I believe this is the great manufacturer's last cathedral radio. It is often dated as 1934 model, but it actually is the lowest on the 1935 line. By this time the cathedral style, so popular in 1930-32, was demoted to the lower-end sets as the more modern tombstone style took over. Companies like Philco would still be making them for a couple more years. This 4-tube set is one of the reasons why Arthur Atwater Kent himself decided to close-shop. He knew to stay competitive he would have to start manufacturing cheaper sets, and that's something he did not want to do. One year later, in 1936, he would do just that. In reality this 944 is a quality set in and out and it's not easy to tell it from a 6-8 tube set when using it. It has a big speaker and the cabinet is very solid. This example is a very nice original and my researching has proved that the lightly mottled bakelite knobs are original to this model.
