The Silvertone model 6110, better known as the
"rocket", is a particularly striking example of 1930's
machine-age design. Introduced by Sears in 1938, it
was claimed to be "designed for modern people living in
a modern world". It appeared in their 1938 catalog
with an initial selling price of $12.95. Moreover, it
was widely advertised in the media and could be
purchased in Sears' stores for just a few dollars
more than through their catalog. It continued to be
marketed until late 1939, by which time Sears was
claiming that it was a "sensational best seller".
In spite of this claim, this is a rare radio today,
possibly because of its highly fragile housing. As a
result the purchase price in today's collectibles
marketplace has "rocketed" more than one-hundred
fold relative to what it could be bought for when new!
The design is attributed to Clarence Karstadt and it
was available both in black bakelite, as here, and
ivory plaskon. Curiously, although it appeared in
1938 without reference to the upcoming World's
Fair, by 1939 it was billed by Sears as being
"designed to reflect the architectural splendor of 1939's
great World's Fair"!
"rocket", is a particularly striking example of 1930's
machine-age design. Introduced by Sears in 1938, it
was claimed to be "designed for modern people living in
a modern world". It appeared in their 1938 catalog
with an initial selling price of $12.95. Moreover, it
was widely advertised in the media and could be
purchased in Sears' stores for just a few dollars
more than through their catalog. It continued to be
marketed until late 1939, by which time Sears was
claiming that it was a "sensational best seller".
In spite of this claim, this is a rare radio today,
possibly because of its highly fragile housing. As a
result the purchase price in today's collectibles
marketplace has "rocketed" more than one-hundred
fold relative to what it could be bought for when new!
The design is attributed to Clarence Karstadt and it
was available both in black bakelite, as here, and
ivory plaskon. Curiously, although it appeared in
1938 without reference to the upcoming World's
Fair, by 1939 it was billed by Sears as being
"designed to reflect the architectural splendor of 1939's
great World's Fair"!
Silvertone Model 6110 "Rocket" Table Radio (1938)
Silvertone Rocket ...Zooming to new heights in beauty, performance and value.
...it's the talk of the radio world.
More for your money with Silvertone.
The chassis is a 5-tube TRF design tuning the standard
broadcast band from 545-1720kc. Tubes used are 6K7 (RF stage
1), 6K7 (RF stage 2), 6J7 (detector), 25A6G (AF output) and 1V
(rectifier). The schematic can be found here, courtesy of
NostalgiaAir. The radio is tuned using the large drum situated at
one end (see photo above). The on/off/volume control is just
beneath this and can be seen in the photo third from bottom right.
Six mechanical push-buttons serve to tune six favorite stations "in
a flash".
There are perhaps two versions of the tuning drum, one with the
Silvertone wording running clockwise, as with mine pictured
above, and the other with it running counter-clockwise - seen in
some of the earliest advertisements. I must confess that the
models I've seen photos of all feature the clockwise wording, so
perhaps the early advertising was incorrect. Note that some of the
photos displayed here were taken with the tuning drum misaligned
with respect to the white marker on the body of the rocket.
broadcast band from 545-1720kc. Tubes used are 6K7 (RF stage
1), 6K7 (RF stage 2), 6J7 (detector), 25A6G (AF output) and 1V
(rectifier). The schematic can be found here, courtesy of
NostalgiaAir. The radio is tuned using the large drum situated at
one end (see photo above). The on/off/volume control is just
beneath this and can be seen in the photo third from bottom right.
Six mechanical push-buttons serve to tune six favorite stations "in
a flash".
There are perhaps two versions of the tuning drum, one with the
Silvertone wording running clockwise, as with mine pictured
above, and the other with it running counter-clockwise - seen in
some of the earliest advertisements. I must confess that the
models I've seen photos of all feature the clockwise wording, so
perhaps the early advertising was incorrect. Note that some of the
photos displayed here were taken with the tuning drum misaligned
with respect to the white marker on the body of the rocket.
...scroll down for more
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