[samsdad]

Alrighty!!! She's in the employee's SUV!!! I talked briefly with the seller and he said the radio was electronically restored by a professional in Orange County years ago. The cabinet is apparently all original (I noticed that the back was missing, however). Here's a quick pick of the chassis sans rectifier and output tubes which he took off:

   
Are the tuning capacitor fins closed, or all the way open? If open, I'll have him turn the dial the other way...

Here's a closeup of the back of the dial:
   
I'm assuming what appear to be scratch marks is from minor warping of the plastic through the years, and it is brushing up against the frame. Something to be concerned about or try to fix before I put it back in the cabinet in a few weeks?