Vintage Clarion AM Tube Radio, Circa 1950, Reduced offers to 125

You're presently reviewing a very nice example of a Warwick-manufactured (Clarion labeled) Series 142 tube radio. The only reliable source I have for date of manufacture of this radio suggests "1953 (??)" but the grille design looks to me late 40's. This source also describes body material as "modern plastics" but I will confirm here in writing that this is actually a bakelite cabinet. There is that distinct smell (phenol/formaldehyde) when this cabinet is warm. Plastic just smells like... well, plastic.

With all of this said, the make, model, and year of this receiver is apparently uncommon and not so easily found.

I put more work into this than I originally thought would be needed. It was obvious this had been repaired quite some time before I opened this up. No matter; I truly love picking away at something like this. As I always will with old radios, I replaced all capacitors and a couple of out of tolerance resistors with modern and more reliable components (you can see this work in a couple of before and after pictures herein). I also replaced a very weak 12SQ7 tube, and replaced the original AC line cord with new. I did reinstall the original black insulation on the hot and neutral leads, just to keep a bit of that original look when viewing from the backside. Oh, and notice that this radio sports a somewhat uncommon "reverse" frequency dial plate. They usually read left to right regarding lower spectrum to higher.

If you have this radio plugged in to same circuit as adjacent AC powered lighting, it will play at its best if you have offers those lights shut off. You probably would rather enjoy your old AM radio shows and favorite oldies in a dim setting anyway. I usually do :)

Dimensions: 9" across, 6.5" high, and 5.5 deep. This weighs about 5 pounds unpackaged.

I've described this to the best of my ability, and pictures here are vital to overall description. Please read GeckoTheatre shop policies and FAQ's, and ask any questions you may have prior to purchase.


Thanks for looking!

Pete