1955 Crosley JM-8
Portable radio, leatherette-covered thermoplastic cabinet
7 x 4 1/2 x 1 15/16 inches / 178 x 114 x 49 mm
Two transistors (RCA, 2x 2N109), three subminiature tubes (1AH4, 1AJ5, 1V6)
One 4-volt "A" battery, one 45-volt "B" battery
This "Fantasy" JM-8GN example is one of two slightly-different versions of the JM-8. Another version of various JM-8 models lacks the "off"-button at the bottom of the grille that turns off the set when the cover is closed.
Interestingly, the JM-8 has a thermoplastic cabinet, something completely obscured by its leatherette-wrapped covering unless you look inside. (I'm calling it "leatherette" all the way through here, though it's possible that the covering was actual leather — I just haven't found any advertising copy saying it was in fact leather.) The inside face appears to be brass or plated.
Crosely marketed the JM-8 series under seven different "book" titles, each with gold-leaf stamped lettering ("23 kt. gold", according to one Crosley advertisement):
JM-8BG: "Musical Memories", black leatherette
JM-8BK: "Enchantment", black leatherette
JM-8BN: "As You Like It", light brown leatherette
JM-8GM: "Magic Mood", green leatherette
JM-8GN: "Fantasy", red leatherette -- may also appear as JM-8MN?
JM-8WE: "Treasure Island", white leatherette
JM-8??: "The World of Music", dark brown leatherette
"The World of Music" seems to be the most difficult version to find in good condition. And several sources I've come across for "The World of Music" model display their model numbers on their inside labels as simply, "JM-8" without any suffix letters, making me wonder if "The World of Music" may have been the first edition of the Crosley JM-8 series.
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