Nows and Forevers

Furniture or radio? Both.

This is a Philco console radio, probably from the 1940s. I saw this while thrifting in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was only $65.

No, I didn’t buy it. Not only would it not fit in my car, it wouldn’t fit where I live, either. But I know someone else is just waiting to revive it and give it some loving care.

I’m a radio geek so I was fascinated by the bands: AM, of course, but also shortwave radio from about 5 MHZ to 18 MHZ, just enough to tune into all the long-distance radio stations. It even had the locations you’d be able to hear: London, Berlin, Paris, Australia, Rome, Japan. This is the classic age of shortwave radio, where it felt like every county had their own station or more than one. That’s long gone. I was a kid at the end of that era, and they’ve closed ever since.

But this radio is ready if it ever comes back.