Category: Blog

The QRS Music Company had their own sales gimmick for the Red Top tube- a spinning top toy stating “Red Top Radio Tubes are Better.”. The red top features a double grid, double plate, and double filament and is designed to burn both sets of elements at one time. QRS bought the remaining equipment from...

Fig. 1 above has the usual Post Master General markings, R valve and the words “Made by the MO Valve Company”, GEC, made in England. However, there is no mention of the patent status. Considering the plain box that only states R, it may seem that this group of tubes were the first to be...

This is my 50th year of collecting, so it is safe to say this Arcturus Point-of-Sale advertisement is rare as I have only seen one other diplayed in a prominent Scott Radio collection, and the rear blue glass plate was broken. It too had a uncommon Arcturus 137A type tube. It has a blacked-out wooden...

Most collectors are aware that Ozarka made a quite long line-up of radios under 2 different names. J. Matheson Bell, former vice-president of Montgomery Wards, named his first company Ozarka and his second, J. Matheson Bell Radio Company. Few know that he also sold radio vacuum tubes under the name Ozarka, one of which is...

Long time collector, historian, and electrical engineer Lloyd Espenschied (1889-1986), lived through some very exciting years in wireless technology and his writings can still be viewed as important. The following are a few. Lloyd became a amateur radio operator in 1904 and during summer vacations worked for United Wireless Telegraph Company. He graduated in 1909...

To be added soon

Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler was born in Austria in 1914 to Jewish parents Emil Kiesler and mother Gertrud. Emil was a wealthy bank director and inspired his daughter to become curious about the world around her, invention and improving the world. Her mother, Tuude, was a concert pianist and introduced Hedwig to piano, ballet, theatre,...

Just a small sample of pictures from old time tube collections. The above is an early picture of the Arthur Larson tube collection. Arthur was a patent lawyer but that is not to say all these examples were involved in patent litigation, but some may have. Authors scan from the former Tyne/Vanicek collection. Click all...

John Howard Morecroft, 1881-1934, was an electrical engineer professor at Columbia University and at the Pratt institute. He was also the expert scientist for the US Navy during WW1. and worked in the laboratory of M. I. Pupin in submarine detection for the Navy. He served as president of the IRE in 1924, wrote several...