[tillie2132]

I was recently gifted an antique radio by my parents, and I'm trying to find more information about what it's worth and if / how I should go about restoring it.

From the small bit of research I did - I found that it is a Philco 19D Highboy. It does power up, however can't get it to tune (not sure if this is user error). I do know it has a newer antenna attached, not sure if that's the issue. It's in pretty fair condition but has scratches and some peeling on the veneer.

Photos are attached, any input or advice is greatly appreciated!

[klondike98]

welcome to the Phorum!


That's a nice looking radio.  It will not play until the electronics are restored and its best not to power it up again before that is done.  Your first decision is whether to do the restoration yourself or have someone do it.  There are two parts, electrical can cabinet.  Your cabinet looks good enough that it may only need cleaning.  Often folks use GoJo (the version without the pumice!) to clean the surface of the cabinet.  The finish is lacquer.  There are techniques to just refresh the surface and cover to some extent the scratches and veneer can sometimes be glued down again. 

The electrical chassis will need the electrolytic capacitors changed, all the paper capacitors replaced and there may or may not be other issues that need to be checked.  Read through some of the restorations that are found in this Phorum to get an idea of what this might entail.  Another good overview for beginners can be seen in Phil Nelson's website.  If you decide to tackle it yourself then this Phorum's electrical section is the place to start a thread for your radio and ask all the questions you want.  Folks here can help you through the process.  Its not a full tutorial but I have a thread for a 91B restoration that has the same chassis as yours.

Both the cabinet restoration and the chassis restoration are something that beginners can do but you will also get better at it if restoring radios becomes a hobby!

As far as value, its harder to assess but as it is its probably a $50 to $200 radio depending on whose buying, where its sold and its actual condition.

The electrical schematic can be found in our library's early schematics (1932) here: https://philcoradio.com/library/index.ph...chematics/  and also here: https://philcoradio.com/library/download...l.%201.pdf

Your is in our gallery at https://philcoradio.com/gallery2/1933b/#Model_91D

[Radioroslyn]

Hi Tillie and welcome,

I would remove the chassis from the cabinet and have a look at the underside. That's where you can see what work has been done to it over the years or not. Refrain from turning it on as it can cause damage to internal parts or cause a fire...

To remove the chassis there are 4-3/8 bolts under the chassis that have to come out. Remove knobs by pulling straight out. Loosen or remove the small screw that is above the speaker plug on the back of the chassis. Remove speaker plug. Slide chassis out. Flip it up and take some pics. Post them so we can get an idea what's been serviced.

Worth, if your thinking of fixing it and selling for a greater profit I would sell as is. As a rough number I'd say about $100 as is. Maybe $150 in good working order. Have to find the right person for the highboy cabinet set.

[morzh]

What Bob and Terry said.

The only thing to add is: if you are so emboldened and curious as to slide the chassis out, it weight about 25 lbs or so and is inconvenient enough to hold (sharp sheet metal edges) so depending on the physical condition you may or may not find it easy to do.
If you intend to keep it as a family heirloom and want it restored, and yourself are not up to the task, fins a local Antique radio club (should be enough near where you are, in NY or nearby in New England) and get it overhauled.

[mikethedruid]

Hi Tillie,
Welcome to the Phorum ! That's a GREAT radio, and in very good condition, considering it is almost 90 years old ! You don't say, in your posting, if you have any experience working on old tube type electronic gear. If you don't have any, but still wish to tackle the restoration yourself, I suggest you start by purchasing a simpler tube radio to learn on, one of the smaller table radios from the late 1930s or 1940s would be a good place to start. If you can, locate a local antique radio club, and learn from the members there. There are also good books which can help you learn and get started. Here's one right here in the library section of this site: https://philcoradio.com/library/index.ph...receivers/ Here is another, free on the net, although I recommend buying a hard copy: https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-...d-1969.pdf And this was the very first electronics book I bought, I still have it, and the information in it is still useful: https://archive.org/details/TheCompleteRadioBook . These books will give you some idea of what kind of work the electronic restoration will entail and if you want to spend the time and effort to learn and to do the work. You will also get some idea of the kind of tools you will need to do this work. There are, besides the tools, several electronic instruments you will need to do this work, the most basic being a good multi-meter. Fortunately these can be had very reasonably from Harbor Freight. Beyond that there are some more expensive ones needed to do the final work, the alignment to get the radio working properly up to its best. If you are just starting out, again an antique radio club member might help you out and do the alignment for you, and teach you how it's done. Last of all, BEWARE !!! This hobby is very ADDICTIVE ! Once you have restored one antique radio, and felt the thrill of bringing it back to performing like it was new again, you will want to restore another, and another.