Zenith Vintage Radios

Finding an Antique Zenith Radio on eBay

Finding a vintage Zenith radio in good condition can be thrilling if you're a radio collector or someone who likes the nostalgic value of vintage items. Understanding how to use the features and parts of old Zenith radios to find the true age or date of manufacture can help you determine the right value and price. Several conditions and styles of Zenith radios, manufactured from as early as 1923, are available on eBay to add to your collection.

The portable radio was an innovation by the Zenith company, which released the first version in 1924. It was followed in 1926 with the first portable radio that could run completely on electricity from a household outlet. Dating the age of your Zenith radio can help you determine the value and overall rarity. Old Zenith radios can be age-dated using these identifiers:

• Serial number - This can be found on Zenith radios on a hard tag riveted to the back of the radio; the serial number is a letter followed by five or six digits and is found on models from 1927 to 1949.
• Chassis number - On early Zenith radios, this number identified the type of chassis used in construction of the radio.
• Model number - Different from the serial number, the model number of a Zenith radio is comprised of a number, a letter, then another number.

The chassis of the radio is also referred to as the cabinet. As Zenith radios became more commonly purchased items for the home, the chassis were streamlined and designed to have the look of a quality piece of furniture. Different chassis include:

• Bare boards - These earliest models of Zenith radios were simple and functional, lacking design, featuring radio components mounted to a bare board.
• Simple boxes - As Zenith continued to become a household name, the chassis design evolved into a simple box that housed the components. Boxes were often constructed of wood or metal and featured a handle on the top to make the radio portable.
• Cabinets - The radio became an iconic cultural piece found in almost every American household. The desire for an aesthetically pleasing design led to creating chassis designs that mimicked the look of fine furniture cabinets, including such styles as the cathedral chassis or the tombstone chassis.

If you are searching for a rare antique Zenith radio, there are notable models that are challenging to find and therefore fetch a high price, including:

• Stratosphere 1000Z - Produced in 1935 when Zenith was still a new company, only 350 of these units were constructed.
• Walton S-232 - Produced in 1938, this was an early tombstone style radio.