[Arran]

Jayce;
  Philco had their ups and downs for quality, it really depends on the year, I don't think that the units from the 1960s are that bad but they aren't really anything special either, really just pedestrian consumer grade stuff. Other then Magnavox a lot of companies were cheapening up by the 1960s, Philco isn't the only one guilty of that, and they really took a dump by the mid 70s. Another make to look for is a brand called "Clairtone", "Leak" is another, I don't know if they sold these in the U.S but they were an above average brand in Canada, even so I would pay more then about $50 for one. Apparently some of the Motorola stereos are quite interesting, many of the high end models had a sort of third channel in the center. Whatever you do, stay away from Curtis Mathes, the older ones might be all right but most of the ones you see were overpriced garbage, cheap particleboard and plastic cabinets with imported chassis, in spite of their bragging about being "The Most Expensive TV in America and darn worth it".
Regards
Arran