1924 Air Way Type "F" radio, an early battery set and an RCA horn - still in working condition.

Here's a 1924 Air Way Type "F" radio, an early battery set whose primitive appearance and compact design did little to belie the fact that it was manufactured by a vacuum cleaner company seeking to capitalize on the first radio boom of the 1920's. Most early Air Way radios haven't weathered the ravages of time too well, but this example is still in excellent shape throughout. The original instruction sheet on the underside of the lid is missing (someone can provide me a scan?), but the rest of the radio is clean and correct, and both of the AF transformers are good, with name stamped into the metal housing. The polished bakelite panel is in near mint condition, with no cracks, no gouges, no chipped corners, no extra holes and no filled holes. The lettering is original and very crisp and clear.The dials, knobs, switches and controls are all original to the radio, and they're in near mint condition The chassis is pristine, as you can see, with perfect original wiring, perfect original tuning coils. The binding post nuts are original and in excellent condition. The cabinet is beautiful, the finish appears to be original, and the wood screws also all appear to be original. Original retaining screw in back. All four tubes have good emissions. As you might expect for a radio made by a vacuum cleaner company, the radio did not sell well when it was new, quickly acquiring a reputation for picking up more dust than radio stations. Tuning was not every selective, nor was it very sensitive, and Air Way did not have an Armstrong license so the circuit relied on RF amplification rather than regeneration, and the results were less than desirable.
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