Model 39-6C, undocumented variant

[Chicago Jimmy]

I saw this in the Philco gallery of photos.I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about this version. I recently found one in very good condition.There are a few small scratches on it & the finish looks original with a little wear around the on/off-volume. The chassis is super clean. It was partially re-capped years ago.

[Ron Ramirez]

I own one, what exactly do you need to know?

[Chicago Jimmy]

Hi Ron,
I like to know how many of these were produced,if they are rare,and what was the original grille cloth pattern. Mine has the #14 that was glued and held down with the speaker cut out,then staple gunned with a regular width sized staple. The plastic dial window is stapled with the small staples.

[Ron Ramirez]

We don't know how many were made; it is not documented in Philco Furniture History, an in-house, unpublished Philco document which lists and pictures (almost) all of their radio cabinets. This is why I have listed it as an undocumented variant - there currently is no known documentation on this variant.

I wouldn't call them rare - I would call them uncommon.

Mine also has the Philco "Ribbed" cloth (#14, now only available at Antique Electronic Supply for a limited time as S-G440 and S-G440F). The grille cloth was glued to a thin backing board, and stapled into the cabinet. The dial cover was also stapled into the cabinet.

Does yours have a yellow sticker in the back which reads, among other things, "MODEL 39-6" with no mention of Philco? Mine does. I suspect these variants were made by Simplex, but I don't have any documentation to prove that theory.

[Chicago Jimmy]

Ron,
I do have the yellow stickers, the model # 39-6C is on the upper sticker. The lower has the tube layout.No mention of Philco anywhere on this radio. The stickers are in excellent condition. If you would like a picture,that would be no problem.
Thank you for your expertise.

[Ron Ramirez]

Sure, photos are always welcome here. I'll also post a couple pix of mine if I get a chance to do so.

[Chicago Jimmy]

Does the finish look original? Notice the wear through around the volume knob. I'm debating about refinishing it. The sides have a few scratches.

Note from site admin: Sorry, but the photos which were attached to this post are no longer available.

[Ron Ramirez]

Yup, Jimmy, your 39-6 looks identical to my set; mine has the same stickers inside the cabinet, also.

You might be able to get away with a selective refinish; that is, just lightly wet sand the area around the volume control, spray one coat of Medium Walnut toner, a few coats of clear, and then carefully rub it out. I did that on the top of my 39-6 as it looked good overall but had a blemish on top. It looks OK now.

[Chicago Jimmy]

Ron,Thank you for the information. I'm going to use this set Friday to listen to tube talk. When I get some extra time ,I'll work on the finish.