Found My Philco Holy Grail!! A 201X -
Gene Pederson - 11-15-2013
Today is a GREAT day! I found a Philco that I actually never thought would be possible to do. A 1935 201X! My avatar is a 200x which is what I saw on CL couple of years ago and didn't go after. I do like the cabinet on the 200x a lot, but the 201x has BOTH broadcast and shortwave, which is a big bonus in my eyes. Here is the baby just as I found it. The sound absorbing screen on the back got damaged in the move, but I have the pieces and I believe I can make it whole again.
Overall, the cabinet is is nice condition with some scratches, marks, etc. but I will first see how good I can make it look and then reassess. One can cap is gone, but I don't see that as a major issue. The dial scale is all there and intact as far as I can see. No hole in the speaker. I am really glad the grille cloth is available.
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Gene
RE: Found My Philco Holy Grail!! A 201X -
KCMike - 11-15-2013
Congrats. on your find Gene. Looks like a great project with lots of potential.
RE: Found My Philco Holy Grail!! A 201X -
y2kbruce - 11-15-2013
A GREAT find. Considered the 1st Hi-Fidelity radio by Philco.
It will be the centerpiece of your collection once restored.
RE: Found My Philco Holy Grail!! A 201X -
Jayce - 11-16-2013
A very good find!
RE: Found My Philco Holy Grail!! A 201X -
TA Forbes - 11-18-2013
WOW, Gene, that's a great find!!!!
Definitely on my bucket list!!!!
RE: Found My Philco Holy Grail!! A 201X -
PhilcoJohn - 11-18-2013
Wow Gene good for you! It is always nice to find a radio that you can only hope to have in ones collection, and when one comes up we just can not believe it. I like the detailed woodwork on the cabinet. Good luck on your find and keep us up to date as to its comming along!
RE: Found My Philco Holy Grail!! A 201X -
Alan Douglas - 11-19-2013
I had a 201X on loan from a collector friend for a year. I wanted to compare it side by side with a later Stromberg-Carlson with the "acoustic labyrinth" for audio quality (the 201X won hands down) but while I had it, I wanted to try improving its appearance. It had some deep scratches, even gouges, in the finish. But the basic finish was glass-smooth; you could shave in front of it. With a little dye in the scratches, they disappeared. From a few feet away all you could see were reflections of objects in the room, so the scratches and gouges weren't noticeable. I recommend putting some effort into cleaning and polishing, and I think you'll be happy with the result.
RE: Found My Philco Holy Grail!! A 201X -
Gene Pederson - 11-20-2013
Thanks for the positive comments everyone!
Alan, I have been cleaning the case up, and I think the sides and upper portion will be ok even with some scratches. The front toned parts, especially on the bottom area have quite a bit of loss, so I may have to redo those areas.
I will say this is the ruggedest cabinet I have seen. Even with no chassis or speaker in it, this thing still weighs! It is built like a tank.
Gene
RE: Found My Philco Holy Grail!! A 201X -
thirtiesradio - 11-24-2013
Beautiful radio
That's one I'd like to have but it's a very hard to find radio.