This magnificent Air Chief 4C54 was made in Japan circa 1959/60. It may have been made by Crown or possibly by NEC. This Air Chief can also be found branded as a Linmark T-80.
Linmark’s were distributed in the USA by Shriro Inc and interestingly Crown radios were distributed by the same company. The speaker grill on the Air Chief is also commonly seen on Crowns and the box for my Crown TR-670 is identical, apart from the graphics, to that of the Air Chief.
Is this radio simply a Crown branded as an Air Chief? Perhaps, however it does use NEC transistors and there other electrical components inside branded as NEC but this is certainly no guarantee that NEC was the manufacturer either.
This Air Chief 4C54 is one of a number of Japanese transistor radios from the golden age that are highly sought after by collectors. This example features a rather commanding design with a luxurious silver under-painted face and brilliant gold starburst framing the tuning dial. It also features a textured metal speaker grill with a pinstripe design.The plastic cabinet is colored pale green and white.
This radio was distributed in the USA by the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co which was founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900. During the 1950’s the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company sold a variety of radios at its nationwide chain of tire stores.
This impressive Air Chief is absolutely mint! The gift box is very cool with only the slightest wear visible. It comes with an old ‘Lamina’ battery made by the Toyo Dry Battery Co Ltd, a leather carry case, earphone and leather earphone case.
Inside you will find 8 NEC brand transistors and other electrical components branded as NEC. The serial number is 5362.
