SUPER ULTRA RARE Antique Vintage 1926 Delano Sheraton Radio Modernola Co
This RARE circa 1926 Delano Sheraton radio is fresh out of an estate and is in nice condition for it's age! It measures 18" x 13+1/4" x 14+1/4. The feet are missing as are the tubes, and the drop down back door needs an adjustment to get it to close. I couldn't find any info on this radio, so I sent photos to an experienced radio collector and here is the response he gave me. Mahogany table-top cabinet, Tuned Radio Frequency Broadcast Receiver, battery powered,'Deano Sheraton' model, made by the Modernola Company, Johnstown, Pa. The Delano Sheraton is a 5-tube (missing) TRF or tuned radio frequency composed of one or more tuned radio frequency (RF) amplifier stages followed by a detector (demodulator) circuit to extract the audio signal and usually an audio frequency amplifier. This type of receiver was quite popular in the 1920s.
The dimensions of the stained mahogany cabinet are 18" x 14.25" x 13.25. It boasts a built-in'Utah' horn.
Seen at the back of the radio mechanism (The Utah Company manufactured their own brand of speakers). The radio's tuning range is 500 kHz to 1400 kHz. Tuning is accomplished by two variable capacitors and a variocoupler. There are inverted vacuum tubes in the underside of the radio also.
The battery terminals are located at the rear apron of the chassis. Storage space is provided for all batteries except for the 6-volt storage battery (Power type and voltage to the receiver is provided by storage and/or dry batteries, in this case a 6-volt storage battery).
The beautifully engraved front panel and the well balanced design make this radio a highly prized possession of the collectors of radios. There are two tuning control knobs on this model indicated by selector 1 and selector 2, while in the middle is the volume control knob.
An on/off power switch is seen below and to its right a plug in audio jack for earphones. There is usually no serial number stamped on the chassis; occasionally, there is a chalk mark inscribed in the bottom frame of the cabinet indicating (perhaps) the radio number, e. The condition of the case is rather extraordinary with some mild wear to the finish at the edges of the case and base molding. The front of the cabinet has two iveroid pulls to open the two doors and an Art Deco set of solid rounded quatrefoil ebonized shaped plaques in the center of each door.
The back of the casing is hinged allowing one to access the battery in its own compartment and the other opening to change tubes, etc. The storage battery is not present and the five tubes are missing from the receiver. Opening the doors the loudspeakers are across the top half of the inner case with the dial below. There are some very minimal scuffs on the dial. From a pricing point of view it is not only age and rarity that determine price.
Some of the early 1920s models will sell for less than those of the 1960s which are far better radios and might appear to be more fashionable than the stodgy look of the mahogany cabinet models. The colorful Bakelite models from the 40s and 50s look like the front of a jukebox and bring significant prices as well, and they have a modernistic appearance. So, deciding on a price with such a rarely seen set which needs tubes and a power source, at a minimum, to function is not an easy task. THE MODERNOLA COMPANY was originally formed as a business venture to make phonographs and console talking machines. The principals of the company were H.
Farr, Guy McCormick, and D. It is uncertain where the company was first located perhaps on Stony Street; however, the 1922 and 1923 Johnstown business directory, page 743, lists the location of the Modernola Company at 105 Station Street in the city's Ferndale section. I could find no existing records showing the year the company began to build radio receiving sets or production figures. It is unclear whether the Modernola Company failed due to the stock crash of 1929 and the Depression that followed or due to market pressures that closed the company.
What is clear is that the company, noted for its round phonographs with a lamp and shade built in, made a novel departure from traditionally-designed phonographs of the day. The item "SUPER ULTRA RARE Antique Vintage 1926 Delano Sheraton Radio Modernola Co" is in sale since Sunday, June 9, 2019. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Radio, Phonograph, TV, Phone\Radios\Tube Radios\Pre-1930". The seller is "hotrodster" and is located in Burlington, North Carolina. This item can be shipped to United States.- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Brand: Delano Sheraton by Modernola Co.
