The chassis looks like a Tele-Tone 149. Knob layout is the same too.

It's a model TV-709 from 1948. The model TV-707 was the blonde version. The back of the chassis had ink stamps for all the controls and the model number was just above the serial number label. Unfortunately the label was lost on my set many years ago so I don't know what serial number it is. You can see my original sales brochure on Tom's site at : http://www.tvhistory.tv/1946-49-AUTOMATIC.htm

Darryl

Automatic TV-709 Serial Numbers
 

My non-bubble lens Automatic is serial number 308912.
My bubble lens Automatic is serial number 310?68 (the fourth number was missing on the paper label).

Thanks Kevin
I hope those photos will work of our TV set 310740
Hope got a service manual and parts list
Thanks Jody

Mines 28 units ahead of yours probably left the assembly line the same day

I been looking at something similar. The rental prices run $1.25 /month per foot in my area. I rented a temporary small 200 foot office with electricity and no bathroom for $250 /month. I have 22 Televisions in there out of my approximately 100 TVs. My long term hope is raising a building fund. If you share space with someone else you risk the chance of them moving out or kicking you out. A once a year exhibit may be another way to go or maybe just a couple of TVS in a glass enclosure at a government building, airport or public shopping mall with informational posters.

OK, Eric IDed the set as a Tele-Tone TV149 and he is most probably correct.

I'm not too sure of the history of Tele-Tone, but I think they started out as an RCA an/or military subcontractor, and after the war in about 1947 decided to build their own sets instead of just building parts for someone else.

Some of their earlier models were built to look like miniature RCA sets, and I feel they did this for a reason. It helped on mail order sales! In 1947 most people in the region where TV was about to be introduced had seen pictures of the expensive 10BP4 RCA sets, so they then saw the pictures of the similar looking 7JP4 Tele-Tones and did not realize that these less expensive sets were smaller. I know in the small southern town where I lived, the first TV sets in the area were mail order seven inchers that were bought sight unseen.

Tele-Tone made three very similar models:

Tele-Tone TV149 (The set required AC and had one selenium rectifier, one 25Z6 voltage doubler rectifier and one 6X5 tripler rectifier.)

Firestone 13G3 (The set required AC and had one selenium rectifier and one 25Z6 voltage doubler rectifier. The set had cloth panels where the TV149 & TV170 had vertical slots.)

Tele-Tone TV170 (This set was AC or DC and had only one selenium rectifier and was popular in lower Manhattan where they only had DC power. The cabinet was identical to the TV149 and occasionally causes misidentification. This set cost $10 more than the AC TV149 and did not perform as well due to the lower B+.)

The Tele-Tones were sold as both 1948 and 1949 models. I have no idea on the Firestone and Automatic.

The Tele-Tone's have the Serial Number written on the bottom of the cabinet, along with an ink stamp of the date in Year/Month/Day format and the final inspector's initials in black ink. TV149 = 8Jan31. TV170 = 8Nov10.

The Tele-Tone made Firestone does not have the date on the cabinet bottom, but it does have the tube layout pasted on the bottom, along with the serial number and the inspector's initials. All three sets have an unreadable signature that may be the same person.

James

Edit:
Hey, you know he can have it both ways! Keep the set original and get it working. too!

All you have to do is buy a relatively inexpensive Tele-Tone TV-149 and restore that and keep the original Tele-Tone made Automatic-Radio chassis intact and as-found! Which ever chassis is in the Automatic at the moment determines whether it is "original" or "restored."