How to Identify Vintage Car Radios
- 1). Examine the radio's size and components. Generally speaking, radios were bigger when technology was less advanced. Radios that lack CD and cassette players also give you a clue that they belong in the older, vintage category. Radios that have transistors are post-1957 because all radios before that used vacuum tubes.
- 2). Examine the materials used for the frame of the radio. Plastics weren't common until the 1950s and 1960s because of the advancements made in plastics. Before that, the radio frames, commonly of wood and metal, made them sturdier on the outside, if more fragile on the inside because of the vacuum tubes.
- 3). Examine the radio to see if there's a manufacturer's name stamped on the radio or on the components inside. Manufacturers want their names on their products, and you may also find a model number or serial number. Contact the manufacturer to ask about this particular radio and for any additional information the manufacturer has about it.
- 4). Contact a car radio professional or enthusiast. If you can't find a manufacturer or serial number that identifies your vintage car radio, you should locate someone with a bigger knowledge base on the subject and see if she can help you.
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