Sparton 566 Bluebird Blue Mirror Radio

What's in a Name (or model number)?

Sparton Model 566 (506) "Bluebird" Blue Mirror Radio (1935/1936)

The celebrated Sparton "Bluebird" 566 glass mirror
radio was one of a group of Sparton sets for 1936
styled by the noted industrial designer Walter Dorwin
Teague. Four sets were unveiled at the National Elec-
trical & Radio Exposition held in New York's Grand
Central Palace during September of 1935, following
several months of tantalizing build up in the media.
Prior to the show, Sparks-Withington announced that
their 1936 line would consist of two lines; the regular
line already introduced that June and the "sensation-
al" Teague line, which was to be unveiled at the
Sparton show exhibit on September 18th 1935.

The Bluebird, with its bold and daring use of crystal
glass, ebony and chrome, is today universally recog-
nized as one of the true masterpieces of the 1930s Art
Deco radio movement. It comprises a 14" circular mirr-
or of "midnight blue" glass accented with chrome strips
and circlets, concealing a cab containing the chassis.
The mirror has a cut-out for the loudspeaker and dial
and the set sits upon a pair of ebony balled feet.

The Teague portfolio for 1936 also included the highly
coveted Nocturne, truly one of the holy grails of radio
collecting. Teague is also credited with having design-
ed or inspired the creation of several more fabulous
Sparton radios offered over the course of the next
several years, including the models 557, 558 & 409.

The Bluebird is occasionally seen today sitting atop a matching 14" round plateau mirror.
Early advertising almost always shows the Bluebird with this mirror present. However it
originally had to be ordered separately and most sets today turn up without it.

The original purchase price of the Bluebird, based upon newspaper advertising, was
$39.95 in eastern and central regions. The plateau was extra.

The 566 was also available in peach (old rose) tinted glass with copper-toned trim. These
models have become (and perhaps originally were) known as "peachbirds". Another
variant is the Canadian model 154B that features a peaked cab housing an upward rather
than forward-facing loudspeaker. Apparently Canada had more stringent safety require-
ments than the USA at the time, necessitating the employment of an ac-powered chassis
with power transformer and consequently a larger cab and re-oriented loudspeaker. Yet
another variant turned up at the Ed Sage radio auction in November 2005, constructed
using non-tinted mirror glass. However, I have no information as to the authenticity of that
set.

The radio itself, housed in the rear cab with a forwards facing loud-
speaker, features a modest ac/dc powered super-heterodyne chassis
covering standard broadcast and shortwave. The band-switch is found
at the rear. Tube line-up is 78 (LO/mixer), 78 (IF), 75 (2nd detector/
AGC/1st AF), 43 (AF output), 25Z5 (rectifier). A resistive "curtain
burner" line cord is employed. The 506/566 schematic is available he re.

..beautiful circle of rich, dark, midnight blue mirror surface slants backwards at an artistically correct angle..

..concealing a dependable five-tube radio receiver of finest design and construction.

"The repertoire of the Bluebird embraces not only the usual broadcast programs, but interesting
police, airplane and amateur events as well."

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Technical Details

So is it a model 506 or 566? Were there in fact two versions? One often sees the Bluebird referred to in guidebooks and on internet sites as the
model 506. I have even read elaborate discourses arguing how there were two versions of the bluebird, the 506 and 566, the latter being an up-
graded version of the former. So what is the real story here?

It is my belief that the truth of the matter is that the Bluebird only came as the model 566, and that all references to it as model 506 are in fact
misinformed. Not only did Sparton "proudly announce Bluebird Model 566" in one of their brochures (see extract above) but there is also the matter of
their approach to model numbering. In June of 1935 they announced to the world their line of 1936 "regular" models, the entry level set being the
model 506, a small 5-tube ornamental mantel set priced at $29.95, the cabinet being made entirely out of wood. Later that year they unveiled
their "Teague" line of upscale models, one of which was the Bluebird. Now, Sparton's model numbering system at that time used the number of
tubes (often not counting the eye tube) as the first number, a model identifier as the second, and the last digit of the model year as the third. Key
here is the fact that the second number was chosen to create a unique identifier, ensuring that no two models ended up with the same number.
Thus, the 5-tube 1936 mantel set was the 506 and the 5-tube 1936 Bluebird the 566. Exactly how the middle number was allocated remains a
mystery, but the main point is that it was always chosen to make the number unique to a given model.

I think the confusion over numbering arises from the fact that the Bluebird uses the very same 5-tube chassis as the model 506 mantel radio, a
relatively unknown set that is perhaps even rarer than the Bluebird. The Rider's manuals do not contain a schematic labelled 566, so vintage
radio aficionados, often lacking any other means of identification, have come to associate 506, for which there is a Rider's page, with the Blue-
bird. Not helping matters is the observation that most (but not all) advertising for the 566 simply refers to it as "Bluebird" without showing a model
number (see newspaper clippings above). Furthermore, although my set sports an original rear cover clearly stamped with "566 Bluebird" (see
the photo bottom left), these covers are often missing or have undecipherable markings. I should add that ALL the readable cover stamps that I
have seen were marked 566. One final point, the Rider's master index does list the 566, but it points to the 506 schematic (Sparton 6.7).

"SO OUT OF the ordinary, so daringly distinctive was Sparton's midnight blue Nocturne that the desire to own was immediate. Size and price, in many cases,
however outweighed immediate action on that desire. Believing from this, that a radio receiver much smaller in size but incorporating the glass and metal motif
created for us by Walter Dorwin Teague would quickly awaken this desire Sparton now proudly announces Bluebird Model 566. Created with the same artistry as the
larger model and employing the same unusual combination of crystal, chrome and metal while not an actual reproduction in miniature its appointments harmonize so
well that its appeal is instantaneous. Sparton's Bluebird emphasizes a fourteen-inch circle of deepest midnight blue mirror glass. Set into this slightly below
center is a chrome circlet the border for a silvery speaker grille which is the field for a second chrome circle that holds an illuminated dial. Three controls blend
perfectly into the outer chrome ring. The ensemble rests at a slight tilting angle upon two ebony balls. Although strikingly beautiful by itself its smartness is
accentuated when it rests on a fourteen-inch round midnight blue plateau mirror, which must be ordered separately"

Bluebird newspaper ad from Dec 22nd 1935

Two original ads from Dec 1935 showing the Bluebird. Can you find
the errors in the descriptions?

What impressions might the designer have been attempting to create with the Bluebird model 566?

Some have whimsically likened the radio to a tri-plane, with a spinning propeller and landing gear, flying against a clear blue sky. It's certainly an
idea that's easy to fly right along with!

Others perhaps look to the radio's "Bluebird" name to furnish them with insights. Sparks-Withington used this name for the radio right from the
very moment of its creation, and it at once conjures the illusion of a small bluebird soaring in the open sky. Or might that be of a small bird sing-
ing melodically in the branches of a silver tree set against the backdrop of a blue sky? You can make your own choice.

Perhaps just as poignant is that the "bluebird" has for centuries been an international symbol of joy, good fortune, good health and success.
What better sentiments could one hope to associate with this fabulous novelty radio, that more often than not was purchased as that special gift
for a wedding, birthday or ceremonial event?

The creative words from a Sparton brochure featuring the Nocturne and Bluebird however furnish us with some perhaps more authentic insights
regarding its conception. These words play along as follows:-