c.1960 Matsushita National T-15L
Coat pocket radio, thermoplastic cabinet
5 9/16 x 3 3/8 x 1 1/2 inches / 141 x 86 x 38 mm
LW/MW radio, six transistors (Matsushita), four 1.5v AA cells
Manufactured by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Japan
This T-15L is the European LW/MW version of the MW-only T-15. And what a beautiful coat pocket radio! So many colors on the cabinet: red, white, black, gold, silver, yellow, and a pale pink back half.
It seems to me that Matsushita radios don't get a fair shake among collectors, and radios with sliderule dials don't get a fair shake among collectors, and I just can't say enough how awesome this radio is despite it being both. I think we should always look with our eyes and not with our ears.
This is a two-band LW/MW set made for the European market, including France, with GO/PO band designations marked on the right side of the dial, opposite the LW/MW designations on the left side. Unlike most radios sold in Europe, this set is calibrated by frequency rather than meters. The tuning area is entirely reverse-painted plastic, and this T-15L has that distinctive yellow volume knob found on several other National sets (sometimes the tuning knob). The band switch is in the lower right corner of the speaker grille.
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