[Sanpaulo12]

I have a 51-T1601 and a friend told me to look for Asbestos in old electronics does anyone know if this model has Asbestos in it?

[morzh]

If it is there (it is present in portable tube radios like Zenith Transoceanic) you will see it. It is typically a sheet asbestos.
They scare people with it, but it is a danger wben you constantly encounter it or get into a demolition of something containing it...in other words it is not volatile and if you do not decide to drill it, rub it, vacuum it, run around waving it, it won't hurt you. Somehow mesothelioma is not very much present in general population from 20s to 80s when the dangers were not studied and it was widely used in electrical devices, from the radios and soldering irons to household irons. And changing the heating element in the iron was the man of the house' job.

You shouldn't sniff it. This is about it.

[Arran]

 I don't know the particulars of this model of Philco TV but if they used any it would be the greyish-white cardboard type and it would be in the top or on the inner side of the cabinet, not under the chassis, if there is any you will see it straight away, it would not be hidden anywhere. Typically TV sets either had a metal screen or slats in the cabinet under the chassis to aid in ventilation rather then an asbestos sheet. Come to think of it in most TVs there was enough air space above the chassis, thanks to the cabinet also housing the picture tube, that I don't think that they needed an asbestos sheet in the top of the cabinet either.
 The fellow to ask about asbestos in early Philco TV sets would be Bob Andersen, he owns several of them. However as Mike mentioned there are a  lot of unnecessary hysterics about asbestos, the way people go on about it you would think that just looking at it crosseyed would turn one into a cancer ridden lump. First of all the kind of asbestos used in radios and other appliances was chrysotile based, which is the least hazardous variety. Second, unless you disturb it, as in grinding it up, putting you nose up against it and snorting it, it is not going to cause you any health problems. As a matter of fact you probably stand a better chance of inhaling asbestos fibers when you go for a drive or a walk, they used to use asbestos in brake linings in car and truck drum brakes. Also in some areas asbestos fibers enter the atmosphere from natural sources, like from cliffs and bluffs through erosion, it did come out of the ground originally after all. 
 But if you are wondering what to do about an asbestos sheet should you run across some you have a few options. If it's in good condition leave it alone, or if it worries you you can seal it with something like latex paint to encapsulate it. If it is coming apart you can spray it with water, remove the staples holding the sheet in, put it in a plastic bag, and chuck it in the garbage. But stay safe, remember to look both ways before crossing the street, and no texting whilst driving either, both of those activities are several thousand times more dangerous then asbestos in a radio or tv.
Regards
Arran