Silvertone Collectible Tube Radios 1930-1949

Silvertone Collectible Tube Radios Are Classics

Silvertone radios are closely associated with Sears because the company sold the Silvertone brand of radios and guitars for many years. Silvertone radios made prior to and during WWII are considered highly collectible, and you can find many different models of vintage Silvertone radios for sale at affordable prices on eBay.

Sears started selling Silvertone radios around the early 1920s. After the success of the radios, Sears also began selling tubes and batteries for the Silvertone radio line. The radios became very popular during WWII in the 1940s as people wanted to know about the war. Sears released the Silvertone radio antenna and wind generators to help power the radios. Sears Silvertone radios produced in the 1920s and throughout the 1940s are considered collectible vintage radios.

Silvertone radios were produced in a variety of styles that are visually attractive. These are some of the common designs in use at the time:

• Art Deco - Radios made in the art deco style are designed in a geometric style with smooth lines and repeated designs. These models were usually produced in the new colored plastics of the day, such as Bakelite, Beetle, Plaskon, and Catalin.
• Cathedral - The cathedral design was a popular, ornate design that featured a rounded dome on the top of the console. It was so named because of the resemblance to a church cathedral.
• Tombstone - Tombstone radios are rectangular radios that have a greater height than width.

Sears sold the Silvertone brand of radios, but they were manufactured by many different companies during their production. Stewart Warner, Detrola, Colonial, Noblitt-Sparks (Arvin), and Warwick are some of the companies that made the Silvertone radios.

Silvertone radios have different types of markings for their model numbers, depending on the company that made them and the year released. Some models have the brand name "Silvertone" written on the radio dial. Prior to 1935, many of the nameplates on the dials were ornately designed and made of brass, copper, or nickel. Round dials with either the image of a globe or the word "Silvertone" were on radios produced between 1931 and 1940. The speaker components can have a corresponding part number, and other parts of the radio may have the Silvertone logo. Sometimes the model number may be on a printed label that is located inside the radio.