Identify this TV set I dreamed of

[Aussie Bloke]

G'day all. I don't normally post here but last night I had an unusual dream of going into an oldware junk store and the first thing I saw 2 metres from me slightly hidden behind other appliances was a B&W roundie TV set from around the early 1950s. The description of this B&W set is as follows:
a - Tabletop mahogany cabinet enclosure similar to the Andrea C-VL16 http://www.earlytelevision.org/andrea_C-VL16.html
b - 20-21 inch roundie B&W tube which goes almost to the edge of the enclosure
c - Thick white bezel around the tube similar to the Andrea C-VL16 http://www.earlytelevision.org/andrea_C-VL16.html but the bezel is thick like the Hoffman Colorcaster M4021A http://bs.cyty.com/menschen/e-etzold...caster1955.jpg
d - I think the controls were located below the screen and were small
e - The brand name of this set is Ekco but looks nothing like the Ekco TMB272 http://www.golden-agetv.co.uk/img/equipment/85b.jpg

Anyways that's the best way I can describe this dream TV, wonder if there's an actual B&W 21 inch roundie tabletop set that matches my description? Look forward to responses.

[David Roper]

Offhand I can't think of a single table top set with a 19" round tube, much less 22". Anything larger I can't even imagine--the consoles with 24" round tubes were H-U-G-E.

[old_tv_nut]

Try to recall what you ate before bedtime, and consider if you want to do that again, unless you want to become a science fiction illustrator.
Really, I don't thnk I've seen anything like your desctiption.

[dieseljeep]

RCA made a 19" metal table model around the 1951 model year. You could get a matching base to make it look like a console. It used their famous 19AP4 CRT.

[Bill Cahill]

Yeh. And, their infamous KCS 49 chassis. They also made a console, and, a console combination 19".
I do remember once having a dud 21" round metal pix tube, but, no tv.
That was MANY years ago. Doubt you'd find another.....
Bill Cahill

[Aussie Bloke]

I've been extensively looking through the http://www.tvhistory.tv website at all the B&W tellies from the late 40s to the early 50s and have found some TVs that closely match to the set I dreamed of:

1949 General Electric 12T3 http://www.tvhistory.tv/1949-GE-12T3.jpg (bares a good resemblance but the cabinet was more maroon and the screen is in excess of 20 inches)

1949 General Electric 12T1 http://www.tvhistory.tv/1949-GE-12T1.JPG (also good resemblance and cabinet colour accurate, but control panel below was much narrower and screen is in excess of 20 inches)

1949 Pilot TV-125 http://www.tvhistory.tv/1949-Pilot-TV125-12in.JPG (if the white bezel was thicker, the screen greater than 20 inches and the control knobs were below the screen and the cabinet was cube console shaped, it would be a very good match)

1950 Dumont RA-109-A2 http://www.tvhistory.tv/1950-DuMont-RA109A2.jpg (if the bezel was white and the controls were below the screen and the cabinet was cube console shape, it would perfectly match my dream TV)

1951 Radio Craftsman RC-200 http://www.tvhistory.tv/1951-Radio-Craftsman-RC200.JPG (this set nearly perfectly matches my dream TV, only thing it needs is for the bezel to be white without the gold plating and the speaker section below to be removed so it looks like a console tabletop set and it would perfectly match my dream TV)

I still wonder though if there's any make and model of a roundie B&W 20 inch plus console television that would match even closer than the ones I list above?

[zippyjet]

During the mid 50's, at least in the states RCA made most of the early color TV chassis and actually other companies put their name on these early RCA sets. But, one electronics company produced their own line of color TV's. Both in 19 and 21" round screens. Motorolla went out on a limb and produced their own line of color TVs in the mid 50's. However I guess color TV was too new and pricey for the masses and Motorolla stopped making that line of Color TV's. It wasn't till the early 60's that they got back in the color TV derby. The number one and two giants were RCA Victor followed by Zenith who's first color TV went on sale in 1962. I'm guessing Motorolla for the TV pictured due to the thick border around the picture glass over the tube.

I couldn't think of the word but its the thick bezel around the picture tube.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by zippyjet

During the mid 50's, at least in the states RCA made most of the early color TV chassis and actually other companies put their name on these early RCA sets. But, one electronics company produced their own line of color TV's. Both in 19 and 21" round screens. Motorolla went out on a limb and produced their own line of color TVs in the mid 50's. However I guess color TV was too new and pricey for the masses and Motorolla stopped making that line of Color TV's. It wasn't till the early 60's that they got back in the color TV derby. The number one and two giants were RCA Victor followed by Zenith who's first color TV went on sale in 1962. I'm guessing Motorolla for the TV pictured due to the thick border around the picture glass over the tube.

I couldn't think of the word but its the thick bezel around the picture tube.

Actually the Motorola 21CT2 color set was most likely in continuous low-volume production from 1957 until about the time they introduced their next color chassis. Benman has commented that he knows a collector who has one with date codes from 1963...
I own one of the earlier ones a 21CT2B (blond cabinet finish), and feel very proud/lucky to have one of the roughly 7 known surviving sets.

Other makers did build their own large screen color sets. Off the top of my head Philco had the TV-123 chassis briefly before they started buying RCA chassis.

It's probable the OP dreamed up a set that never existed in the first place... I've dreamed up a lot of fictional sets and other things over the years of sleep I've had.