2 Speaker Edison Bell Wooden Tube Cathedral Radio
Just as the name implies, Edison Bell was a company whose similar name was confused with “Thomas Edison” but they had no connection to Thomas Edison and were separate companies in different countries.
It is believed that Edison Bell was English company who produced radios in two different countries: England & Canada. Another common association and mistake that people make is the cabinets that Edison Bell and Pilot used. It is uncanny how similar the cabinets looked in both size and shape; it is believed that they used the same cabinet furniture maker like so many companies did at that time.
If I am correct, Edison Bell was a very old manufacturer of crystal radios dating back to 1911. Since this set has no labels or markings, I would be glad to know if anybody has additional information explaining the history of Edison Bell. According to the information found on the internet, this radio was produced for the American market in 1934; with a 110 V transformer. I also believe because of American patented radio designs with royalty rights that is why Edison Bell was made in Canada and not the United States where law suits of circuit copy rights and patents are easy to enforce. This also explains the reason why my radio repairman cannot find information on circuit design and/or repair schematics in John Rider manuals. England and the United States were in direct competition in the radio communication industry.
It should be noted: as a part of radio industrial age culture, anything with the name “Edison” is considered to be valuable and very collectable just because of the name “Edison” while other collector’s appreciates the historic importance of a company that produced radios.
Condition is as follows:
1) Original grill cloth
2) Original knobs
3) Cabinet finish - absolutely beautiful
5) Original speakers
6) No dents; no missing veneer, and no scratches
7) Measurements: 19 1/2” high x 15 3/4” wide x 10” deep
Legal caution:
This radio is for decoration only and may not fully functional, therefore this radio is being sold as parts only. If you should decide to use this radio, you use this radio at you own risk. This is an old electrical device that can short which was made of substandard parts with no safety circuit protect. I will not be responsible for any damages, loss, material health injuries; legal fees, and environmental concerns for testing and disposal. It also should be noted that radio manufacturers use toxic and dangerous internal materials in the construction of this radio which varied from manufacturer to manufacturer, therefore this caution will serve as notice to the buyer and will not be the responsibility of the seller for any of the legal concerns under all conditions including resale from buyer to buyer.