Manufactured in early 1922 by Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co. of Canada, the 3-piece Model C receiving set was the first broadcast radio sold by Marconi into the Canadian marketplace.
Comprising a tuner, a detector and a 2-stage amplifier -- all housed individually in quarter sawn oak cabinets -- the complete radio sold for $195 when new, an exorbitant amount of money at the time, which may explain why so few of them were sold. When you factor in the price of the accessory battery box (an additional $22), the total outlay came to more than $220 -- at a time when the average cost of a home in Canada was around five or six thousand dollars
Condition of all four Marconi components is excellent, as is the Murdock 56 headset you see resting atop them all (the headset was found inside the battery box, and though it's not a Marconi headset, it's also included).
Everything is as pristine as you could hope for: clean, undamaged panels; original panel screws; original cabinet finish; original dials; clean, crisp original engraving fill; original binding post assemblies; original tuner parts, original AF transformers, original wiring; etc. All three tipped tubes have good emissions.
The tuner and detector have been tested with an ARBEIII power supply, and they're still capable of receiving AM broadcasts when connected to a good earth (not household wiring) and a longwire outdoor antenna (at least 120 feet long and 10 feet above the ground). One of the two AF transformers in the 2-stage amplifier tests open for continuity and will need to be rewound, bridged or bypassed in order for the amplifier to power a loudspeaker. Otherwise, the radio will work only with headphones.
The last picture, which depicts Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford at the helm of a Model C during a 1922 visit to Montreal, comes from Jerry Proc's excellent website, where you can find tons of great info related to Marconi of Canada and Marconi of America.
When the three components are mounted on the battery box, the radio measures approximately 22" wide by 9" high by 7" deep.