Watch for radios with their original box, leather case, earphones, owner’s manual and warranty card as the presence of these accessories will greatly improve value. These collections not only pay homage to the development of electronics, but they give us an overview of our ever-changing culture. While some look only for radios from a specific manufacturer or their country of origin, it is more common for collectors to watch for a wide range of transistor radios. The post-World War II Baby Boomers were now in their teens, the general public was experiencing a time of prosperity and disposable income, and everyone under the age of 20 was obsessed with rock ‘n’ roll music. The huge success of the “TR” speaks to the social attitude and economics of mid-20th century America. By the 1960s transistor radios were easily found in the $15 to $20 range, catapulting sales during that decade into the billions. However, the entry into the marketplace by such American electronics giants as Admiral, Emerson, RCA, GE, Motorola and Philco, and fierce competition from Japanese manufacturers, gradually reduced their price. With a price tag of $49.95 they were a luxury item at first. The earliest transistor radios, Texas Instruments’ Regency TR-1 and Raytheon’s 8-TP-1, sent the world of music mobile in 1954. Music was a daily influence in my life, made possible by the invention of the transistor radio. The Doors, The Monkees, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and Smokey Robinson opened up a magical world to an impressionable young girl who had, up until that time, had only been exposed to church hymns and the soundtrack from Oklahoma. Watching a recent documentary on the life of the great Dick Clark started me thinking about the importance of music in my life as a teen in rural Indiana. There were three things I never left the house without during my high school years my bucket bag, a can of AquaNet to secure my beehive hairdo and most importantly, my transistor radio.
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