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This radio was sold by Sears Roebuck. The chassis was manufactured by Dominion Electrohome in Kitchener Ontario
and the cabinet manufactured in Bristol, Connecticut. This radio
sold for only $22.95 when it was
first introduced 74 years ago. In today's dollars that is equivalent to
$485.78. This radio stands 16 inches
high is 12 inches wide and 9 inches deep. It weighs pounds.20
pounds.
Silvertone was a
Sears brand, not a manufacturer. Sears' Silvertone radios were made
under contract by a wide variety of radio manufacturers, including
Colonial, Emerson Radio & Phonograph, Detrola, Howard Radio Company,
Grigsby-Grunow, Stewart-Warner, and Zenith. In all, over 36 different
sources were used by Sears in the years 1930–1942 for radios and related
products.
The major Silvertone manufacturers were
American. The contract manufacturers documented for the 1937 era —
Colonial (Buffalo, NY), Stewart-Warner (Chicago), Mission Bell (Los
Angeles), Detrola, etc. — were all U.S.-based.
There were Canadian Silvertone sets, however. Sears Canada did sell Silvertone-branded
radios, and some sets may have been assembled or modified in Canada to
meet Canadian electrical standards or tariff requirements. This was the
role of the Canadian manufacturer Dominion Electrohome in Kitchener
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Design Without
Excess
What
distinguishes the 4663 is not extravagance, but restraint. The
cabinet—compact, balanced, and unmistakably of its era—reflects the
maturity of late-Depression design. There is no unnecessary
ornamentation, only proportion, symmetry, and purpose. It is a radio
that feels right in the room, even today.
Why It Endures
Nearly ninety
years later, the Silvertone 4663 continues to resonate with collectors
and listeners alike. Not because it was the most expensive or the most
advanced—but because it was one of the most honest.
It delivered
exactly what it promised:
Dependable
performance
Thoughtful
design
Real value
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