postage.

This equipment must be inspected and/or serviced by a competent person and declared safe by that competent person before being operated. This equipment should only be operated as intended by the manufacturer.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Thanks Brad for bringing these up, don't know anything about the one on the left, however the one on the right is a M94.

Same model as the one I have which is a 12v version. The one displayed is a 6v version.

A very good performing radio in remote areas if the results of mine could be used as a yardstick.

More interested in acquiring the short wave version so will pass on this one.

Looks to be in pretty good condition however and think someone will grab it.

Good sets to take on camping trips if one wants a valve radio in the bush.

Tonight I add the following Airzone Cub to the list of radios I am selling.

AIRZONE CUB (SOLD!)

This radio was made a couple of years before the pink Cub that is shown elsewhere in this thread. The chassis is more or less identical only that this green radio is fitted with octal valves.

The cabinet is in very good condition with no visible scratches, chips or cracks. There is some slight crazing in the front of the cabinet where the colours in the bakelite change however the cabinet is stable and shows no sign of breaking up.

The knobs and dial glass are in good condition and the radio as a whole displays very well. The radio picks up Sydney AM stations with a loud, clear sound and for a radio of more than 50 years, this one works quite well.

Price: $650.00 for this radio or $500 if sold with the pink Cub. IE: $650 if sold alone or $1000.00 for both radios together.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

I will start selling any unsold radios on Ebay as of next week so if anyone would like one of these now I would make a mention of it fairly quickly.

Bids made have not come close enough to expectations unfortunately so as mentioned before this is my next move.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Brad
I will take the 500m at $150. can you sort out a postage cost to 2340 (registered please)

ben

G'day RedXM,

I'll get it weighed today and let you know. It shouldn't be more than $10.00 though.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

G'day RedXM,

According to the Australia Post site, sending the Radiolette will cost $16.75 as it will weigh 6.5kg after packing. This is regular post though. If you would prefer registered post it will cost $22.05.

It's been many years since I've sent a parcel through the mail so I didn't realise it would be that expensive so I will give you to the option of which type of post you'd like.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Brad
registered post is fine. Last radio I bought from WA was twice that.
email me off site and I'll do the bank transfer.
ben