I just bought this a couple of weeks ago at the Sarasota Swap Meet and was a little surprised when we pulled the chassis and found out that the chassis was a 52, but a little research on this website shows that the cabinet is from a model 50. Was this a common practice to switch out the chassis in this model??
Sincerely
Keith Jansen
Hmmm. Good chance it was done by someone after the radio(s) were produced. They have the same control arrangement, and resemble each other in chassis layout. The 50 came out in late 1931, the 51/52 in 1932. Also, the 50 is a TRF and the 51/52 are superhets.
It's possible that it was an early production model 52 but unlikely since the 51 came first, sometimes Philco would have a new chassis and model ready for production before introducing a new cabinet design, sometimes it would be a new cabinet design with an old chassis like the model 21. Philco was a company that didn't let grass grow under their feet before introducing things.
Regards
Arran