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Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - radiorich - 11-14-2025

Hello guys,
I was checking the auctions and came across this Philco PT-35 look at the condtion it is in and the winning bid of $1300 .
I did not show the back but someone made a back and just drill a bunch random holes .
Sincerely Richard
   

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - morzh - 11-14-2025

Shill.

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - radiorich - 11-14-2025

Hello mike,
Yes, I was thinking that too and if I showed you the back it was homemade and not very well done and the ad said the set still needed to be restored too.
I watched the auction too.

Sincerely Richard

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - MrFixr55 - 11-14-2025

This is a cool looking radio. Is it Catalin? Radios whose cabinets are made of Catalin usually bring a high price.

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - radiorich - 11-14-2025

MrFixxr,
I am not sure if thais model is considered a Catalin it might be.
Sincerely Richard

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - Arran - 11-15-2025

I believe that the main body of the cabinet is black Bakelite, but the grille is Tenite, or some type of Celluloid, but no Catalin. In my opinion $1300 is WAY too much, you would have a hard time getting that for most genuine Catalin sets these days, at least in an online auction.
Regards
Arran

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - MrFixr55 - 11-15-2025

I hear you. If the white part was Tenite, then it is lucky that the radio has survived in this condition. It is a cool radio. It is amazing that the decor value of these radios vary and are the main cause of the variation in price for a radio whose electronic design is almost the same from manufacturer to manufacturer and by 1941 had settled on the 12SA7, 12SK7, 12SQ7, 50L6, 35W4 (or equivalent Loctal or miniature tube) circuit with few modifications.

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - radiorich - 11-15-2025

Hello Aran,
Yes , years ago one of late members of arf had one forsale that I could bought as is .
like mr fixxr said their nothing special about the electronics design .
just like few years ago there was a Silvertone radio that came in 3 diffrent colors I own 2 diffrent colors but one the online auctions had the red one that went for $1000.

Sincerely Richard

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - Arran - 11-16-2025

Rich; Mr. Fix;
I have a FADA 1001 from around 1947-48, and it is essentially the same circuit as a FADA 1000, the main differences being that it has a top mounted slide rule dial, rather then a airplane dial, has a different chassis layout, and comes in a wooden cabinet with a faux olive burl wood grain on the front. I got it maybe 15 years ago, overhauled it electrically, and used it as a daily driver in my book room/storage area ever since.
The reason I use it is that it has an extra RF amplifier stage, an untuned RF amplifier, but it is a really good performer, and is less subject to electrical interference then some of my "better" sets. The point being is that there were some sets, in fancy cabinets, that were actually good performers too. Some Catalin radios were actually quite awful, there were some pre war ones that were basically three or four tube, curtain burner cheapies, with a TRF circuit, I'm sure that they work, but you can pretty much pin them down as "city radios".
That Philco is at least a five tube superhet, it's no 116 but my experience with Philco AC/DC sets has been that they won't disappoint once restored correctly, but for $1300 I can think of better sets to buy for less money. It looks like they used that cabinet over a two to three year period, so I'm sure that there are others out there, whilst the grill and knobs are Tenite that material is a mixed bag, some parts on some models deteriorate badly, on others it's usually presentable. I don't know enough about these sets to say whether they are known for warpage and deterioration or not, but the Tenite has likely shrunk somewhat since new.
Regards
Arran

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - radiorich - 11-16-2025

Hello Arran,
Yes, I do have one Philco 41-221 that as you know that model has Tenite from and I am lucky it is not warped anyway talking about TRF sets That Silvertone model I was talking about that went for big money that was red was model 4500 and it was TRF the other two I have are two they look like a toaster.

Sincerely Richard

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - DaleHCook - 11-16-2025

MrFixr55 Wrote:  ...  and by 1941 had settled on the 12SA7, 12SK7, 12SQ7, 50L6, 35W4 (or equivalent Loctal or miniature tube) circuit with few modifications.

This is a Philco, so it has 7A8, 7B7, 7C6, 35A5, and 35Z3, but an AA5 in any variation is the standard from ca. 1941 on. For a design with only 5 tubes the AA5 provides reasonable reception at a low price. I can't see it commanding $1300, though, especially because it is not a Catalin cabinet. My most expensive radio cost far less than that at a local auction (a 14-tube Howard 425A) and greatly outperforms any AA5, in addition to including features such a beautiful wooden console cabinet, remote preset tuning, and a 15" Jensen speaker.

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - Arran - 11-17-2025

My observation with Philco tube lineups, especially in the 1940s, is that they liked to mix and match types, and bases, depending on the code number, or production run. Typically they would use loctals in the front end, then switch to octals for the rectifier and power output tubes, especially the power output tube. In sets with a 35Z3 they would often use a 120 volt 3 watt candelabra bulb, if they had a pilot lamp at all, in others they would use the 35Z5 and a 6.3 volt bulb, though in rarer instances they would connect the 6.3 volt pilot lamps across one of the dropping resistors and use the 35Z3 anyhow. I have one set that is a 1949-50 model, and they used loctals, octals, and a seven pin miniature, which is an odd sight.
Regards
Arran

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - radiorich - 11-17-2025

Hello Arran,
I know it seems like Philco was all over the place with their designs in those years I am not fan of Loctals or the 3watt bulb that bulb just gets hot .
Sincerely Richard
P.S. I agree with you Dale.

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - MrFixr55 - 11-17-2025

I've seen companies, especially smaller brands, but also Emerson, RCA and others either use up stock before switching to the latest and greatest tube that does the same thing (Such as switching from 12K7 to 12SK7 to from 12SK7 to 12BA6, etc.) or buying the older tube at discount and only switching when they were not available. I have one RCA Model having only Octal tubes when introduced, then both Octal and Miniature tubes, and finally Miniature tubes. In one set (can't remember the brand, It had 12SA7, 12SK7, 12SQ7, 35W4 and instead of a 50L6, it had a 50B5. In another set, they were all miniature tubes, but the holes in the chassis were sized to take octal tube sockets. There were companies that made miniature sockets sized to fill holes drilled for octal sockets.

RE: Philco PT-35 crazy auction price - MrFixr55 - 11-17-2025

I have only 3 radios that I paid more than $75 (plus shipping) for:
RCA (GE) Radiola II Front door and headphones missing ($105)
Westinghouse RC ($320)
A-K 10C Model 4700 Breadboard radio for a Pooley cabinet ($600)