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The transistor, forerunner of today’s microprocessor, was invented in the early 1950s by Texas Instruments. After Emerson, Philco, and RCA rejected the idea, TI got Regency Electronics to manufacture the first pocket-sized transistor radio in 1954. Generally, the most collectible transistor radios are those made in Japan from 1956 to 1963 and in America from 1955 to 1960. By the early '60s, many American companies had opted to have their radios made in Japan.
Regency (an American company) was the first to introduce a solid-state transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, in 1954. Other collectible American brands include Zenith, RCA, G.E., Admiral, Motorola, Magnavox, Philco, Raytheon, Arvin, Sylvania, and Emerson. Sony stunned the electronics world with its TR-63 in 1957, the world’s first truly pocket-sized radio utilizing all miniature components. Other collectible Japanese brands include Toshiba, Hitachi, Sharp, Standard, Sanyo, Matsushita (Panasonic), Mitsubishi, Aiwa, Realtone, Global, and Zephyr...
One desirable feature is reverse painted plastic, popular between 1958 and 1962. All the artwork is painted inside of the radio's clear plastic dial cover. Also desirable are brightly colored cases from this era, including cool 1950s shades like robin’s egg/powder blue, seafoam green, and bright red or yellow. Condition also matters to collectors. Finding a radio with its original box, leather case, earphones, owner’s manual, and warranty card or sales slip will significantly increase its value.
Perhaps you recently saw a picture of a cool looking pocket radio from the early 1960’s and were reminded o… [more]
You've just acquired an old radio, but apart from the manufacturer's name on the front, you don't know a bles… [more]
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Michael Jack's great transistor radio collection includes stunning photos and great reference information on indivi… [read review or visit site]
James Butters' fun and creative website focusing on the design of 1950s and 60s pocket transistor radios. Highlight… [read review or visit site]
Alan Kastner's transistor radio site was one of the original go-to websites for radio enthusiasts, and it offers an… [read review or visit site]
This site features colorful images of Japanese and American-made transistor radios from the 1950s. Before diving in… [read review or visit site]
Robert Davidson's great site (galaxy, really), one of the earliest transistor radio sites on the web, features over… [read review or visit site]
Sarah Lowrey's collection of over 1000 radios you wish you could take to the beach. Viewable alphabetically by make… [read review or visit site]
Stephen Coles' really visual blog dedicated to the Modernist era of design from 1940 to 1970 (aka Mid-century Moder… [read review or visit site]
Jim Tripp's showcase of radios from the 1920s to late 1950s, organized by style and theme (wood, console, plastic, … [read review or visit site]
This website showcases several hundred pieces of furniture, held by thirteen museums, that were designed for Herman… [read review or visit site]
This photo gallery of over 7800 vintage radios, categorized by manufacturer and model number, is a group effort wit… [read review or visit site]
Steven Cabella's personal homage to Charles and Ray Eames. This site is as clean and visually appealing as the Eame… [read review or visit site]
Alan Voorhees' reference resource for vintage radio collectors includes a photo gallery, article library, PDF archi… [read review or visit site]
This Library of Congress microsite is an overview of the postwar modern design work of Charles (1907-78) and Ray (1… [read review or visit site]
This vast archive and community of radio collectors features over 120,000 radio model listings and 350,000 photos a… [read review or visit site]
Get a taste of how homes were lit in the 50s, 60s, and 70s with the Danish retro-style lighting designs featured on… [read review or visit site]
Ron Ramirez's comprehensive reference on the former Philadelphia Storage Battery Company and Philco Corporation. In… [read review or visit site]
This extensive collection of antique radios includes beautiful photos and detailed historical descriptions. The sit… [read review or visit site]
John Pelham's collection of wood and plastic radios from the 1930's and 40's. What sets this site apart is the deta… [read review or visit site]
Paul Turney's collection of tube radios from manufacturers like Zenith, Atwater-Kent, Philco, RCA, Emerson, Sparton… [read review or visit site]
Tune in to Steve Davis' collection of 1930s and 40s Art Deco style radios, featuring stunningly crisp high resoluti… [read review or visit site]
Steve Erenberg's extremely wacky and well-done collection of vintage mad-scientist devices and contraptions. Writte… [read review or visit site]
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The transistor radio also helped fuel the popularity of the pirate stations with its portability. The British government took a dim view of these “pirates”...Read more
and saw her flushed cheeks as she kicked off her shoes after Thanksgiving dinner and performed a Charleston to music on my cousin's transistor radio...Read more
The main action begins with the hero's son distracting himself in Hebrew school by listening to Jefferson Airplane on a transistor radio...Read more
Chances are, if you had your ears welded to the transistor radio in 1967, you heard the sunshine goodness of The Cowsills' "The Rain, the Park and Other...Read more
In this episode Bart, using a transistor radio, pretends he is “Timmy O'Toole,” an innocent child who falls down a well. In sum, the episode involves the...Read more
Rock, Ark., and Chicago on his transistor radio. His goal was to get to the Windy City, which he eventually did. Before that, he worked for several other...Read more
the days of his youth, when shrouded under the covers late at night, covertly held listen to these “pirates” with a transistor radio pinned to his ear...Read more
"You would go to bed at night, put your transistor radio underneath your pillow, switch it on with its little glowing light -- and stay up late to hear this...Read more
