1924 Freshman Masterpiece

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This little battery-powered pre-AC sweetie was the radio that broke the $60 price barrier. Early radios were hideously expensive. Charles Freshman was the McDonalds of radios, and he put out this little TRF set with a maximum of fanfare. It sold like mad, and Freshman made a tidy sum on it.

The first time I saw this set, I said, "Poor little thing." It looked like it had been at the bottom of the Atlantic for 60 years. There was no finish at all. Bare, worm-eaten wood was all that greeted the eye. Still, all the hardware seemed to be there, and the bakelite front panel seemed ok, so I sighed and lifted the lid. I nearly dropped dead.

The inside was as well-preserved as the outside was not!

It was quite a shock. There, inside the little set, was a little jewel box in which glittered bright stainless steel, brass and three green and purple silk-covered wire basket coils; it was the strangest combination of decay and preservation I'd ever seen.

I like this little set a lot; it's the only 3-dial TRF I have, and it's a blast tuning a station in and trying to get all three big bakelite 0-100 knobs just right for "maximum smoke". Makes you think highly of one-knob tuning!

The photo is a bit contrasty, but the set now has it's nice mahogany finish back thanks to a long time of French Polishing; I wish I has the space on this server to show you the insides. Maybe later!
General Specifications
Design Type Tuning Range Number of Tubes Weight Batteries Required Original Selling Price Permanent Collection
TRF .520-1500 Khz Five 15 Pounds 6VDC, 22VDC, 90VDC $59.95 Yes

Tube Complement and Types
Rectifier RF Stages Mixer Oscillator IF Amps Audio Stages Other Tubes
None 01A's None None None 01A's None

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