Transistor Radios Around the World

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1958/59 Grundig Transistor Boy

Coat pocket radio, thermoplastic cabinet
5 3/4 x 3 11/16 x 1 3/4 inches / 146 x 94 x 44 mm
MW, six transistors (Valvo: OC44, 2x OC45, OC71, 2x OC72), two diodes (2x OA70)
Superheterodyne circuit
Four 1.5-volt cells
Manufactured by Grundig, West Germany

A not terribly handsome German transistor radio and unfortunately one of only a very few European transistor radios currently recognized and valued by American collectors. The Transistor Boy was manufactured in 1958 and 1959 — this example appears to have been built in 1959.

The Transistor Boy's cabinet design clearly owes a lot to the Zenith Royal 500 series, from its cabinet dimensions to its three-position carry handle/table stand to its top-positioned volume and tuning knobs to its battery cover and placement of its four 1.5-volt cells — no other European transistor radio shared these similarities with the Zenith 500 series.

Grundig Transistor Boy

Grundig Transistor Boy


Grundig Transistor Boy

Grundig Transistor Boy


Grundig Transistor Boy

chassis — click on the photo for a larger image
(I took this chassis photo at an angle to
allow for a better view of the components)

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