THE AWA JOURNAL / SUMMER 2013
This is my article on the Privat-ear radio as it appeared in the Summer 2013 edition of the international AWA Journal…
As far as I can tell, this is the first time the story of the Privat-ear pocket radio has been told. It was manufactured in the USA and released by Electronics Systems Corporation in 1949 (1a, b, c). Although small enough to fit in a shirt pocket this is not a transistor subminiature tubes developed years and was an innovative, Stuck might have developed in electronics while attending college and was most probably a part-time radio enthusiast and hobbyist. He may have been inspired from an early age by the popular writings of science fiction author, futurist and ‘promoter of all things radio’ Hugo Gernsback. Gernsback founded numerous technical and radio themed magazines including the USA’s first radio magazine, Modern Electrics, in 1908. His popular magazines were aimed at electronics hobbyists and through them he promoted, amongst other things, the idea of ‘pocket wireless apparatus.’ At that time only crystal sets could be built pocket sized and the limited selection of portable radios available were housed in large, heavy briefcases. Neither option was particularly appealing to the average American In 1929 the stock market crashed bringing on the Great Depression. This resulted of newly elected President and the like served to increase the radio audience. The popularity of radio exploded and by 1937 it is estimated that almost 23 million American families owned a set. Radio had taken on a more intimate quality and was now almost indispensable to a family’s emotional In 1939 America’s love affair with the airwaves continued to bloom and the genesis of the shirt pocket radio came one step closer with the development of miniature tubes by RCA and smaller ‘B’ batteries by Eveready. This enabled further reduction in the size of portable radios; one example being the popular RCA Victor BP10, marketed in 1940 CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND • ESQUIRE10000@GMAIL.COM THE PRIVAT-EAR SHIRT POCKET RADIO Advertisement for the RCA Victor BP10. SUMMER 2013 / THE AWA JOURNAL 45 and measuring just 8.85″ 5 3″ 5 3.6″. In 1941 America entered WWII and its consumer electronics industry was quickly directed towards churning out supplies and equipment for the military. This concentrated effort led to innovations such as the printed circuit board and the development of tiny subminiature tubes by Raytheon, making further miniaturization of radios possible. At the close of the war defense contractor Raytheon looked at various projects for maintaining the company’s profitability during peacetime. One of the proposals put forward was to build a shirt pocket radio. Raytheon implemented this idea by purchasing the Belmont Radio Corporation and then assigning one of their own engineers the responsibility of designing the set. The earphone only made its debut in December 1945. It measured 6.25″ 5 3″ 5 0.75″ and incorporated the newly designed subminiature tubes (1g). It was the first commercially available shirt pocket radio; however it lacked mass appeal. Sadly, total sales reached only 5000 at most (1h). However, the Belmont Boulevard was a cutting-edge, visionary device. A year earlier Gernsback had stated that “pocket and vest pocket radios fill a real demand” and he predicted that “before long many millions of these radios will be built annually.” He was right, but his predictions were too early for Its suave design appeals to us now but it seems that in 1945 it was simply too far ahead of its time for the American consumer to appreciate. A range of factors contributed to its failure but probable reasons include its high purchase price ($65.00), the need for frequent battery changes, its merely average audio performance and its similarity in appearance to hearing aids of that era. This particularly negative association with the ‘hard of hearing’ was reinforced by having to use an earphone. It was just not fashionable. Meanwhile Reverend Stuck, who had moved his family to Lakeland, Florida, clearly still believed that a radio similar to the Belmont Boulevard would be a viable enterprise. His patent for the radio that became the Privat-ear was filed on May 8th 1947 (1c, i). Production of the Privat-ear began some time after and the set appeared in the October 1949 edition of Mechanix Illustrated. It employed a two-tube reflex circuit and measured just 5.75″ 5 2.25″ 5 0.9″. Sadly, Stuck had passed away two months earlier while addressing a meeting in Bristol, Virginia. His speech notes included a reference to Admiral Byrd, the famed explorer and American Naval Officer (1e). Perhaps Reverend Stuck used him as a source of in- The sleek, but ill-fated, Belmont Boulevard. (Detail from an advertisement.) Privat-ear ads tended to be in comic book 46 THE AWA JOURNAL / SUMMER 2013 Electronics Systems Corporation and now traded as Privatear sold from late 1949 until at least April 24 1954 and ranged in price from $19.95 to $28.95. Privat-ear radios were sold in drugstores, radio shops, hearing aid shops, department stores, and even at Abercrombie & Fitch! Some were sold to Interestingly, in 1954 Privat-ear Corp. ran an ad in the New Yorker magazine indicating that its radio could be purchased either at famous Chicago retailer Von Lengerke & Antoine or alternatively a check or money order could be sent to ‘Privat-ear Corporation Blacksburg Virginia a Division of the Instrument Corporation of America.’ Sounds very grand and it was also the last known change of address for the company (10). Several other earphone-only pocket radios using subminiature tubes appeared on the market during this time. They included the kit radio advertised for $6.99 in the July 1948 edition of Popular Science (1j). The threetube ‘Micro Pocket Radio’ was featured alongside the Privat-ear in the October 1949 edition of Popular Mechanics (1k). Also interesting is the two-tube radio from Chicago, circa 1950. The Privat-ear was the only one of these radios to be encumbered by a large In 1951 Hugo Gernsback’s magazine Radio Electronics assessed the Privat-ear and it was said to “provide sensitive reception with adequate volume”—even “pulling in stations from as much as 50 miles away.” Author Michael Brian Schiffer called the good performer, it received for five years, yet it could not bridge the gap between mildly successful niche market curio and lucrative mass market appeal. Arguments against it include the use of an awkward, protruding antenna and an earplug that implied the same negative connotations encountered by the Belmont Boulevard; an image of unhealthy infirmity was not one that the makers wanted to convey. But the final nail in the coffin was about to be hammered. The birth of the transistor radio in 1954 ushered in a new era in micro electronics, and the little Privat-ear became just another electronic gadget that didn’t quite make it. Yet it does have its place in history as one of the worlds first commercially available shirt pocket radios. One Privat-ear pocket radio in my collection, pictured with this article, was originally sold on the 11th of February 1952 at the Navy Exchange, U.S. Naval Training Center, San Diego California. I think the Navy might have purchased a quantity of these radios because their functionality would have suited the cramped living conditions aboard ships. The personal nature of the radio meant that the chance of disturbing sleeping bunk mates was minimized. Of course the radio would have worked at its best while the ship was in dock. Privat-ear may in fact have earmarked the Navy as a potential cash cow early on for Although this radio was sold in 1952 I believe that it was manufactured a bit earlier than that, possibly in 1950 or even as Privat-ear’s two subminiature the picture to the left of SUMMER 2013 / THE AWA JOURNAL 47 early as 1949, partly because the case. Other examples, after September 5th, 1950, case; mine has ‘Pat Pend’. York or Blacksburg Virginia into the back of the case as pointed out by fellow collector After cleaning up and photographing my Privat-ear I was curious about whether it actually worked. Rummaging around in the garage I found what I was looking for; a relatively new 22.5v ‘B’ battery. I carefully placed it in the battery holder together with a couple of AA batteries. Actually I was quite nervous, would it really work after all this time? Notwithstanding it had probably been 60 years or so since it had last been The batteries fit in quite snugly and I was a bit worried that the plastic case might crack at the bottom, but it held firm. I placed the somewhat uncomfortable earplug in my ear and slid the telescopic antenna all the way out engaging the simple internal on/off arrangement. I turned the volume control up and instantly a glorious wave of distortionfree musical joy swept over me. I wanted to jump up and down and run onto my balcony screaming “It’s alive!!” at the top of my voice, just like Dr. Frankenstein (but I didn’t!). I was really surprised at how well it worked and needless to say I had a big grin on my face for the rest of the day. The plastic cabinet of this radio is hard, inflexible and light. When you flick it makes a ‘tink tink’ sound as opposed to the cabinets of later radios that when dropped make a dull, muted ‘thud’. It is also highly reflective. Collector Mike Schultz believes that it is some sort of polystyrene plastic. That makes sense as this type of plastic was in common early 1950s. A polystyrene was supposedly high gloss xxThese radios invariably caused, over time, by the vinyl insulation on the earphone wiring coming into contact with the plastic cabinet. These marks can be sanded and polished out but it is a long, fussy process and hard to perfect. To avoid this it is best to store the sets with the wires wrapped in a protective covering, away from the body of the radio. come The Privat-ear was made in three colors that I know of: maroon, red and white. White seems to be the rarest color. Ref 1a American Farm Youth, Volumes Ref 1b Mechanix Illustrated, Oct 1949 Ref 1c United States Patent Office Patent Ref 1d 1920 United States Federal Census Ref 1e Kingsport Times, 23rd of Aug 1949 Ref 1f Beckley Post Herald, 24th of Aug Ref 1g Popular Science, Feb 1946 Ref 1h The Portable Radio in American Ref 1i 1947 Lakeland Florida, City Directory Ref 1j Popular Science, July 1948 Ref 1k Popular Mechanics, Oct 1949 You’ll find much more information about the Privat-ear on the author’s website at www.jamesbutters.com/privatear.htm. originally sold at a U.S. 44 THE AWA JOURNAL / SUMMER 2013 As far as I can tell, this is the first time the story of the Privat-ear pocket radio has been told. It was manufactured in the USA and released by Electronics Systems Corporation in 1949 (1a, b, c). Although small enough to fit in a shirt pocket this is not a transistor subminiature tubes developed years and was an innovative, Stuck might have developed in electronics while attending college and was most probably a part-time radio enthusiast and hobbyist. He may have been inspired from an early age by the popular writings of science fiction author, futurist and ‘promoter of all things radio’ Hugo Gernsback. Gernsback founded numerous technical and radio themed magazines including the USA’s first radio magazine, Modern Electrics, in 1908. His popular magazines were aimed at electronics hobbyists and through them he promoted, amongst other things, the idea of ‘pocket wireless apparatus.’ At that time only crystal sets could be built pocket sized and the limited selection of portable radios available were housed in large, heavy briefcases. Neither option was particularly appealing to the average American In 1929 the stock market crashed bringing on the Great Depression. This resulted of newly elected President and the like served to increase the radio audience. The popularity of radio exploded and by 1937 it is estimated that almost 23 million American families owned a set. Radio had taken on a more intimate quality and was now almost indispensable to a family’s emotional In 1939 America’s love affair with the airwaves continued to bloom and the genesis of the shirt pocket radio came one step closer with the development of miniature tubes by RCA and smaller ‘B’ batteries by Eveready. This enabled further reduction in the size of portable radios; one example being the popular RCA Victor BP10, marketed in 1940 CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND • ESQUIRE10000@GMAIL.COM THE PRIVAT-EAR SHIRT POCKET RADIO Advertisement for the RCA Victor BP10. SUMMER 2013 / THE AWA JOURNAL 45 and measuring just 8.85″ 5 3″ 5 3.6″. In 1941 America entered WWII and its consumer electronics industry was quickly directed towards churning out supplies and equipment for the military. This concentrated effort led to innovations such as the printed circuit board and the development of tiny subminiature tubes by Raytheon, making further miniaturization of radios possible. At the close of the war defense contractor Raytheon looked at various projects for maintaining the company’s profitability during peacetime. One of the proposals put forward was to build a shirt pocket radio. Raytheon implemented this idea by purchasing the Belmont Radio Corporation and then assigning one of their own engineers the responsibility of designing the set. The earphone only made its debut in December 1945. It measured 6.25″ 5 3″ 5 0.75″ and incorporated the newly designed subminiature tubes (1g). It was the first commercially available shirt pocket radio; however it lacked mass appeal. Sadly, total sales reached only 5000 at most (1h). However, the Belmont Boulevard was a cutting-edge, visionary device. A year earlier Gernsback had stated that “pocket and vest pocket radios fill a real demand” and he predicted that “before long many millions of these radios will be built annually.” He was right, but his predictions were too early for Its suave design appeals to us now but it seems that in 1945 it was simply too far ahead of its time for the American consumer to appreciate. A range of factors contributed to its failure but probable reasons include its high purchase price ($65.00), the need for frequent battery changes, its merely average audio performance and its similarity in appearance to hearing aids of that era. This particularly negative association with the ‘hard of hearing’ was reinforced by having to use an earphone. It was just not fashionable. Meanwhile Reverend Stuck, who had moved his family to Lakeland, Florida, clearly still believed that a radio similar to the Belmont Boulevard would be a viable enterprise. His patent for the radio that became the Privat-ear was filed on May 8th 1947 (1c, i). Production of the Privat-ear began some time after and the set appeared in the October 1949 edition of Mechanix Illustrated. It employed a two-tube reflex circuit and measured just 5.75″ 5 2.25″ 5 0.9″. Sadly, Stuck had passed away two months earlier while addressing a meeting in Bristol, Virginia. His speech notes included a reference to Admiral Byrd, the famed explorer and American Naval Officer (1e). Perhaps Reverend Stuck used him as a source of in- The sleek, but ill-fated, Belmont Boulevard. (Detail from an advertisement.) Privat-ear ads tended to be in comic book 46 THE AWA JOURNAL / SUMMER 2013 Electronics Systems Corporation and now traded as Privatear sold from late 1949 until at least April 24 1954 and ranged in price from $19.95 to $28.95. Privat-ear radios were sold in drugstores, radio shops, hearing aid shops, department stores, and even at Abercrombie & Fitch! Some were sold to Interestingly, in 1954 Privat-ear Corp. ran an ad in the New Yorker magazine indicating that its radio could be purchased either at famous Chicago retailer Von Lengerke & Antoine or alternatively a check or money order could be sent to ‘Privat-ear Corporation Blacksburg Virginia a Division of the Instrument Corporation of America.’ Sounds very grand and it was also the last known change of address for the company (10). Several other earphone-only pocket radios using subminiature tubes appeared on the market during this time. They included the kit radio advertised for $6.99 in the July 1948 edition of Popular Science (1j). The threetube ‘Micro Pocket Radio’ was featured alongside the Privat-ear in the October 1949 edition of Popular Mechanics (1k). Also interesting is the two-tube radio from Chicago, circa 1950. The Privat-ear was the only one of these radios to be encumbered by a large In 1951 Hugo Gernsback’s magazine Radio Electronics assessed the Privat-ear and it was said to “provide sensitive reception with adequate volume”—even “pulling in stations from as much as 50 miles away.” Author Michael Brian Schiffer called the good performer, it received for five years, yet it could not bridge the gap between mildly successful niche market curio and lucrative mass market appeal. Arguments against it include the use of an awkward, protruding antenna and an earplug that implied the same negative connotations encountered by the Belmont Boulevard; an image of unhealthy infirmity was not one that the makers wanted to convey. But the final nail in the coffin was about to be hammered. The birth of the transistor radio in 1954 ushered in a new era in micro electronics, and the little Privat-ear became just another electronic gadget that didn’t quite make it. Yet it does have its place in history as one of the worlds first commercially available shirt pocket radios. One Privat-ear pocket radio in my collection, pictured with this article, was originally sold on the 11th of February 1952 at the Navy Exchange, U.S. Naval Training Center, San Diego California. I think the Navy might have purchased a quantity of these radios because their functionality would have suited the cramped living conditions aboard ships. The personal nature of the radio meant that the chance of disturbing sleeping bunk mates was minimized. Of course the radio would have worked at its best while the ship was in dock. Privat-ear may in fact have earmarked the Navy as a potential cash cow early on for Although this radio was sold in 1952 I believe that it was manufactured a bit earlier than that, possibly in 1950 or even as Privat-ear’s two subminiature the picture to the left of SUMMER 2013 / THE AWA JOURNAL 47 early as 1949, partly because the case. Other examples, after September 5th, 1950, case; mine has ‘Pat Pend’. York or Blacksburg Virginia into the back of the case as pointed out by fellow collector After cleaning up and photographing my Privat-ear I was curious about whether it actually worked. Rummaging around in the garage I found what I was looking for; a relatively new 22.5v ‘B’ battery. I carefully placed it in the battery holder together with a couple of AA batteries. Actually I was quite nervous, would it really work after all this time? Notwithstanding it had probably been 60 years or so since it had last been The batteries fit in quite snugly and I was a bit worried that the plastic case might crack at the bottom, but it held firm. I placed the somewhat uncomfortable earplug in my ear and slid the telescopic antenna all the way out engaging the simple internal on/off arrangement. I turned the volume control up and instantly a glorious wave of distortionfree musical joy swept over me. I wanted to jump up and down and run onto my balcony screaming “It’s alive!!” at the top of my voice, just like Dr. Frankenstein (but I didn’t!). I was really surprised at how well it worked and needless to say I had a big grin on my face for the rest of the day. The plastic cabinet of this radio is hard, inflexible and light. When you flick it makes a ‘tink tink’ sound as opposed to the cabinets of later radios that when dropped make a dull, muted ‘thud’. It is also highly reflective. Collector Mike Schultz believes that it is some sort of polystyrene plastic. That makes sense as this type of plastic was in common early 1950s. A polystyrene was supposedly high gloss xxThese radios invariably caused, over time, by the vinyl insulation on the earphone wiring coming into contact with the plastic cabinet. These marks can be sanded and polished out but it is a long, fussy process and hard to perfect. To avoid this it is best to store the sets with the wires wrapped in a protective covering, away from the body of the radio. come The Privat-ear was made in three colors that I know of: maroon, red and white. White seems to be the rarest color. Ref 1a American Farm Youth, Volumes Ref 1b Mechanix Illustrated, Oct 1949 Ref 1c United States Patent Office Patent Ref 1d 1920 United States Federal Census Ref 1e Kingsport Times, 23rd of Aug 1949 Ref 1f Beckley Post Herald, 24th of Aug Ref 1g Popular Science, Feb 1946 Ref 1h The Portable Radio in American Ref 1i 1947 Lakeland Florida, City Directory Ref 1j Popular Science, July 1948 Ref 1k Popular Mechanics, Oct 1949 You’ll find much more information about the Privat-ear on the author’s website at www.jamesbutters.com/privatear.htm. originally sold at a U.S. As far as I can tell, this is the first time the story of the Privat-ear pocket radio has been told. It was manufactured in the USA and released by Electronics Systems Corporation in 1949 (1a, b, c). Although small enough to fit in a shirt pocket this is not a transistor subminiature tubes developed years and was an innovative, Stuck might have developed in electronics while attending college and was most probably a part-time radio enthusiast and hobbyist. He may have been inspired from an early age by the popular writings of science fiction author, futurist and ‘promoter of all things radio’ Hugo Gernsback. Gernsback founded numerous technical and radio themed magazines including the USA’s first radio magazine, Modern Electrics, in 1908. His popular magazines were aimed at electronics hobbyists and through them he promoted, amongst other things, the idea of ‘pocket wireless apparatus.’ At that time only crystal sets could be built pocket sized and the limited selection of portable radios available were housed in large, heavy briefcases. Neither option was particularly appealing to the average American In 1929 the stock market crashed bringing on the Great Depression. This resulted of newly elected President and the like served to increase the radio audience. The popularity of radio exploded and by 1937 it is estimated that almost 23 million American families owned a set. Radio had taken on a more intimate quality and was now almost indispensable to a family’s emotional In 1939 America’s love affair with the airwaves continued to bloom and the genesis of the shirt pocket radio came one step closer with the development of miniature tubes by RCA and smaller ‘B’ batteries by Eveready. This enabled further reduction in the size of portable radios; one example being the popular RCA Victor BP10, marketed in 1940 CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND • ESQUIRE10000@GMAIL.COM THE PRIVAT-EAR SHIRT POCKET RADIO Advertisement for the RCA Victor BP10. SUMMER 2013 / THE AWA JOURNAL 45 and measuring just 8.85″ 5 3″ 5 3.6″. In 1941 America entered WWII and its consumer electronics industry was quickly directed towards churning out supplies and equipment for the military. This concentrated effort led to innovations such as the printed circuit board and the development of tiny subminiature tubes by Raytheon, making further miniaturization of radios possible. At the close of the war defense contractor Raytheon looked at various projects for maintaining the company’s profitability during peacetime. One of the proposals put forward was to build a shirt pocket radio. Raytheon implemented this idea by purchasing the Belmont Radio Corporation and then assigning one of their own engineers the responsibility of designing the set. The earphone only made its debut in December 1945. It measured 6.25″ 5 3″ 5 0.75″ and incorporated the newly designed subminiature tubes (1g). It was the first commercially available shirt pocket radio; however it lacked mass appeal. Sadly, total sales reached only 5000 at most (1h). However, the Belmont Boulevard was a cutting-edge, visionary device. A year earlier Gernsback had stated that “pocket and vest pocket radios fill a real demand” and he predicted that “before long many millions of these radios will be built annually.” He was right, but his predictions were too early for Its suave design appeals to us now but it seems that in 1945 it was simply too far ahead of its time for the American consumer to appreciate. A range of factors contributed to its failure but probable reasons include its high purchase price ($65.00), the need for frequent battery changes, its merely average audio performance and its similarity in appearance to hearing aids of that era. This particularly negative association with the ‘hard of hearing’ was reinforced by having to use an earphone. It was just not fashionable. Meanwhile Reverend Stuck, who had moved his family to Lakeland, Florida, clearly still believed that a radio similar to the Belmont Boulevard would be a viable enterprise. His patent for the radio that became the Privat-ear was filed on May 8th 1947 (1c, i). Production of the Privat-ear began some time after and the set appeared in the October 1949 edition of Mechanix Illustrated. It employed a two-tube reflex circuit and measured just 5.75″ 5 2.25″ 5 0.9″. Sadly, Stuck had passed away two months earlier while addressing a meeting in Bristol, Virginia. His speech notes included a reference to Admiral Byrd, the famed explorer and American Naval Officer (1e). Perhaps Reverend Stuck used him as a source of in- The sleek, but ill-fated, Belmont Boulevard. (Detail from an advertisement.) Privat-ear ads tended to be in comic book 46 THE AWA JOURNAL / SUMMER 2013 Electronics Systems Corporation and now traded as Privatear sold from late 1949 until at least April 24 1954 and ranged in price from $19.95 to $28.95. Privat-ear radios were sold in drugstores, radio shops, hearing aid shops, department stores, and even at Abercrombie & Fitch! Some were sold to Interestingly, in 1954 Privat-ear Corp. ran an ad in the New Yorker magazine indicating that its radio could be purchased either at famous Chicago retailer Von Lengerke & Antoine or alternatively a check or money order could be sent to ‘Privat-ear Corporation Blacksburg Virginia a Division of the Instrument Corporation of America.’ Sounds very grand and it was also the last known change of address for the company (10). Several other earphone-only pocket radios using subminiature tubes appeared on the market during this time. They included the kit radio advertised for $6.99 in the July 1948 edition of Popular Science (1j). The threetube ‘Micro Pocket Radio’ was featured alongside the Privat-ear in the October 1949 edition of Popular Mechanics (1k). Also interesting is the two-tube radio from Chicago, circa 1950. The Privat-ear was the only one of these radios to be encumbered by a large In 1951 Hugo Gernsback’s magazine Radio Electronics assessed the Privat-ear and it was said to “provide sensitive reception with adequate volume”—even “pulling in stations from as much as 50 miles away.” Author Michael Brian Schiffer called the good performer, it received for five years, yet it could not bridge the gap between mildly successful niche market curio and lucrative mass market appeal. Arguments against it include the use of an awkward, protruding antenna and an earplug that implied the same negative connotations encountered by the Belmont Boulevard; an image of unhealthy infirmity was not one that the makers wanted to convey. But the final nail in the coffin was about to be hammered. The birth of the transistor radio in 1954 ushered in a new era in micro electronics, and the little Privat-ear became just another electronic gadget that didn’t quite make it. Yet it does have its place in history as one of the worlds first commercially available shirt pocket radios. One Privat-ear pocket radio in my collection, pictured with this article, was originally sold on the 11th of February 1952 at the Navy Exchange, U.S. Naval Training Center, San Diego California. I think the Navy might have purchased a quantity of these radios because their functionality would have suited the cramped living conditions aboard ships. The personal nature of the radio meant that the chance of disturbing sleeping bunk mates was minimized. Of course the radio would have worked at its best while the ship was in dock. Privat-ear may in fact have earmarked the Navy as a potential cash cow early on for Although this radio was sold in 1952 I believe that it was manufactured a bit earlier than that, possibly in 1950 or even as Privat-ear’s two subminiature the picture to the left of SUMMER 2013 / THE AWA JOURNAL 47 early as 1949, partly because the case. Other examples, after September 5th, 1950, case; mine has ‘Pat Pend’. York or Blacksburg Virginia into the back of the case as pointed out by fellow collector After cleaning up and photographing my Privat-ear I was curious about whether it actually worked. Rummaging around in the garage I found what I was looking for; a relatively new 22.5v ‘B’ battery. I carefully placed it in the battery holder together with a couple of AA batteries. Actually I was quite nervous, would it really work after all this time? Notwithstanding it had probably been 60 years or so since it had last been The batteries fit in quite snugly and I was a bit worried that the plastic case might crack at the bottom, but it held firm. I placed the somewhat uncomfortable earplug in my ear and slid the telescopic antenna all the way out engaging the simple internal on/off arrangement. I turned the volume control up and instantly a glorious wave of distortionfree musical joy swept over me. I wanted to jump up and down and run onto my balcony screaming “It’s alive!!” at the top of my voice, just like Dr. Frankenstein (but I didn’t!). I was really surprised at how well it worked and needless to say I had a big grin on my face for the rest of the day. The plastic cabinet of this radio is hard, inflexible and light. When you flick it makes a ‘tink tink’ sound as opposed to the cabinets of later radios that when dropped make a dull, muted ‘thud’. It is also highly reflective. Collector Mike Schultz believes that it is some sort of polystyrene plastic. That makes sense as this type of plastic was in common early 1950s. A polystyrene was supposedly high gloss xxThese radios invariably caused, over time, by the vinyl insulation on the earphone wiring coming into contact with the plastic cabinet. These marks can be sanded and polished out but it is a long, fussy process and hard to perfect. To avoid this it is best to store the sets with the wires wrapped in a protective covering, away from the body of the radio. come The Privat-ear was made in three colors that I know of: maroon, red and white. White seems to be the rarest color. Ref 1a American Farm Youth, Volumes Ref 1b Mechanix Illustrated, Oct 1949 Ref 1c United States Patent Office Patent Ref 1d 1920 United States Federal Census Ref 1e Kingsport Times, 23rd of Aug 1949 Ref 1f Beckley Post Herald, 24th of Aug Ref 1g Popular Science, Feb 1946 Ref 1h The Portable Radio in American Ref 1i 1947 Lakeland Florida, City Directory Ref 1j Popular Science, July 1948 Ref 1k Popular Mechanics, Oct 1949 You’ll find much more information about the Privat-ear on the author’s website at www.jamesbutters.com/privatear.htm. originally sold at a U.S.