Ignoring the weather forecast calling for thunder showers, we decided to venture out of our cozy home to check out an estate sale across the bay that commenced at 8am Saturday morning. Despite arriving thirty minutes early, there was already a line half way down the block. The wait wouldn't have been much of an issue if the light morning drizzle hadn't turned into sideways freezing cold rain. After what seemed like an eternity (actually was a full hour) we finally were allowed entrance into the Hudson Gallery in Oakland. The disorganization of this particular sale (and the tempers of those waiting in line) has discouraged me from ever walking through their doors again but part of me is secretly glad we stayed (trust me, several times we almost bailed).
Now you may ask - why did you bother going in the first place? The reason being is that this particular estate sale promised a warehouse full of vintage radios of all shapes and sizes. And the believe me, they were not kidding.
After the thrill of winning the "golden ticket" to enter, I immediately was blown away by the quantity of radios still left to purchase. Sad to think that someone had spent years collecting vintage radios to only have them sold off at rock bottom prices to strangers, I selfishly smiled with glee when I realized that the grueling wait was so worth it. Our focus was on anything Bakelite and portable. We ended up walking away with several models, mostly Philco. Surprisingly all of our purchases were in excellent working condition.
My most favorite is the Philco Transitone PT-49 built from 1939-1941 (we would have to take ours apart to figure out which year it was manufactured). Made from wood it has amber colored Bakelite accessories. And looks fantastic on our mantel.
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