Admiral Model 5F21N Tube Portable (1951)

I rescued this portable radio from a local shop for a parts-only price. It seemed too nice to let it go into somebody else's junkbox.

The cabinet is a beautiful maroon and gold plastic, with the sort of "robot face" appearance that was popular during the 1950s. There's an integrated handle on top, and the cover swings up to reveal the controls and speaker grille. The robot's toothy smile is formed with copper-plated letters which spell the name Admiral. The letter "I" forms a clever clasp that releases the cover when you push the letter down.

Inside, you'll find a conventional 5-tube portable set from the 1950s, with all-glass miniature tubes and storage for two batteries as well as an AC line cord.

An interesting feature of this set is its upside-down chassis. In most tube radios, the chassis sits at the bottom and the tubes point up. This set's chassis is mounted from the top, right under the handle, and the tubes hang down. At the bottom of the cabinet is the space for the batteries.

This particular model is not listed in the Slusser collector guide. Based on similar models, I'm estimating the manufacture date at around 1951.

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