Philco 48-2500 projection set in CA

[bandersen]

Oooh - that's a cool set. Maybe one of these days...

[Tom Albrecht]

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.

[Phil Nelson]

Most 1940s cabinets are dark, but I think the lighter finish is more in keeping with the overall style, which would look at home with somewhat newer "Mid Century Modern" items. If the eBay set was refinished, that must have been quite a while ago, for it to get so uniformly beat up. Anything's possible, of course.

Phil

[ChuckA]

Originally Posted by Tom Albrecht

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? Might have to research a bit to see if I can find any evidence of the lighter color being available originally.

Tom,

I'm not sure about it being original either. I know that the original preproduction units were in walnut, but I never saw one with blond finish, or read anywhere that it was available in anything but dark mahogany. Also the veneer is mahogany, could have been what RCA called "toasted mahogany", but if you look at the edges of the lid it's dark, another "gotcha". Really need to see it in person, but if it goes cheap......


Chuck