Vintage radios galore will get bidders tuning into a Derbyshire auction – and the most valuable could achieve more than £1,000.
More than 30 radios, some dating back to the 1930s and 40s, were amassed by award-winning British toy designer Patrick Rylands. His lifetime collection of curios is so vast – he gathered thousands of eclectic objects over 50 years – it’s being offered in several sales. The third installment, Iconic Design, Radio, Coins and Tokens, will go under the hammer at Hansons’ Etwall saleroom on July 30 and it’s a collector’s dream.
Among the most valuable items is lot 175, a 1941 Art Deco Motorola S Grill Catalin radio, model 51 x 15, sporting a black and red case, estimate £1,000-£1,500. This design classic was born out of a company founded by Paul V Galvin and his brother Joseph as the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation in Chicago, Illinois, in 1928. The firm changed its name to Motorola in 1930.
Around 1939 Motorola began manufacturing three Catalin radios, including the one set for auction. Another fine example is lot 163, a 1937 Emerson AU190 ‘Tombstone’ Catalin radio in marbled translucent green, estimate £700-£1,000. Items like this are popular with both radio and Art Deco collectors.
But don’t despair if your pockets aren’t deep. Some novelty radios from the 1950s and 60s are guided at less than £100. These include lot 201, a 1960s Japanese Midnight (Bubo) Owl 611 transistor radio, £50-£70.
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Browse the Patrick Rylands July 30 catalogue at www.hansonslive.co.uk. Curios to sell? Email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
