I'm guessing that one has been refinished with clear finish after stripping the original dark mahogany stain. Or did they have a lighter version? Mine actually looks a little like this one, and I've always assumed it was refinished by a previous owner. Someday I'll refinish mine to put it back to the original color, although I have to admit it probably looks better to the modern eye with the lighter finish.
As I look at the pictures more closely, given the poor condition of the finish, it seems it might be original. Might have to research a bit to see if I can find any evidence of the lighter color being available originally.
Picture of mine here:
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/philco_48_2500.html and here at the bottom of the article:
http://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/pro...sion_sets.html .
These are indeed unique sets.