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Sparton (Sparks-Withington) Model 500C Cloisonne Radio (1939/40)
The diminutive Sparton model 500C is
housed in a delightful cabinet having
sides of catalin plastic and a fascia of
'cloisonne' decorated with chrome trim.
All three materials had been used in the
making of radio cabinets or components
thereof prior to the 500C, but to the best
of my knowledge this set was unique in
combining them all.
The 'cloisonne', as it is now named, was
introduced in 1939 with a sales price of
$19.95. It was offered with a choice of
one of four front colors: brown, yellow,
blue or red, with blue being the most
often seen today. In any color, the set is
incredibly rare and highly collectible.
Sparks-Withington had always been one
of the most adventurous manufacturers
when it came to the selection of cabinet
materials, as may be seen from a peru-
sal of my Sparton Gallery. They used
wood, glass, FAUX-painted-metal,
chrome, bakelite, plaskon, adding with
the 500C cloisonne and catalin. Their
highly artistic juxtaposition of these mat-
erials has resulted in some of the most
distinctive and collectible sets of the
entire tube radio genre.
The 500C coincided with the end of an
era for Sparks-Withington. In 1940, the
model year for which the set had been
introduced, they celebrated 40 years in
business, 15 of them making radios.
However, big changes were on the hor-
izon. A world war was imminent and in
1943, the company's co-founder, presid-
ent and radio dynamo, Captain William
Sparks, died following a short illness. In
the post-war era Sparton radios would
never again be the same. The sets, like
so many others, became largely un-
inspiring, with the result that Sparton
radio sales began a downwards spiral
from which there would be no reprise. By
1956 they were out the home radio busi-
ness, all rights to the use of the Sparton
name for domestic radios having been
sold to Magnavox.
housed in a delightful cabinet having
sides of catalin plastic and a fascia of
'cloisonne' decorated with chrome trim.
All three materials had been used in the
making of radio cabinets or components
thereof prior to the 500C, but to the best
of my knowledge this set was unique in
combining them all.
The 'cloisonne', as it is now named, was
introduced in 1939 with a sales price of
$19.95. It was offered with a choice of
one of four front colors: brown, yellow,
blue or red, with blue being the most
often seen today. In any color, the set is
incredibly rare and highly collectible.
Sparks-Withington had always been one
of the most adventurous manufacturers
when it came to the selection of cabinet
materials, as may be seen from a peru-
sal of my Sparton Gallery. They used
wood, glass, FAUX-painted-metal,
chrome, bakelite, plaskon, adding with
the 500C cloisonne and catalin. Their
highly artistic juxtaposition of these mat-
erials has resulted in some of the most
distinctive and collectible sets of the
entire tube radio genre.
The 500C coincided with the end of an
era for Sparks-Withington. In 1940, the
model year for which the set had been
introduced, they celebrated 40 years in
business, 15 of them making radios.
However, big changes were on the hor-
izon. A world war was imminent and in
1943, the company's co-founder, presid-
ent and radio dynamo, Captain William
Sparks, died following a short illness. In
the post-war era Sparton radios would
never again be the same. The sets, like
so many others, became largely un-
inspiring, with the result that Sparton
radio sales began a downwards spiral
from which there would be no reprise. By
1956 they were out the home radio busi-
ness, all rights to the use of the Sparton
name for domestic radios having been
sold to Magnavox.
Beautiful Cloisonne Front... plastic case. An intimate entertainer with radio's richest tone
