Sunday, September 15, 2019
Must have seemed like a good idea
From Radio Retailing in 1948, a neat idea that obviously didn't sell.
Two-page spread:
Closeup:
You can almost read the minds of the marketers: Hey! How about a radio that works like a music box? Reasonable metaphor, but clearly not wanted. I've seen a bunch of old radios in antique shops and auctions, and I've never seen one of these. Checking Ebay, I see a lot of Emerson radios from that era, but no Memento.
If they're still around, the Catalin versions would be wildly valuable. For instance, here's a pair of Catalin KNOBS from an Emerson radio, priced at $495.00. A regular table-model Emerson that would be $200 in wood is $6900.00 in Catalin.
Why didn't it sell? Probably the battery power. Tube portables needed A and B batteries, and the batteries didn't last long. Portables were strictly for outdoor use or off-grid farms. This elegant jewel box wasn't suitable for either location.
= = = = =
Purely subjective sidenote: I can understand why Catalin is wildly valuable. It's intrinsically beautiful. Nothing else matches its visual depth and complexity. I can't understand why diamonds are valuable. They just look like glass.
¶ 6:11 AM 
Closeup:
You can almost read the minds of the marketers: Hey! How about a radio that works like a music box? Reasonable metaphor, but clearly not wanted. I've seen a bunch of old radios in antique shops and auctions, and I've never seen one of these. Checking Ebay, I see a lot of Emerson radios from that era, but no Memento.
If they're still around, the Catalin versions would be wildly valuable. For instance, here's a pair of Catalin KNOBS from an Emerson radio, priced at $495.00. A regular table-model Emerson that would be $200 in wood is $6900.00 in Catalin.
Why didn't it sell? Probably the battery power. Tube portables needed A and B batteries, and the batteries didn't last long. Portables were strictly for outdoor use or off-grid farms. This elegant jewel box wasn't suitable for either location.
= = = = =
Purely subjective sidenote: I can understand why Catalin is wildly valuable. It's intrinsically beautiful. Nothing else matches its visual depth and complexity. I can't understand why diamonds are valuable. They just look like glass.
¶ 6:11 AM
