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When radio became the rage in 1924-1925, the Victor Talking Machine Company was caught totally unprepared, and sales of old-style phonographs tanked. So to get back into the consumer market, Victor relied on a licensing agreement with RCA to design and produce radios for their radio/phonograph combination models. This agreement lasted for nearly 5 years. But understandably, Victor did not want to depend on an outside supplier for a critical element of their products, so they designed and manufactured their own \"Microsynchronous\" radio, which proved to be one of the top-performing sets of 1929.
TheR-52was a Microsynchronous radio-only set (without phonograph), and was one of the final products introduced by Victor in the summer of 1929, just prior to the time that the company was purchased by RCA. It was functionally identical to Victor\'s less expensiveR-32model, which had been launched just a few months earlier, but the R-52 featured a larger, taller, and more detailed cabinet with hinged doors on the front to hide the controls. The R-52 also shared the same Microsychronous radio with theRE-45. theRE-75and several other models; but unlike those sets, it did not have a phonograph integrated into the cabinet.
Approximately 35,000 R-52\'s were made before production was discontinued toward the end of the year. The list price was set at $215.00, which equates to about $3,200.00 in today\'s money. Tubes were not included in this price. The buyer had a choice of a walnut or mahogany veneer with a blended lacquer finish. Since the impact of The Depression was being strongly felt at the end of 1929, many of these models remained unsold by dealers, who continued to market them into the early 1930\'s at a significant discount off the list price.The high cost of restoration of these early radios limits the interest of many collectors today.
This is an ideal item for someone that wants to restore a depression era piece. This was an handed down piece from grand-parents, however no one would like to keep it.
Any questions please ask.
A little heavy may need help to remove it. My husband/myself can help you load this. Should fit in a mid-size SUV or bigger.
Radio is banged up, and worn with age. Will need some TLC
Radio was working the last time I plugged it (about a month ago) in on the AM side, Not sure if FM works with today\'s FM frequencies.
