[Jayce]

Dad and I decided to visit a family we know to check out some antique tractor parts he had been offered. While there on the old farm, we mentioned our trip up to Mentor, Ohio yesterday to pick up an old radio and remembered one he had stored away in the old milkhouse a couple years back that his wife's relatives had never come around to claim. Apparently it had spent most of it's life in the attic of an old house in town and he said it was pretty filthy and the push-buttons were all broke. He asked if I wanted to see it and I said yes, of course, and what I discovered was a Philco 39-40 console that was indeed filthy, but a definite diamond in the rough. After talking it over with his wife, I nabbed the radio for $60 and even found the mostly intact owner's manual laying inside. After an initial cleaning (sooty with a helping of muddy cat paw prints) it is looking pretty good! Buttons are toast though, as is the cord which fell off.

   
   
   
   

[shaler78]

Nice find! Nice price!

[morzh]

It's in good shape.

[PhilcoJohn]

Great find.. And the cabinet and grill cloth look nice.

[TA Forbes]

[Jayce]

Thanks! I have never really pursued these style Philcos before, but this one was just in too good of shape and the price was right. Now, I will need new pushbuttons for sure and I think this model used the transluscent 'wine' color buttons. Kinda hard to tell as my buttons have degraded down to flakes, literally! Also, what would be the best way to get the green tarnish off the bezel? I have some Brasso, but I don't want to go too far and lose all the patina.

[bfrohwein]

Very nice find, Jayce! I might have a set of the repro wine buttons around here, actually.

[Art Hoch]

Amazing...you never know.

[Arran]

Depending on the year the dial escutcheons on those sets could be bright brass, painted a gold colour, or have a faux wood grain.
Regards
Arran

[Ron Ramirez]

For 1939-1942 Philco escutcheons with thumbwheel controls:

I think the 1939 model escutcheons are brass. The 1940 escutcheons are brass plated (or painted) steel. The 1941 and 1942 escutcheons have the faux woodgrain.

[Arran]

Unless they used up stock from the previous year, the escutcheon they used on my 40-780 was brass, I do not know if it used to have paint on it or no. Bob Andersen's 39-30 was brass but was painted with metallic gold or brass paint rather then bright brass. Neither of these sets used the thumb-wheel knobs however, so the thumb-wheel knob sets like the 39-116 may have been different.
Regards
Arran

[Jayce]

I decided to do the magnet test and the little magnet I used will not stick to the escutcheon on the 39-40. So, it is probably brass. As far as any paint goes, that is had to tell, but I have so much crusty green tarnish sticking up that I will have to do cleaning no matter what. Now, the escutcheon on my 40-180 looks like brass, but the magnet sticks right to it.

[Randy H.]

Check the top corners of the openings where the buttons came through... If there was paint there, that's the most likely place to find any remains.

Pretty set! and the GRILL CLOTH all intact... Unusual.