[NostalgiaRadioTime]

I wasn't planning on buying another console radio. I certainly didn't want one, nor do I have a lot of room for another one. But I fell in love with this beautifully restored nine tube 1937 Sparton model 987 at the Wisconsin Antique Radio Club swap meet on Sunday. Just look at that amazing dial illuminated and the magic green tuning eye! I got a great deal on it from a very reputable member of our club who does excellent, thorough restoration work. I basically got it for the cost of an unrestored original! As soon as he demonstrated it, I was hooked. As much as I like shadow meters, there's just something about that green eye tube that is an instant attention getter.

   

   

   

   

   

[klondike98]

Very nice!! Great find!

[morzh]

How much is that unrestored original?

(and yes...a very sexy set).

[shaler78]

Very nice radio. Always find the best stuff when your not looking for it. If you were looking for one, you'd never find it! What is the light below the dial between the center knobs?

[Radioroslyn]

Interesting if you look at the high SW band the tuning get more and more condensed as you go higher in fq.
Good looker!!!
Terry

[NostalgiaRadioTime]

Thanks everyone. That little light under the dial was supposed to be a station / frequency scroll. It does nothing because it was missing....right now it's just a clear piece of lexan. Basically, it's just a knob that rotated a dial scale that would've had your local station call letters and frequencies so you could easily look them up. More of a gimmick than anything. I may try to make one someday.

[Arran]

 I would guess that what you mean regarding a thorough and a beautiful restoration job was in reference to the electrical side of things and not the cabinet. With regards to the cabinet, quite frankly it reminds me of a typical "Antique Mall" style refinishing job, no grain filler, no tone spray/shading lacquer, satin finish, it may look acceptable but it certainly was not how they left the factory. Sparton sets of that era were no different from any other manufacturers or the time, the cabinets had had shading on the solid wood portions, and a gloss lacquer finish, like a piano.
As for the little dial window, that certainly seems like something Sparton would do, Sparton was never completely sold on the idea of automatic tuning mechanisms, even on their large models they tended to keep the number of pushbuttons to a minimum, I doubt whether they ever built a set with a motor driven dial. I have a high end Sparton model from 1941, it has ten tubes, but for whatever reason they only added a pushbutton bank of six pushbuttons which is something that a lower end Philco model would have had, even on the Canadian market.
Regards
Arran

[sam]

gee arran
you could be a little nicer not come out and say how bad it looks to you
he seen it, bought it .just say it looks nice or nothing
sam

[PhilcoJohn]

Yes I double that! Nice find my friend.

[Eliot Ness]

Sometimes all we need to know we learned in Kindergarten, like "if you don't have something nice to say about someone (or their radios), don't say anything at all"    

Greg, that is an absolutely beautiful dial .  The station/frequency scroll is kind of unique too.  I tried to find a better picture of it, but this is the best I could do:


[Image: http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/down...p?id=47231]
Photo from beej8508 in Spokane, WA (http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/view...2&t=222629)


If you want to recreate that frequency dial, collector Steve Geary in the Dayton, OH area might be able to furnish some pictures for you.  Shoot me a PM if you need his contact info.

I restored a Sparton with a similar dial for a local fellow who ran a frame (picture/print) shop.  He was from England and I thought it was cool that he would listen to the BBC news during dinner on that radio.

[murf]

Some people can always find something negative to say about someone elses treasures.
I think you found a real beauty there. Congrats.
murf

[NostalgiaRadioTime]

No need to call Arran out. He is entitled to his opinion just as I am entitled to mine. If the two opinions happen to disagree with one another, I accept that and trust he would do the same. I'm happy with the radio, and that's what matters most.

Many thanks, John KK4ZLF, for the photo of the frequency scale. I will send you a PM for Steve's e-mail address.

[NostalgiaRadioTime]

Here's a photo of a Sparton 987 with the original finish: