RCA Victor 9-W-51 consolette AM radio / 45 rpm record player

[radiotvnut]

I walked into my favorite flea market and the owner said that he had a record player all the way in the back that I might find interesting and that if I wanted it, he'd make me a good price. So, I walked back there and found an interesting little RCA Victor, circa '49-'50, model 9-W-51 AM radio / 45 rpm record player. This is probably the smallest console ever made and actually looks more like a nightstand than a record player. I pulled the drawer out to discover that the original RP168 changer had been ruined; but, that's no big worry because these changers are still fairly common. It shouldn't take long to find a good changer that was pulled from something. Then, I noticed the $225 price tag. I walked back up front and told the owner I was interested and asked him what he'd take. He asked what he had on it and I told him $225. He said, "Oh, no, I'll do much better than that; how does $25 sound?" I handed over the cash and loaded it up.

Looking at the chassis, it looks like the same one that was used in their "bullhorn" table radio from the same period.

Years ago, I had another one of these in similar condition; but, I got rid of it. So, I was happy when this one came along. I may be wrong; but, I suspect this model is a fairly rare bird.