[Arran]

I really like this radio/cabinet. The fact that apparently is not a "Philco" made cabinet does not detract a bit from me. Over the top, no, what great wood work. If this was indeed a cabinet built to accept the Philco radio chassis as a bare chassis at the time of manufacture of the chassis, it has some real historical significance. Many chassis of the past were sold to cabinet makers for installation. If this was the case, what a nice job. I would pick that up in a heart beat.

It was not built to accept a Philco 16 chassis it was built to accept any chassis you wanted to fit into it, it was a production cabinet, likely with a blank front panel, where one would drill the appropriate holes to fit the dial and controls. It may be great wood work but it is completely over the top, the stock Philco cabinets of the day, like a 16H, were much more tasteful, some like the Stromberg cabinets were also better made. As for historical significance I just don't see it, there were lots of sets that received cabinet transplants, without some documentation there isn't any evidence that this chassis started out life in this cabinet. There was a lot of this sort of thing going on, particularly during the war years, some companies like Daiga Radio made a business out of matching empty cabinets with chassis.
I have little interest in sets with aftermarket cabinets, many collectors feel the same way, the reason being is that at least 95% of them are mutts where someone klodged the thing together years after the fact with whatever they had laying around. If you like this set good for you, if I end up with one in this same garish style I will sell it to you tommorow.
Regards
Arran